RUTLAND, Vt.- The Norwich Women's Ice Hockey team completed a dominant season sweep of Vermont State Castleton on Saturday afternoon, rolling to a 6–0 shutout and finishing the three-game series by outscoring the Spartans 16–0. A first-period barrage and stellar special teams performance powered the Cadets, who closed the weekend with authority and continued Little East Conference (LEC) play in commanding fashion.

Norwich set the tone early, pressing from the opening faceoff and forcing Castleton goaltender Gianna McCusker into several early saves as the Cadets established sustained offensive-zone time. The pressure paid dividends on Norwich's first power play of the afternoon.

After Livia Brooks (Walpole, Mass.) circled the offensive zone and drew defenders toward her, she dropped the puck to the left point for Lauren Tuzik (Frankfort, Ill.). Tuzik slid a pass along the blue line to Jordan Brady (Green Bay, Wis.), whose low wrist shot threaded through traffic and found the back of the net just four-and-a-half minutes in, giving the Cadets a 1–0 lead.

Norwich struck again just 45 seconds later. Madalyn Liles (Arlington, Texas) won possession off a board battle and quickly fed Maggie Hunter (Royal Oak, Mich.) at the top of the crease. McCusker turned aside Hunter's initial attempt, but Liles followed the play and buried the rebound to double the advantage. The goal marked Liles' second in as many games as the Cadets continued to swarm the Spartans.

The onslaught continued throughout the opening period, with Norwich controlling possession and limiting Castleton's ability to generate clean exits. McCusker was forced to make several quality saves to keep the Spartans within reach. Still, the Cadets eventually broke through again with six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the period.

Madison Anderson (Green Bay, Wis.) recovered the puck in the left corner and handed it off to Brooks, who attempted to bring it out front. The puck popped loose to Ellin Rees (Cardiff, Wales, U.K.) high in the zone, and Rees sent a shot through traffic that beat McCusker, extending the lead to 3–0. Norwich took 14 of the first 15 shots in the contest and carried a three-goal advantage into the first intermission.

The Cadets showed no signs of letting up in the second period, continuing to apply pressure and dictate the pace of play. Five-and-a-half minutes into the frame, Norwich pushed the lead to four with a well-executed sequence in the offensive zone.

Tuzik and Geena Cookinham (Gilmanton Iron Works, N.H.) exchanged passes along the blue line before Cookinham sent the puck down low to Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.). Ricker delivered a feed to the doorstep, where Olivia Boyer (Saint Paul, Minn.) jammed the puck home to make it 4–0.

Midway through the period, Castleton generated its best push of the afternoon, testing Norwich goaltender Payton Sutherland (Brighton, Colo.) with sustained pressure. Sutherland stood tall, turning aside every chance and anchoring a successful penalty kill to keep the Spartans off the scoreboard.

Norwich regained momentum on a power play later in the period, but McCusker came up with timely saves to prevent further damage. Despite the lull in scoring, the Cadets remained firmly in control and took the four-goal cushion into the second intermission.

Early in the third period, Norwich returned to the man advantage and capitalized once again. Alex Leslie (Irishtown, N.B.) won possession at the left point following a board battle and sent the puck across the zone to Rees. Rees quickly found Boyer in the slot, and Boyer snapped a shot past McCusker to the blocker side to extend the lead to 5–0.

Just two minutes later, the Cadets struck on the power play for the third time in the contest. Brady kept the puck alive along the blue line and fed Tuzik, who sent a pass to Anna Lisac (Euclid, Ohio) at the left circle. Lisac's one-timer rang off the post, but Anderson was in the right place to clean up the rebound and make it a 6–0 game.

Sutherland continued her strong performance in the final minutes, calmly turning aside the few chances that came her way. With eight-and-a-half minutes remaining, Castleton was awarded a penalty shot, but the attempt sailed wide, preserving the shutout.

Norwich finished the afternoon 3-for-4 on the power play and limited Castleton's offensive opportunities throughout, showcasing disciplined defensive play and special teams excellence. The shutout capped a perfect season series against the Spartans, with the Cadets winning all three meetings by a combined score of 16–0.

"Our group played a complete 60 minutes, one shift at a time," said Head Coach Justin Simpson. "We started fast and stayed relentless throughout the game. Our special teams were very strong today, scoring three power-play goals and going perfect on the kill. Payton played well in goal, making some timely saves and also playing the puck effectively to relieve pressure."

With the weekend sweep complete, Norwich will return home to continue LEC play with a weekend series against Keene State on home ice, looking to carry its momentum forward as conference action continues at 4:00 p.m. on Jan. 16.