NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team was defeated by No. 4 Norwich University, 9-0, at Kreitzberg Arena on Friday night in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East action. The Purple Knights fall to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the league while the Cadets, who are nationally ranked by the most recent D3hockey.com and U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III polls, improve to 2-1 and 1-0.

Purple Knight first-year Tina Frasca (Norwood, Mass./Massachusetts Spitfires) turned away 19 shots in the opening 24:15 while taking the loss, making 17 stops in the first period alone, while senior Meaghan Leong (Cohasset, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) had 12 saves in the final 35:45.

Cadet senior Tori Charron (Tecumseh, Ontario/Elmira) scored four times while classmate Marie-Philip Guay (Longueuil, Quebec/Dawson College) and sophomore Rachel Bellio (Denver, Colo./University of Maine) each had a goal and an assist. Three other players each had a goal for a Norwich team that has qualified for the past five NCAA Division III Tournaments and won four of the past five ECAC East Tournaments. Sophomore Madison Gallagher (Kirkland, Quebec/John Abbott) contributed with three assists, and junior goaltender Loren Carrier (Chandler, Ariz./Ohio State) finished the game with 11 saves.

Charron scored the eventual game-winner for the Cadets 8:00 into the first period, and Bellio made it 2-0 with 1:19 remaining in the first frame on a power play. Five players scored Norwich's six goals in the second period, with two by Charron. The Cadets scored four times in an early 4:30 stretch, beginning with Charron's power-play goal at 2:04. Charron finished the scoring with 9:57 left in the third period.

The Purple Knights finish up a home-and-home with Norwich tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Cairns Arena.