Around here, this Friday night might belong to U-32 football, hosting a huge game with Mount Mansfield, but over at Norwich, however, it also marks the opening of hockey season for the Cadet women.
The Cadets will be led by captain Sophie Leclerc of Barre, who also played at Spaulding High School. Leclerc led the team in goals last winter with 13 and was second on the team in assists with 14 to lead the team in points with 27. She had four game-winning goals and had nine power-play goals. The 5-foot-8 forward is a senior majoring in physical education.
The Cadets were picked to finish third in the ECAC East in a preseason poll released recently. Here's what that release said:
"
CADETS PICKED THIRD IN ECAC EAST PRESEASON COACHES POLL
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University women’s hockey team was selected third in the 2009-10 preseason coaches poll, which was released by the league office this week. The Cadets, who won the conference tournament last season, received three first-place votes.
Manhattanville College, last season’s regular season champion, was picked to win the league. The Valiants received five first-place tallies. Holy Cross was tabbed second, and the Crusaders collected the final four first-place votes.
St. Anselm was picked fourth, followed by UMass-Boston, Southern Maine, Salve Regina, New England College, Castleton State, St. Michael’s, Nichols and Plymouth State.
Norwich returns nearly its entire roster from last year’s team that won a program-record 19 games en route to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cadets return all-league selections Amanda Wilks, Sophie Leclerc and Julie Fortier.
NU will lift the lid on its 2009-10 campaign on Friday, Oct. 30, when the Cadets host Utica College at Kreitzberg Arena. Faceoff is slated for 7:30 p.m."
The NU men's ice hockey team does not start until Nov. 20 when the Cadets play at the University of New England. Their home opener is not until Nov. 27 when they welcome the University of Wisconsin-Stout. The UVM winter teams are already playing with basketball playing preseason games soon and the hockey teams already into their regular season. Even though the high school teams have yet to play a state championship for the fall season, winter is apparently upon us.
--Anna Grearson
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.