NORTHFIELD, Vt.- The Norwich Women's Ice Hockey team returned from the semester break by opening the 15th annual East-West Classic with a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Oswego State Sunday afternoon, marking the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Despite trailing after one and seeing the Lakers erase a second-period lead, the Cadets leaned on a dominant middle frame and a flawless penalty kill to secure the win and advance to Monday's tournament championship game.

Norwich set the tone early, dictating play from the opening faceoff and spending extended time in the offensive zone. The Cadets peppered Oswego goaltender Mia Devivo with quality chances, forcing her to make several sharp saves to keep the game scoreless.

Momentum briefly shifted with 8:35 remaining in the opening period when Oswego earned its first power play. The Lakers generated multiple looks around Norwich netminder Madison Brunet (Timmins, Ont.), forcing her to track traffic and handle rebounds as Oswego found its footing. A second man advantage helped tilt the ice further, and the Lakers capitalized shortly after play returned to five-on-five.

Jenna Majewski opened the scoring for Oswego, redirecting an Elizabeth Cooley feed at the net front to give the Lakers a 1–0 lead. Despite Norwich owning a commanding 14–5 shot advantage in the opening period, Oswego carried the one-goal edge into the first intermission.

The Cadets wasted little time responding in the second period. After killing off another Oswego power play to start the frame, Norwich struck three minutes in to even the score. A puck battle along the left corner boards freed the puck to Dani Ammons (Centennial, Colo.), who slid it across the zone to Maggie Hunter (Royal Oak, Mich.). Devivo turned aside Hunter's initial shot, but the rebound popped loose to Grace McCluskey (Annapolis, Md.). McCluskey quickly found Madison Anderson (Green Bay, Wis.) at the top of the crease, and Anderson jammed the puck home to tie the game at 1–1.

Norwich continued to carry the momentum and pulled ahead just over four minutes later. Ellin Rees (Cardiff, Wales, U.K.) disrupted play in the defensive zone, poking the puck free to Geena Cookinham (Gilmanton Iron Works, N.H.) to spark a rush up ice with Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.). Ricker's centering attempt for Cookinham deflected off a Laker defender and landed on the stick of Olivia Boyer (Saint Paul, Minn.) in the slot. Devivo denied Boyer's bid, but Ricker stayed with the play and buried the rebound to give the Cadets a 2–1 advantage.

Devivo kept Oswego within striking distance with a series of timely stops as Norwich continued to apply pressure, but the Lakers found an equalizer late in the period. With seven minutes remaining in the second, Leah Coley banked a shot off the shin of Liliana Ficaro and past Brunet to knot the game at 2–2.

Undeterred, the Cadets pushed back and reclaimed the lead in the closing minutes of the frame. Seconds after a power play expired in the final two minutes, Marja Linzbichler (Graz, Austria) gained possession behind the net and carried the puck along the boards to the right half wall before slipping a pass to Rees. Rees moved the puck to Hunter in the high slot, and Hunter snapped a wrist shot past Devivo's glove for her second point of the afternoon, sending Norwich into the second intermission with a 3–2 lead.

The third period saw Oswego press for the equalizer, but Brunet stood tall when it mattered most. The senior goaltender came up with several clutch saves, anchoring multiple successful penalty kills as the Lakers looked to generate offense with the man advantage. Norwich's penalty-killing unit was airtight throughout the contest, finishing a perfect 5-for-5 on the afternoon.

Late power plays for the Cadets allowed Norwich to control possession and bleed valuable time off the clock. Oswego pulled Devivo for an extra attacker with just over a minute remaining, but Norwich prevented the Lakers from setting up sustained pressure, sealing the one-goal victory.

"There was a buzz around Norwich and Northfield this weekend with our tournament and the men's," said Head Coach Justin Simpson. "We used that energy to start fast from the opening puck drop and carried that momentum through the entire game. I thought we played a complete 60 minutes. Our penalty kill was excellent, too."

With the win, Norwich advances to the East-West Classic title game on Monday afternoon. The Cadets will face former New England Hockey Conference rival Elmira at 4 p.m., marking the first meeting between the programs since last season's NEHC Championship game. Elmira earned its spot in the final with a 5–4 overtime win over Plattsburgh State, while Oswego State will meet Plattsburgh in the 1 p.m. consolation game in an all-State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup.