With a little over seven minutes left in the third period, the Norwich men’s hockey team looked like it was about to suffer another loss in a season filled with ups and downs.
Down 4-1 to Babson College, the Cadets were able to score three goals and come out of the game with a much-needed tie.
“This team has shown so much perseverance; we never give up and it finally paid off,” said Blake Forkey, 20, a sophomore center from Boca Raton, Fla.
“Our team doesn’t panic. We were down 4-1 and to come back to tie it 4-4 was a huge character builder,” said Chris Gour, 20, a freshman defensemen from Whitby, Ontario.
The Cadets are hoping this effort will carry over and give them momentum going into the game against Middlebury College.
“This game is a huge rivalry and the fans are always crazy at this game. I can’t wait for this game,” said Kyle Thomas, 20, a sophomore forward from Waltham, Mass.
The Cadets know that their early season loss to Castleton State College puts them behind Castleton in the ECAC East standings; and means they will need a win against them on Feb. 11 at Castleton to win their 13th straight regular season conference championship.
“We made it tough on ourselves losing to them earlier in the season, but our team has been really coming together as of late, so it should be exciting down the stretch,” said Parker Carroll, 20, a freshman goalie from West Chester, Pa.
The Cadets have been held to a very high standard this season, as the reigning national champions, and the added pressure has not come unnoticed.
“The biggest pressure is definitely the fans always expecting our best night in and night out,” said Gour.
The Cadets have lost four more games this season then they did all of last season.
One thing the Cadets still have working for them is that they are the defending national champions.
The Cadets know that if they can keep showing the same perseverance they have shown all season long it will be hard to beat them. And with six games left in the schedule they don’t see any reason why they would stop now.
The puck will be dropped at 7 p.m. in Spartan Arena in Rutland on Feb. 11 and the Cadets continue on the road that weekend on Feb. 12 against Skidmore College.