Norwich Cadets women's ice hockey

Norwich Cadets women's ice hockey
UniversityNorwich University
ConferenceNEHC
Head coachSophie Leclerc
2nd season, 23–4–2
ArenaKreitzberg Arena
Northfield, Vermont
ColorsMaroon and Gold
   
NCAA Tournament championships
2011, 2018
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018
NCAA Tournament appearances
2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
Conference Tournament championships
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Conference regular season championships
2011

The Norwich Cadets women's ice hockey team represents Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. The school's women's team competes in NCAA Division III women's ice hockey, as part of the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC). Norwich alumna Sophie Leclerc has served as head coach of the program since the 2019–20 season.

History

The 2007–08 season marked the inaugural season of the Norwich Cadets as a varsity team. Mark Bolding was named the program's first head coach and would go on to coach twelve seasons with the Cadets. Sophie Leclerc led the club with 13 goals and 27 points and ranked second for assists, with 14.

During the 2008–09 campaign, the Cadets enjoyed their first-ever ECAC East Conference Tournament championship. In the Cadets final 16 contests, they went 13–2–1, leading up to a 4–0 win over Salve Regina in the conference championship game. Four Cadets players named to the ECAC East All-Tournament team. The Cadets made their first NCAA Tournament appearance before falling to eventual runner-up Elmira 3–2 in the quarterfinals.

In the 2010 NCAA Division III Quarterfinals, Sophie Leclerc scored the game-winning goal versus Plattsburgh State with 42 seconds left. She was part of a Cadets team that lost the 2010 NCAA Final to Amherst by a 7–2 tally.[1]

The Cadets were led by team captain Sophie Leclerc as the Cadets won their first Division III title in 2011. This was accomplished in only the fourth year of the program. The Cadets set program records in wins (25) and conference victories (17). On January 28, 2011, Julie Fortier notched the 50th goal of her career with a hat trick versus New England College as the Cadets prevailed by a 3–2 tally. In a January 29 contest versus Castleton, she became the second player in program history to record 100 points in a career with a goal in the first period.[2]

In the Division III title game, Leclerc contributed with two goals and an assist, as the Cadets defeated the RIT Tigers by a 5–2 mark. Her 54 points led the nation in scoring, while teammate Julie Fortier’s 45 points ranked second nationally (Fortier’s 23 goals tied a career high). Leclerc was featured in the April 4, 2011 issue of Sports Illustrated as part of its Faces in the Crowd section.[3]

On December 4, 2011, Julie Fortier became the Cadets all-time goal-scoring leader as the Cadets logged a 5–0 victory over Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Fortier contributed with two goals and a helper. With Norwich leading by a 1–0 tally, Fortier notched the 73rd goal of her career to surpass Sophie Leclerc.[4]

On January 6, 2012, team captain Melissa Rundlett became just the third Norwich player in program history to reach 100 career points. She registered a goal and two assists to help the Cadets best Saint Michael's by a 9–0 mark. At the 5:36 mark of the first period, she assisted on Renee Lortie’s goal for the 99th career point. She would reach the milestone by scoring her seventh goal of the season at the 17:09 mark of the first period. Said goal gave Norwich a 5–0 advantage.[5]

After twelve successful seasons, in which he amassed a 266-68-22 record, head coach Mark Bolding stepped down to accept the head coaching position with the Yale Bulldogs women's ice hockey program.[6] The following month, on May 17, 2019, Sophie Leclerc was announced as the second head coach in program history.[7]

Season by season record

Won Championship Lost Championship Conference Champions League Leader
Year Coach W L T Conference Conf.
W		 Conf.
L		 Conf.
T		 Finish Conference Tournament NCAA Tournament
2021-22 Sophie Leclerc 19 8 0 NEHC 13 3 0 2nd NEHC Won Quarterfinals vs. Johnson & Wales (9-2)
Lost Semifinals vs. Castleton (0-1) 		Did not qualify
2020-21 Sophie Leclerc 7 1 0 – – – – – – –
2019–20 Sophie Leclerc 23 4 2 NEHC 16 0 0 1st NEHC Won Quarterfinal vs. Salem St. (9–0)
Won Semifinal vs. Plymouth St. (10–0)
Won Championship vs. Suffolk (9–2) 		Won First Round vs. Amherst (3–1)
Quarterfinals vs. Plattsburgh St.
cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[8]
2018–19 Mark Bolding 21 4 2 NEHC 18 0 1 1st NEHC Won Championship vs. Castleton (6–0) Lost First Round vs. Williams (3–5)
2017–18 Mark Bolding 27 1 3 NEHC 17 0 0 1st NEHC Won Semifinal vs. Plymouth St. (4–1)
Won Championship vs. UMass Boston (7–0) 		Won Quarterfinals vs. Morrisville (8–2)
Won Semifinals vs. Hamline (5–1)
Won Championship vs. Elmira (2–1)[9]
2016–17 Mark Bolding 23 7 1 NEHC 18 1 0 2nd NEHC Won Championship vs. Manhattanville (5–0) Won First Round vs. Middlebury (5–4)
Lost Semifinal vs. Plattsburgh St. (0–4)
2015–16 Mark Bolding 21 7 0 NEHC 15 2 0 1st NEHC Lost Championship vs. UMass Boston (0–2)
2014–15 Mark Bolding 22 6 3 ECAC East 15 0 2 1st ECAC East Won Championship
2013–14 Mark Bolding 27 4 0 ECAC East 16 0 0 1st ECAC East Won Championship Lost Championship vs. Williams (1–2)
2012–13 Mark Bolding 22 4 3 ECAC East 16 2 0 1st ECAC East Won Championship
2011-12 Mark Bolding 27 3 1 ECAC East 17 0 1 1st ECAC East Won Championship Lost Championship vs. RIT (–)
2010-11 Mark Bolding 25 4 1 ECAC East 17 0 1 1st ECAC East Won Championship Won Championship vs. RIT (–)
2009–10 Mark Bolding 20 6 5 ECAC East 13 3 3 3rd ECAC East Won Championship Lost Championship vs. Amherst (2–7)
2008–09 Mark Bolding 19 9 1 ECAC East 14 6 1 3rd ECAC East Won Championship
2007–08 Mark Bolding 12 11 2 ECAC East 9 8 2 4th ECAC East Did not qualify Did not qualify

Source: USCHO;[10][11] NCAA,[12][13] NEHC[14][15][16][17]

Awards and honors

  • Mark Bolding, American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) National "Coach of the Year" (2009–10)
  • Mark Bolding, American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) National "Coach of the Year" (2010–11)
  • Julie Fortier, ECAC East Division III Women’s Player of the Week (Week of November 14, 2011)[18]
  • Julie Fortier, ECAC East Division III Women’s Player of the Week (Week of November 21, 2011)[19]
  • Julie Fortier, 2012 Laura Hurd Award Winner[20]
  • Amanda Conway, 2020 Laura Hurd Award Winner [21]
  • Emily Lambert, 2020 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American At-Large First Team [22]
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2007–08 ECAC East Second team
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2008–09 ECAC East Second team
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2008–09 ECAC East Tournament Most Outstanding Player
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2008–09 ECAC East All-Tournament team
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2009–10 NCAA Division III All-Tournament team
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2009–10 New England Division II-III All-Star
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2009–10 ECAC East Second Team selection
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2010–11 ECAC East scoring champion
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2010–11 ECAC Division III Player of the year
  • Sophie Leclerc, 2010–11 Division III AHCA All-America selection.
  • Amanda Wilks, 2008–09 Division III AHCA All-America selection

References

  1. ^ Zhe, Mike (May 17, 2011). "For Norwich women, mission accomplished". New England Hockey Journal. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  2. ^ Dunning, Derek (December 18, 2011). "2011-12 Norwich Women's Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). Issuu. Photographs by Jennifer Langille. Norwich University Sports Information Office. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  3. ^ Fenwick, Alexandra (April 4, 2011). "Faces in the Crowd". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. ^ "Fortier becomes Career Goal-Scoring Leader in Norwich History - ECAC DIII Hockey". www.ecacdiiihockey.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "Women's Hockey: Rundlett tallies 100th career point in Cadets' 9-0 rout of St. Michael's". January 6, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  6. ^ Danforth, Austin (April 10, 2019). "Norwich women's hockey coach Mark Bolding headed to Yale". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Danforth, Austin (May 18, 2019). "Former Spaulding star Sophie Leclerc to take reins for Norwich women's hockey". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  8. ^ Terwilliger, Erica (April 15, 2020). "For first-year women's hockey coach Sophie Leclerc, a stellar season ended short of the goal". The Norwich Guidon. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  9. ^ "Late goal powers Norwich to second DIII national title". NCAA.com. March 17, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  10. ^ "Norwich Women's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  11. ^ "2018 NCAA Division III women's hockey tournament". USCHO.com. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  12. ^ "2017 Division III Women's Ice Hockey Official Bracket". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  13. ^ "2019 Division III Women's Ice Hockey Official Bracket". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  14. ^ "Norwich Skates Past Manhattanville, 5-0, to Win NEHC Tournament Title". New England Hockey Conference (Press release). March 4, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  15. ^ "Norwich and UMass Boston to Square Off in NEHC Championship Tilt". New England Hockey Conference (Press release). February 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  16. ^ "Cadets Claim Second Straight NEHC Crown". New England Hockey Conference (Press release). March 3, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  17. ^ "Cadets Claim Third Straight NEHC Crown". New England Hockey Conference (Press release). March 2, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  18. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  19. ^ [2][dead link‍]
  20. ^ "Julie Fortier wins Laura Hurd Award :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online". Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  21. ^ AHCA Press Release (March 26, 2020). "Norwich's Amanda Conway is 2020 Laura Hurd Award Winner As AHCA Division III Women's Player of the Year". AHCA. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  22. ^ Press Release (June 22, 2020). "Women's ice hockey player Emily Lambert earns first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American plaudits". Norwich University Athletics. Retrieved September 25, 2020.