NORTHFIELD, Vt. — The Norwich Cadets advanced to the Division III women’s ice hockey championship game for the first time since 2014 with a 5-1 victory at home Friday against the Hamline Pipers.
While the score line heavily favored the Cadets, the shots on goal showed a different story, with the Pipers leading that statistic 30-23.
For Norwich head coach Mark Bolding, the biggest challenge in facing Hamline was the speed of the game.
“That team can move, holy cow,” Bolding said.
At the first intermission, the score line was 2-0 in favor of the Cadets, but Bolding was not comfortable.
“We had the first two goals with great individual efforts, but it didn’t feel right,” Bolding said. “It didn’t feel like we were on top of things.”
A power-play goal by freshman center Jordan Hansen 2:07 into the second cut the Pipers’ deficit to one in the period in which Hamline led shots on goal 13-9.
“I was just really excited,” Hansen said. “A 2-1 lead is just one bounce and it’s tied up. It’s like a 0-0 game. It’s pretty exciting.”
One turning point in the game was when Hamline took a penalty at 13:09 for too many players on the ice.
“That is the one moment that certainly burned us,” Hamline head coach Natalie Darwitz said. “We were buzzing, it was 2-1 and Jordan just hit the crossbar. We got a lot of good opportunities and then, quite honestly, it was just a brain fart between kids that have been changing for each other all year long.”
A goal by Bryn Labbe on the ensuing power play restored the Cadets’ two-goal lead, and third-period goals by Sophie McGovern and Carly Menges finished the five-goal night for Norwich.
While the loss ends the Pipers’ chances of winning a national championship, Darwitz was proud of what her team achieved this season.
“It’s a good stepping stone for us,” Darwitz said. “We would love to get back here and be a consistent mainstay here every year. It puts us on the map.”
Darwitz hoped the semifinal appearance helps to bolster Hamline’s standing in the public eye.
“All year long, people saw Hamline climbing the ranks,” Darwitz said. “But honestly, I don’t think we got the respect we deserved. We were competing with Gustavus and other teams, and we were still not cracking the top-10 rankings.”
With the quest for a title done, Hamline can now look to carry the momentum of their playoff run as the program continues to fight for that respect.
“We’re the new kid in town,” Darwitz said. “We have to keep proving ourselves, and we will.”
With the win, the Cadets progress to the championship game, where they will take on the Elmira College Soaring Eagles, 3-2 victors in double overtime against Plattsburgh in Friday’s first semifinal, while Hamline will play Plattsburgh in the consolation game.
Norwich and Elmira met once this season, playing to a 3-3 tie at the Murray Athletic Center. For Bolding, the key to winning will be starting the game strong.
“That’s been our problem with the higher-ranked teams,” Bolding said. “No mysteries, if you’re fighting from behind, it’s nice to catch up, but it doesn’t put you in a good spot to be successful.”
With the earlier semifinal going deep into double overtime, the game between the Cadets and Pipers ended at 10:18 p.m. After the post-game press conferences, team dinner and time with family, the Cadets players did not leave the arena until after 11 p.m.
Bolding was not worried about the late night for his team ahead of the title game, because Elmira was facing a similar concern.
“I think both teams are going to be mentally prepared,” Bolding said.
Bolding was confident his team will be ready for Saturday’s game.
“We will do some preparation tomorrow morning,” Bolding said. “But everybody knows what’s at stake.”
