RUTLAND, Vt.- The Norwich Women's Ice Hockey team resumed Little East Conference (LEC) play Friday afternoon emphatically, erupting for four goals in the third period to pull away for a 5–0 victory over Vermont State Castleton at Spartan Arena to open a weekend series between the intrastate rivals.

After a tightly contested scoreless opening forty minutes, the Cadets leaned on sustained pressure and timely scoring in the final frame to secure the road win. Madison Brunet (Timmins, Ont.) anchored the performance in goal, turning aside all 18 shots she faced to record her fourth shutout of the season.

Castleton came out with energy in the opening period, testing Brunet early as the Spartans generated several quality looks in the first few minutes of play. Brunet was sharp from the outset, tracking pucks through traffic and calmly controlling rebounds to keep the game scoreless as Norwich worked to find its rhythm.

Midway through the opening frame, the Cadets began to settle in and tilt the ice. Norwich generated extended offensive-zone pressure, forcing Castleton goaltender Kara Boassaly to make a series of stops as the pace picked up. Despite the improved pressure from the visitors, Boassaly matched Brunet save for save, and the teams headed to the first intermission locked in a 0–0 tie after a briskly played period.

The goaltending duel continued into the second period. Brunet continued to stonewall the Spartans early, denying point shots and handling net-front traffic as Castleton looked to strike first. At the other end, Boassaly remained steady, turning aside chances as Norwich continued to build momentum.

That momentum became unmistakable around the six-minute mark of the period, as the Cadets seized control of play and poured pressure onto the Castleton defense. Shift after shift, Norwich kept the puck in the offensive zone, cycling through the corners and generating chances from the slot. Boassaly was forced into a flurry of saves to keep the Spartans level, but the sustained pressure eventually paid off.

With four minutes remaining in the second, Castleton attempted to clear the zone following a faceoff win, but Maggie Hunter (Royal Oak, Mich.) intercepted the puck in the neutral zone. Hunter quickly sent it to the right boards for Livia Brooks (Walpole, Mass.), who gained the zone with speed and fired a shot past Boassaly to give Norwich a 1–0 lead. The goal capped a dominant middle frame for the Cadets, who outshot Castleton 17–5 in the period and carried the one-goal advantage into the second intermission.

Norwich wasted little time adding to the lead in the third. Minutes after killing off the lone penalty of the contest early in the frame, the Cadets struck again to make it 2–0. Anna Lisac (Euclid, Ohio) won a clean faceoff in the attacking zone, allowing Norwich to maintain possession. Brooks controlled the puck behind the goal line and fed a pass out front to Madison Anderson (Green Bay, Wis.). Boassaly made the initial save, but Lisac followed the play and buried the rebound to double the Cadets' lead.

The Cadets continued to apply pressure, and just three minutes later, the advantage grew to three on a nearly identical sequence. Olivia Boyer (Saint Paul, Minn.) sent the puck from the left corner to Geena Cookinham (Gilmanton Iron Works, N.H.) at the top of the crease. Cookinham's chance was turned aside, but Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.) crashed the net and hammered home the rebound to make it a 3–0 game.

Norwich showed no signs of letting up. Three minutes later, the Cadets struck again, this time off the rush. Hunter jump-started the play from behind Brunet's net and moved the puck ahead to Marja Linzbichler (Graz, Austria) through the neutral zone. Linzbichler's attempt created traffic in front of Boassaly, and Madalyn Liles (Arlington, Texas) capitalized on the loose puck, converting for her first collegiate goal to push the lead to 4–0.

The four-goal eruption was capped in the final 30 seconds of play. Anderson found the back of the net to close out the scoring, giving Brooks a three-point afternoon while Anderson, Lisac, and Hunter each finished with two points apiece.

Behind the offensive outburst, Norwich's defensive structure remained airtight. Brunet was rarely tested in the third period but remained locked in, turning aside every opportunity to preserve the shutout and secure the Cadets' third consecutive victory.

"We started slow tonight, and Madi had to come up with some big-time saves in the first period," said Head Coach Justin Simpson. "We knew Castleton was going to come out fast and aggressively. Halfway through the first period, we really got into our game and played to our identity. Tomorrow our start will be essential in a tough back-to-back weekend."

The Cadets and Spartans will meet again on Saturday, Jan. 10, with puck drop scheduled for 2 p.m. in Rutland as the intrastate foes wrap up the two-game set and the regular season series.