After a midseason 18-game unbeaten streak came to a crashing halt, the Norwich University women’s hockey team had two options: Stay anxious about how it would do against elite opponents, or do something about it.
Norwich knew there was potential for another streak to begin. By the time the postseason came around, the Cadets’ season depended on keeping that streak alive.
"When you get in the playoffs, you have no choice but to go on a streak," head coach Mark Bolding said.
The Cadets got off to a strong start to their regular season, not losing until Jan. 7 when Plattsburgh took them down, 3-2. It was a wakeup call, in some ways. The Cadets, even when they played well, could lose.
"Once we got through January, even after taking the loss, we felt it was ours for the taking," Bolding said. "We just had to put it together."
That’s exactly what the Cadets did.
Following their first loss of the season, Norwich wouldn’t lose again. It took a couple of more ties along the way before the Cadets were postseason bound, and the competition would only get tougher.
"It’s a good feeling knowing we didn’t have a loss," said Amanda Conway (Methuen, Mass.), recipient of the New England Division 3 Player of the Year honor. "But you know anything can happen, so you still have to have your head screwed on."
The Cadets rolled past Morrisville State and Hamline in the playoffs before matching up against Elmira in the title game. Elmira and Norwich had tied, 3-3, during the regular season.
The national championship game, a 2-1 thriller, wasn’t the type of game Norwich had played all season, having racked up blowout scores like 7-1 or 8-0. But to win the title, Nowich had to win a different kind of game.
"With a lot of kids who could score for us, having depth was the important part," Bolding said. "We didn’t talk too much about the streak, but we wanted to win as many games as we could playing the right way."
In the championship, sophomore Sophie McGovern scored the game-winner in the third period, and the Cadets held on.
"We got better defensively, and it was fitting the last game was 2-1," said Bolding.
The championship was sweet redemption for a team that saw it’s 2016-17 dream end with a 4-0 NCAA tournament semifinals loss to Plattsburgh.
"I think they learned a lot from last year," Bolding said. "Be first out of the gate. We were able to play a great schedule in the first half. We beat Plattsburgh, which was timely to get early season momentum. It always seems like we’re chasing them."
This season’s championship character began to take shape early, with Norwich beating Plattsburgh 4-3 in early November.
"That enthused the girls," Bolding said. "It got them thinking it was possible. There were a lot of great games and competition. Taking care of the wins early on, we were able to showcase ourselves."
Knowing they could beat the best, the Cadets went on their early season tear, only to be stopped for the first, and only, time by that same Plattsburgh squad in January. That didn’t deter Norwich’s focus.
‘We had to stay focused and make sure we were fighting those small battles.’
— Amanda Conway (Methuen, Mass.), New England Div. 3 Player of the Year
"Toward the end, staying focused, knowing we were coming close," Conway said. "We had to stay focused and make sure we were fighting those small battles."
The loss reset where the Cadets were at and gave them an opportunity to focus on improving. When a team doesn’t lose games, it’s a bit more difficult to look in the mirror and see what can get better.
Norwich made the best of the moment, and focused not on setting another streak, but the task of getting better against good teams.
"In early January when we lost to Plattsburgh, we knew a loss would happen at some point," Bolding said. "We weren’t too worried about resetting the streak clock, but wanted to go out and play well every game. There were some tough ties in that mix."
Conway went on a tear for the rest of the season, sniping 34 goals and 25 assists to lead all Division 3 scorers. She scored eight times in the postseason, including a hat trick in the quarterfinals.
The sophomore, focused on continuing to get even better for a repeat run, looks to her teammates for the offensive dominance.
"I worked really hard with my linemates, Sophie (McGovern) and Bryn (Labbe)," said Conway. "That was a big portion of it; they were super helpful to me."
The Cadets are going to lose a lot next season, but that top line remains intact, and that should give Bolding’s squad a chance to contend again. McGovern chipped in 45 points this season and Labbe 38, while rising senior Adrieana Rossini was third with 44 points.
"It was such a great year," Bolding said. "We were an older team and learned from the previous seasons, especially last year getting to the final four. We wanted to start the season off with a mission."
But before worrying about next season, Conway and the Cadets don’t mind taking a moment to reflect upon what a dominant campaign it was.
"I think it still feels not real," Conway said. "I don’t know if it’s ever going to feel real."
