NORTHFIELD, Vt.- The Norwich Men's Ice Hockey team resumed Little East Conference (LEC) play emphatically on Saturday afternoon, rolling past travel partner Vermont State Castleton with a dominant offensive performance at Kreitzberg Arena. The Cadets' special teams proved decisive, as Norwich went 3-for-5 on the power play, backed by a four-point outing from Ben van Waterschoot (Whitby, Ont.) and three points apiece from Nick Cordeiro (Mississauga, Ont.) and Cooper Bertrand (Caledon, Ont.).

Norwich set the tone early, controlling possession and hemming the Spartans in their defensive zone for long stretches of the opening period. Castleton goaltender Charles Watson was forced into action early and often, turning aside several quality chances as the Cadets dictated the pace. Despite Norwich's strong start, it was the Spartans who struck first. On just their second shot of the game, Josef Vyvial scored to give Castleton a 1–0 lead against the run of play.

The Cadets responded with composure. After killing off a penalty, Norwich continued to press and found the equalizer at the midpoint of the period. Bertrand controlled the puck along the right side and sent a cross-ice feed to Cordeiro, who fired a sharp-angle shot on net. The rebound squirted loose behind Watson, where van Waterschoot was there to poke it home, tying the game at 1–1.

Both teams traded chances as the period wore on, with Watson and Sami Molu (Toronto, Ont.) each coming up with timely saves to keep the game level. Late in the frame, Norwich earned its first power play of the afternoon and capitalized. Frank D'Ancona (Fort Myers, Fla.) won a puck battle in the right corner and moved it back to Ocean Fancy (Orleans, Mass.) at the point. Fancy's wrist shot was initially stopped, but Boyd Stahlbaum (Peterborough, Ont.) pounced on the rebound and buried it, giving Norwich a 2–1 lead after one.

The second period opened with more special-teams drama. Norwich returned to the ice with a power play, but coincidental minors quickly wiped out the advantage and sent the Cadets to the penalty kill. Castleton took advantage as the minor penalty was set to expire, with Logan Dapprich converting to tie the game at 2–2.

Undeterred, Norwich continued to drive play and reclaimed the lead for good with just under eight minutes remaining in the period. Jed Brazo (Homer, N.Y.) forced a turnover deep in the offensive zone and moved the puck back to Bertrand, who found Stahlbaum stationed on the doorstep. Stahlbaum made a quick move on Watson and tucked the puck home for his second goal of the game, restoring the Cadets' advantage.

The Cadets weren't finished in the middle frame. In the final 10 seconds of the period, Norwich struck again on the power play to take a two-goal cushion into the intermission. Van Waterschoot worked the puck from the left half wall to Cordeiro at the top of the circle. Cordeiro slid a pass down low to Zach Ophoven (Burlington, Ont.), who stuffed it past Watson at the buzzer to make it 4–2.

Norwich carried that momentum into the third period and continued to apply pressure. Seven and a half minutes in, the Cadets made it a three-goal game off the rush. Bertrand sprung Cordeiro with an outlet pass, creating a two-on-one. Cordeiro patiently slid the puck across to van Waterschoot, who hammered a one-timer into the net for his second goal of the afternoon.

In the latter stages of the contest, Castleton was assessed a five-minute major, giving Norwich another extended power-play opportunity. The Cadets made it count. Van Waterschoot controlled the puck at the left circle and dished to Colin Elliott (Peterborough, Ont.), who froze the Spartan penalty killers before finding Nick Foster (Amherst, Mass.) alone at the back post. Foster buried the puck into a wide-open cage to extend the lead.

Norwich capped the scoring with 1:10 remaining, adding its seventh and final tally of the afternoon. Matt Harvey's (Fort Covington, N.Y.) shot was blocked in front. Still, the puck deflected to Cole Fagan (North Andover, Mass.), who redirected it to Joe Schubert (Oconomowoc, Wis.) for the finish, putting an exclamation point on the Cadets' offensive showcase.

"I really thought we got better as the game went on," said Head Coach Dominick Dawes '04. "Our power play had a great night, and it was great to see guys find the back of the net."

 The Cadets will be back in action on Friday night, Jan. 16, when they host Keene State at 7:00 p.m. at Kreitzberg Arena as LEC competition continues.