NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The nationally-ranked Norwich University women's ice hockey team completed a commanding opening weekend of Little East Conference (LEC) play on Saturday evening, blanking Western Connecticut State University, 7-0, in the first-ever meeting between the programs at Kreitzberg Arena.
Norwich remained perfect at 3-0-0 overall and 2-0-0 in conference play while collecting another shutout less than 24 hours after its 10-0 home-opening victory over Keene State College.
The Cadets controlled nearly every facet of Saturday's contest, outshooting the first-year Wolves, 80-4, while winning 48 of 60 faceoffs. Norwich struck three times on the power play and added a short-handed goal, with six different Cadets finding the back of the net.
Norwich needed only 80 seconds to take control.
Sophomore Natalie Heutmaker (Eagan, Minn.) opened the scoring at 1:20, converting feeds from junior Alex Leslie (Irishtown, N.B.) and freshman Kaitlyn Dill (Elmhurst, Ill.) for her first goal of the season.
Freshman Greyce Kennedy (Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia) doubled the advantage at 8:21, burying her first collegiate goal off assists from Leslie and freshman Anna Monette (Malone, N.Y.).
Norwich then turned to its power play to make it 3-0.
With WestConn skating short following a hooking penalty, senior Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.) scored at 13:12, finishing a sequence created by freshman Vanessa Sciampacone (Nepean, Ontario) and sophomore Ellin Rees (Cardiff, Wales, U.K.).
The Cadets took that three-goal advantage into the first intermission after putting 24 shots on goal during the opening 20 minutes while allowing only one.
Norwich's special teams took over again midway through the second.
After WestConn was whistled for penalties just 30 seconds apart, Sciampacone converted with the advantage at 8:31 for the first goal of her collegiate career. Senior Livia Brooks (Walpole, Mass.) and Ricker supplied the assists as Norwich pushed the margin to 4-0.
The Cadets needed only 76 more seconds to strike again. Another WestConn penalty put Norwich back on the power play at 9:44, and sophomore Maggie Hunter (Royal Oak, Mich.) required just three seconds to capitalize, scoring off helpers from senior Madison Anderson (Green Bay, Wis.) and Kennedy.
The back-to-back power-play markers gave Norwich a 5-0 advantage midway through the contest and completed a second period in which the Cadets put another 28 shots on net.
WestConn received its lone power-play opportunity in the closing seconds of the second, but Norwich turned the disadvantage into another scoring chance after the intermission.
Just 1:12 into the third, sophomore Madalyn Liles (Arlington, Texas) struck short-handed for her first goal of the season, with senior Dani Ammons (Centennial, Colo.) collecting the assist.
The Cadets remained in command throughout the period and continued generating chances, putting 28 more shots on goal.
Hunter supplied the final exclamation point with just 5.9 seconds remaining, scoring her second goal of the evening and third of the season off assists from Ricker and freshman Lola Boutilier (Moncton, New Brunswick) to produce the 7-0 final.
Ricker finished as Norwich's leading scorer with three points on a goal and two assists, while Hunter scored twice. Leslie recorded two assists, with Sciampacone and Kennedy each finishing with a goal and a helper.
Norwich's seven goals came from six different players, while 13 Cadets recorded at least one point.
The Cadets' dominance extended into the faceoff circle. Sciampacone went a perfect 15-for-15, Kennedy won 15 of her 17 draws, and Anna Lisac (Euclid, Ohio) finished 11-for-14 as Norwich claimed 80 percent of the game's faceoffs.
Sophomore Dana Rigan (Lindenhurst, Ill.) earned the victory after turning aside all four WestConn shots across the opening 40 minutes.
Freshman Maddie Maloney (Denton, Md.) took over for the third period and helped finish the shared shutout, with the Cadets holding the Wolves without a shot on goal during the final 20 minutes.
Norwich finished with 130 total shot attempts, including 80 on goal, while WestConn generated five attempts and four shots on target. The Cadets also finished 3-for-6 on the power play, while holding the Wolves scoreless on their lone opportunity.
The Cadets will now leave Kreitzberg Arena for a four-game road swing, beginning with a pair of Little East Conference contests next weekend.
Norwich will travel to Plymouth State University on Friday, Nov. 13, for a 5:00 p.m. puck drop before heading to New England College on Saturday, Nov. 14, for a 3:00 p.m. conference matchup in Henniker, N.H.
