NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team hit the road while remaining in the state at No. 6 Norwich University on Friday, losing an 8-0 decision in New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) play at Kreitzberg Arena. The Purple Knights are 0-7 overall and 0-5 in the league, while the Cadets moved to 5-1 and 5-0, remaining the lone NEHC team with a perfect league mark. Norwich's national ranking is according to this week's U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III national poll.

Senior Abby Burke (Bedford, Mass./The Rivers School) recorded 34 stops, her 23rd career 30-save game, in the first two periods alone before classmate Erica Ragazzo (Mansfield, Mass./Ursuline Academy) had 12 saves in the third period. Senior Tori Hubbard (Saint Albans, Vt./BFA-Saint Albans) won five faceoffs.

Eight different Cadets scored, with sophomores Jessica Piracini and Adrieanna Rossini both notching a goal and an assist, while classmate Liesel Baker dished two assists. Junior Laurie King made 16 saves in the shutout.

Norwich forged ahead by two goals fewer than seven minutes into the contest, as Rossini tallied 1:33 after the opening faceoff and Piracini doubled the lead at 6:21. Burke made a trio of stops in between, while junior Katherine O'Brien's (East Sandwich, Mass./Tilton School) tying bid at the 4:01 mark was denied.

Saint Michael's went on the power 12:05 into the stanza, but the lone shot during the power play, off the stick of Hubbard, was turned away, and Burke made five stops over a 1:16 span that immediately preceded the third Cadet goal. After junior Desirae Kuhlmann had an attempt saved, first-year Linnéa Odbratt sent home the rebound at 16:08. Burke had four more saves in an ensuing 42-second span, and the visitors went on another power play, which carried into the second period, at 18:03 but were unable to get a shot on the net.

During one 17-second span early in the second period, Burke made three saves and senior Athena Akiki (Allendale, N.J./New Jersey Rockets) blocked a shot, and Akiki followed the third stop with a quick counter in the other direction but was stopped at 2:21. Just 42 seconds later, junior Muranda Toews added to her team's lead. On a power play that began a little more than two minutes later, Akiki and junior Jillian Witwicki (Danvers, Mass./Pingree School) both took shots that King stopped, and Burke made four saves on a Norwich woman advantage that started at 7:55. Sophomore Bryn Labbe padded the Cadet advantage with a power-play tally at 16:13, and the hosts added three goals in a 6:58 span over the first 8:54 of the third period.

The Purple Knights play their final home game until January tomorrow by taking on Saint Anselm College at 4 p.m.