DANBURY, Conn.- The Norwich Men's Ice Hockey team delivered a statement performance on Friday night, erupting for four third-period goals to complete a rousing comeback to defeat Western Connecticut State at Danbury Ice Arena as the Cadets continue their push in Little East Conference (LEC) play.

The opening period featured strong defensive play and steady goaltending on both ends. West Conn killed off an early Norwich penalty and generated a handful of chances against Sami Molu (Toronto, Ont.), who was sharp from the outset. The teams exchanged unsuccessful power plays throughout the frame. Despite a pair of late opportunities for the Cadets that Wolves netminder Liam Lane turned aside, the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes.

Both sides traded chances early in the second period before Western Connecticut struck first seven-and-a-half minutes in. Jordan Blais beat Molu to give the Wolves a 1–0 lead.

The goal seemed to ignite Norwich. The Cadets immediately tilted the ice, hemming West Conn in its own zone and holding the Wolves without a shot for an extended stretch. Lane was forced into action repeatedly, turning aside point-blank looks and keeping his team in front. Western Connecticut finally registered another shot during a power play in the final five minutes of the period. Still, Lane's steady play allowed the Wolves to carry their one-goal advantage into the second intermission.

Norwich wasted little time in the third period to change the momentum. A bench minor assessed to the Wolves at the start of the frame gave the Cadets an early power play. They capitalized just 1:44 in. Ben van Waterschoot (Whitby, Ont.) worked the puck at the left circle and exchanged passes with Devon Thibodeau (Pelham, Ont.) at the point before Thibodeau set up Nick Foster (Amherst, Mass.) on the right side. Foster hammered home a one-timer to even the score at 1–1.

The Cadets struck again two-and-a-half minutes later to seize the lead. From his defensive blue line, Matt Harvey (Fort Covington, N.Y.) threaded a pass through the neutral zone to Joe Schubert (Oconomowoc, Wis.). Schubert quickly moved the puck to Niko Benjamin (Surprise, Ariz.) as he entered the offensive zone, and Benjamin finished the rush to give Norwich its first lead of the night.

After a brief stretch of back-and-forth play, the Cadets extended the advantage. Ocean Fancy (Orleans, Mass.) kept the puck alive along the left boards and fed Dave Overbeeke (Wilton, Conn.) down low. Overbeeke fired a sharp-angle shot toward the net that was redirected home by Owen Sclisizzi (Milton, Ont.), pushing the Norwich lead to 3–1.

Both teams traded unsuccessful power-play opportunities in the latter stages of the third period as the Wolves searched for a way back into the contest. With a minute and a half remaining, Lane was pulled for the extra attacker, but Norwich's defensive structure held firm.

In the closing seconds, van Waterschoot disrupted a Wolves breakout attempt and quickly fed Nick Cordeiro (Mississauga, Ont.), who found the empty net to seal the 4–1 comeback victory.

"I don't think we played up to our standard to start," said Head Coach Dominick Dawes '04. "But I have said before that this group is resilient, credit to them for sticking with it and having a dominant 3rd."

The win underscores Norwich's resilience as the Cadets enter the final stretch of conference play. Norwich will continue its penultimate LEC weekend on Monday night, traveling to Keene State for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop on Feb. 17.