PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The top-two seeds will square off in the first-ever Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Ice Hockey Championship Tournament Final, presented by Townshend Hockey, after top-seeded Norwich University and second-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston won their respective semifinal match ups Saturday. Norwich will host the title game March 7 at 3 p.m.

No. 1 Norwich 4, No. 4 VTSU Castleton 2
By Norwich Athletics

The third-ranked Norwich Women's Ice Hockey team defended its home ice Saturday afternoon, defeating intrastate rival Vermont State Castleton 4–2 in the Little East Conference (LEC) Semifinals at Kreitzberg Arena. Norwich used an explosive four-goal second period to pull away and secure its spot in the conference championship game.

Sophia Nelson (Castle Pines, Colo.) recorded the first game-winning goal of her collegiate career, while Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.) added a two-point effort. Olivia Boyer (Saint Paul, Minn.) and Livia Brooks (Walpole, Mass.) also continued their march toward the 100-career point milestone with key contributions in the victory.

Norwich controlled possession early in the opening period but struggled to break down a disciplined Castleton defensive unit. The Spartans clogged shooting lanes with active sticks and several timely blocked shots, limiting clean looks toward netminder Gianna McCusker.

A Cadet power play midway through the frame helped sustain offensive-zone pressure, but Castleton's penalty kill held firm with McCusker turning aside several chances. Late in the period, the Spartans earned a man advantage of their own, forcing Madison Brunet (Timmins, Ont.) into action. Brunet came up with a handful of steady saves to preserve the scoreless deadlock through twenty minutes.

The game shifted dramatically early in the second period.

Just 1:45 into the frame, Geena Cookinham (Gilmanton, N.H.) intercepted a Castleton breakout attempt in the neutral zone and carried the puck into the offensive zone alongside Ricker. McCusker denied Ricker's initial shot, but Boyer followed up the play and buried the rebound, giving Norwich a 1–0 lead and recording career point No. 98.

The Cadets continued to press and doubled their advantage four minutes later. Dani Ammons (Centennial, Colo.) recovered the puck in the right corner and sent it back to the point for Ricker. Ricker stepped into a wrist shot that found its way through traffic and past McCusker, pushing the lead to two.

Norwich's momentum only grew as the period progressed. Just past the midway point, Maggie Hunter (Royal Oak, Mich.) took control of the puck in the neutral zone and advanced it ahead to Alex Leslie (Irishtown, N.B.). Leslie carried the puck into the offensive end before slipping a pass to Nelson, who beat McCusker to the blocker side for her first career game-winning tally and a 3–0 Norwich lead.

The Cadets capped the period with another goal in the final two minutes. Anna Lisac (Euclid, Ohio) freed the puck in the neutral zone and sent it ahead to Madison Anderson (Green Bay, Wis.) near the Norwich bench. Anderson quickly moved it to Brooks, who finished the play to extend the advantage to four and record career point No. 99.

By the end of the frame, Norwich had tilted the ice entirely, outshooting Castleton 20–2 in the second period.

The Cadets carried that momentum into the third period, continuing to control possession early while looking to close out the game. Castleton eventually found a spark midway through the frame when Moa Carlsson cut the deficit to three with a goal eight-and-a-half minutes in.

Norwich maintained pressure in response, but the Spartans found another opportunity late. With McCusker pulled for an extra skater during a power play, Carlsson struck again to bring Castleton within two with under five minutes remaining.

Despite the late push, Brunet remained composed in the net. The Norwich netminder came up with several key saves in the closing minutes, steadying the Cadets and preventing any further comeback attempt.

"Today felt like a playoff game," said Head Coach Justin Simpson. "We had a great crowd and a lot of energy in the building. Castleton pushed hard all game and challenged us as we knew they would. We had a very, very strong 2^nd period, which allowed us to create some separation heading into the third. We are looking forward to hosting the LEC Championship game next weekend vs UMass Boston."

No. 2 UMass Boston 2, No. 3 Southern Maine 1
By UMass Boston Athletics

The UMass Boston women's hockey team (16-8-2) advanced to the Little East Conference Championship with a dramatic 2-1 victory over the University of Southern Maine (10-15-1) at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink. Grace Lynch (West Roxbury, Mass.) netted both goals on the power play, including the game-winner in the final minutes, while Leah Bosch (Minnetonka, Minn.) made 22 saves to secure the Beacons' spot in the first-ever LEC Championship game. UMass Boston improves to 16-8-2 with the win and extends its winning streak to three games.

With a championship berth at stake, both teams opened the semifinal with disciplined defensive play, trading chances but remaining scoreless through the first period. Southern Maine broke through early in the second period, striking first at even strength on a tally from Madison Chagnon. The Beacons answered on the power play at 5:37, as Grace Lynch buried her first power-play goal to even the score at 1-1, assisted by Shea Nolan (Quincy, Mass.) and Jenna Fitzsimons (Ashland, Mass.).

The third period saw UMass Boston seize momentum, outshooting Southern Maine 24-8 and dominating possession thanks to strong faceoff work from Emily Hansen (Lake Villa, IL.). After killing off a string of penalties, the Beacons capitalized on a crucial power play late in regulation. Lynch struck again with under two minutes remaining, finishing the decisive goal to put UMass Boston ahead for good, with assists from Mia Boyd (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Maggie Lynch (Quincy, Mass.). Bosch stood tall in net, turning aside all four Southern Maine shots in the final frame to preserve the victory.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Lynch scored both UMass Boston goals, each coming on the power play and accounting for 16 percent of the team's shots on net - The Beacons were 2-for-8 on the power play while holding Southern Maine scoreless on seven opportunities - UMass Boston controlled the faceoff circle, winning 68 percent (36 of 53) behind Hansen's 15 victories - Bosch posted a .957 save percentage for her 16th win of the season - The teams combined for 15 penalties and 30 minutes, marking a physical, high-stakes semifinal.