NORTHFIELD, Vt.- The Norwich Women's Ice Hockey team opened New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) action Friday when they played host to William Smith, with both sides looking to get in the win column for the first time.

Nearly three minutes in, after an early press, the Cadets went on the penalty kill where they smothered the Heron powerplay only allowing one shot and not giving the attackers space to work with. Once the early penalty was killed off, Norwich turned of the offensive pressure with several shots from the point looking for rebounds and redirections with a few chances in close. As the opening frame wound down, the Cadets would go back to the penalty box, as they would go into first intermission scoreless while also facing a 5-on-3 penalty kill.

Despite three shots by the Herons, both fouls were killed off to open the second period. However, the powerplays gave William Smith momentum, eventually leading to the opening goal of the game. A wrist shot from the point by Annabel Ziskin through a wall of bodies in front of the net gave the Herons the lead just before the halfway mark of regulation. Norwich had a chance to tie the game with a powerplay of their own not long after, but it only had one shot on goal. 43 seconds later, the Herons went back to the man advantage after a Norwich offensive zone penalty where they would double their lead. A wrist shot from Kayla Ketchabaw from the top of the zone stretched William Smith's lead to two. The parade to the sin bin continued as both teams would each receive a minor before second intermission.

The powerplays finally yielded momentum for the Cadets offense. After several chances missed the net, or were passed up, Norwich finally broke through on the scoreboard in the third period. With Rylie McIntyre (Brunswick, Maine) and Melianne Reynolds (Sherbrooke, Que.) working the puck around the offensive end, the puck ended up on the stick of senior captain Neris Archambault (Pepperell, Mass.), whose original shot attempt was blocked, but ricocheted off the block into the net cutting the Heron lead in half.

Four minutes later, Norwich drew their fourth powerplay. An aggressive press by Kayla Ketchabaw turned into a shorthanded breakaway which she put home to give the Herons their two-goal lead back. The Cadets, frantically looking to claw their way back, poured on the pressure with numerous opportunities that would not go. With roughly two minutes to play, and an offensive zone faceoff, Leocadia Clark (Stowe, Vt.) was summoned to the bench for an extra attacker. With a minute and a half to play, after an Aimee Headland (Nottingham, U.K.) shot was blocked, Olivia Boyer (Saint Paul, Minn.) would stuff in the rebound to make it a 3-2 game. Boyer had several attempts towards the end, but could not get any more pucks passed Annie Houser, who made 38 saves on the night.

"Although it was not the outcome we wanted, as a young team we made tremendous progress," Head Coach Sophie Leclerc Doherty said. "Leo was solid for us, and as a group we created a ton of chances and just could not convert tonight. We are excited to keep building together."

Up next for the Cadets is a rematch of last year's NEHC Championship game when they host twelfth ranked Elmira Nov 4 at 4 PM.