SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team dropped a 7-1 decision to No. 5 Norwich University in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East play on Friday at Cairns Arena. With the loss, the Purple Knights fall to 1-12-1 overall and 1-9 in the conference, while the Cadets, who are nationally ranked by D3hockey.com, improve to 8-2-3 and 8-1.

Junior Courtney Burnett (Deep River, Ontario/Northwood School) scored her first marker of the season during the second period for Saint Michael's. Junior Meaghan Leong (Cohasset, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) made 27 stops while playing the first two periods before senior Erin Stevens (Watertown, Conn./Connecticut Polar Bears) turned away 20 shots in the final frame.

First-year Lucie Manhartova (Prague, Czech Republic/Czech Republic National Team) recorded a pair of goals and an assist for a Norwich side that reached last season's NCAA Tournament title game and won the 2011 NCAA championship. Junior Kayla Parsons (Fairbanks, Alaska/North American Hockey Academy) had a goal and two assists, while classmate Tori Charron (Saco, Maine/Kent Hill Prep) finished with a goal and an assist. Sophomore Kaycie Anderson (Maple Plain, Minn./Minnesota Crunch U-19AA) tallied five assists, and three other players had a goal for the Cadets. Junior Kelly Fisk (Hannibal, N.Y./Syracuse Nationals) made 11 saves.

Despite holding a 4-2 advantage in shots during the early portion of the first period, the Purple Knights surrendered the game's first goal at 7:53 when first-year Madison Gallagher (Kirkland, Quebec/John Abbott College) found an opening through a crowd of defenders in front of the net to put the Cadets on top, 1-0. Classmate Taylor Cross (Saugus, Mass./Assabet Valley) added to the Norwich advantage with a tally 15:33 into the period during a power-play opportunity to give the visitors a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Manhartova tallied for the Cadets 9:11 into the second period before Parsons and sophomore Vanessa Champagne (St.-Naziere, Quebec/Stanstead College) scored power-play markers 3:15 apart. Saint Michael's broke onto the scoreboard with 1:11 remaining in the period when Burnett netted her first of the season on an assist from sophomore Fernanda Saavedra (Miami, Fla./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite), leaving the score 5-1 after two. Charron scored 5:46 into the third frame before Manhartova notched her second of the contest with 3:22 left to play.

The Purple Knights are back in action next Friday when they travel to face Nichols College for a 7:40 p.m. tilt.