SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team faced the defending Division III national champion on Friday, falling against nationally-ranked Norwich University by a 9-0 count in Cairns Arena. The Purple Knights are now 1-11-1 overall and 0-8-1 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East, while the Cadets are now 11-1-1 and 8-0-1. Norwich is ranked second in the latest U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III national poll.

Junior Erin Stevens (Watertown, Conn./Connecticut Polar Bears) made 46 stops for the Purple Knights, yielding only three markers with the teams playing at even strength.

Sophomore Renee Lortie (Cornwall, Ontario/Ontario Hockey Academy) led Norwich with two goals and two assists, while freshman Kaycie Anderson (Maple Plain, Minn./Minnesota Crunch U19 AA) added a pair of markers. Senior Sarianne Lynn (Wethersfield, Conn./Saint Lawrence) dished out four assists, classmates Melissa Rundlett (Saco, Maine/Kents Hill Prep) and Amanda Wilks (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Warner School) each added a goal and two helpers, and sophomore Kelly Fisk (Hannibal, N.Y./Syracuse Nationals) worked the 14-save shutout.

Norwich scored twice in a 1:25 stretch early in the first period en route to scoring six goals in the frame, the final three with a woman advantage. Stevens made 20 stops in the first period alone, and the Purple Knights yielded only a power-play marker during the second period and two power-play goals in the third.

Saint Michael's turned in a pair of scoring opportunities during a short-handed chance early in the second period. A minute in, sophomore Courtney Burnett (Deep River, Ontario/Northwood School) skated up the right wing with only one defender in the zone and ripped a shot toward the upper left corner that Fisk tipped over the bar with her shoulder. Less than a minute later, senior Madelena Santore (Millington, N.J./New Jersey Rockets) carried into the Norwich end on a one-on-one, only to have Fisk poke check the puck away, and freshman Kristen Spulecki (Orchard Park, N.Y./Buffalo Bison) pounced on the rebound but had her hard shot from the slot denied.

Six minutes into the period, junior Melissa Coughlin (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) skated alone into the Cadet end but was caught by a defender from behind and knocked into the cage before getting a shot away. Senior Kiera Nelligan (Melrose, Mass./Arlington Catholic) produced a chance a minute into the final period, sending a low back-handed shot from a difficult angle that a sprawling Fisk corralled. In the waning seconds of regulation, Stevens denied one last Norwich attempt, tipping away a shot trickling toward the left post with her right toe.

The teams meet again next Thursday in Northfield, Vt., at 4 p.m.