NORTHFIELD, Vt.- The Norwich Men's Ice Hockey team emphatically defended home ice on Saturday afternoon, riding the energy of a raucous White Out crowd to a statement 3–1 victory over No. 9 Babson at Kreitzberg Arena. The win, which came on Senior Day to close out the home portion of the regular-season schedule, was fueled by two first-period goals, a flawless special-teams performance, and a stellar night between the pipes from Sami Molu (Toronto, Ont.), who turned aside 38 shots.

Both goaltenders were tested early, as Molu and Babson netminder Nate Mueller made key saves in the opening minutes. Norwich broke through five minutes into the contest on a momentum-shifting play. Zach Ophoven (Burlington, Ont.) lifted a perfectly weighted, home-run pass through the neutral zone to Nick Cordeiro (Mississauga, Ont.), who caught the puck in stride and finished cleanly on the breakaway to give the Cadets a 1–0 lead.

Babson responded by ramping up the pressure, generating sustained zone time and quality looks, but Molu stood tall with several big stops to keep Norwich in front. The Cadets then capitalized on their first power-play opportunity midway through the period. Off a faceoff win, Mueller denied point-blank chances from Frank D'Ancona (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Colin Elliott (Peterborough, Ont.). Still, Boyd Stahlbaum (Peterborough, Ont.) stayed with the play and buried the third attempt to double the lead.

The Beavers answered later in the period, as Ryan Murphy found the back of the net to cut the deficit in half. Babson carried momentum into a power-play chance soon after, but Norwich's penalty kill—anchored by Molu—held firm to preserve the one-goal advantage through the end of the opening frame.

Babson continued to press early in the second period, but struggled to break through Norwich's defensive structure and a sharp Molu, who tracked pucks cleanly and limited second chances. The Cadets successfully killed off another penalty late in the period before earning a power play of their own—and once again made it count.

With just 3.8 seconds remaining in the period, Nick Foster (Amherst, Mass.) controlled the puck at the left circle and slid a pass to Ben van Waterschoot (Whitby, Ont.). Van Waterschoot quickly teed up Devon Thibodeau (Pelham, Ont.) at the point, and Thibodeau's shot found its way through traffic to restore Norwich's two-goal cushion heading into the intermission.

The third period saw Babson push hard in search of a comeback, but the Cadets remained composed. Norwich kept the Beavers to the perimeter, blocked shots, and relied on timely saves from Molu to maintain control. Molu was especially sharp during a late surge, making several clutch stops to deny Babson any life.

Mueller left the net for an extra skater with four minutes remaining. Still, the Cadets clamped down defensively, disrupting entries and clearing rebounds to close out a monumental conference win in front of the home faithful.

Norwich finished the night a perfect 2-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, opening a five-point lead atop the Little East Conference standings with the victory.
"This group has been incredibly resilient since day one, and they proved that again tonight," said Head Coach Dominick Dawes '04. "We can't thank the fans and students enough, what an unbelievable atmosphere!"

Before puck drop, Norwich honored its six members of the 2025–26 senior class as part of Senior Day festivities. The Cadets recognized Devon Thibodeau, Matt Harvey, Nick Cordeiro, Owen Hains, Adam Shuchart, and manager Riley Ward for their contributions to the program. The Kreitzberg Arena faithful celebrated the group before helping fuel a statement win to close out the home regular-season schedule.

The Cadets will now hit the road, traveling on Friday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. for their first-ever trip to Western Connecticut State as LEC play continues.