NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The top-seeded and second-ranked Norwich University women’s ice hockey team made history Saturday, capturing the inaugural LEC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship Tournament title, presented by Townshend Hockey. The Cadets defeated second-seeded UMass Boston by a final of 3-1 at Kreitzberg Arena. 

Most Outstanding Player honors went to Norwich junior Breanna Ricker, who scored a pair of goals in Saturday’s tournament final and totaled four points (three goals, one assist) for the tournament. She opened today’s scoring at 12:18 of the first with an assist credited to senior Olivia Boyer, and capped the scoring with an empty net goal in the closing minute of the contest. 

Norwich’s 1-0 lead held until the early stages of the second period, when senior Adriana Crepaldi found the back of the net at 6:03 from sophomore Cassidy Morrison and senior Emily Hansen. It was one of a limited number of scoring opportunities for the visitors in the contest. 

The game seemed as though it may be destined for overtime before Beacons freshman Aisling McFadden was called for tripping with three minutes left in the third. The Norwich power play that followed lasted 38 seconds before sophomore Alex Leslie put home the game-winner from freshman Maggie Hunter. 

Senior Madison Brunet totaled eight stops to earn the decision in goal for the hosts, while senior Leah Bosch turned away 34 shots in net for the visitors. 

The Cadets owned a 37-9 advantage in shots-on-goal in the contest, with a 14-2 advantage in the first, a 14-6 in the second and a 9-1 edge in the third. Norwich was 1-for-2 on the power play, while the Beacons were 0-for-2. 

Norwich awaits the official announcement from the NCAA Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on NCAA.com to learn if it qualifies for the national championship, as the LEC does not have a women’s ice hockey automatic qualifier this season per NCAA rules; the league will have an AQ in 2026-27. The Cadets entered today’s game ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Power Index (NPI); there are six at-large berths up for grabs in this year’s NCAA tournament.