Women's hockey: A Cinderella story

Norwich hockey player Katie Leupp started her career at Norwich when the team was still a club team. She has watched the team grow over the years into a competitive varsity hockey team.

"Being a senior, it's amazing to see how far the program has come, seeing as though it was only a club team my freshman year," said Leupp, a senior psychology major  from Burlington, Vt.

Having defeated Plattsburgh in the NCAA quarterfinals and advancing to their first Frozen Four, the Cadets were looking to make a new name for themselves.

"We tend to be overshadowed by the men's team, because (the women's) team just became varsity three years ago," Leupp said. "After we make an appearance in the Frozen Four, I think we will start to create our own spotlight."

Making it to the Final Four was a big accomplishment for all of the lady Cadets. 

"It shows all the people that doubted us that we can put up against some of the best teams in the country," said Suzanne Whitaker, 20, a sophomore communications major from Chelmsford, Mass.

While most Norwich University students travelled home to relax during spring break, the lady Cadets were hard at work, "practicing two times a day and doing a lot of team building activities," said Danielle LaSpina, 20, a sports medicine major from Reading, Mass..

"We have been practicing harder than ever before," said Mollie Fitzpatrick, 19, a sophomore nursing major from Portland, Maine. "We have been working a lot on our systems, penalty kills, and capitalizing on power plays."

Their hard work and dedication is what has kept the Cadets going throughout the year and into the playoffs. 

"Everyone's desire to win and hard work during practices has really helped us come out on top during the year, especially in playoffs," Leupp said.

"We are willing to do whatever it takes to win and we want it so badly that we work hard every minute of each game," said Sarah Scardino, 22, a junior communication major from Stoughton, Mass. "Throughout playoffs we have become closer. We have always been a close group but being around each other so much helps out even more in our success."

The team flew to Minnesota for the NCAA tournament a few days early in order to get a feel for the ice surface as well as to get a couple practices in.

"It's a little difficult to play in a different rink," said Ashley Cassan, 21, a junior biology major from Winnipeg, Manitoba. However, the two practices before their first tournament game would play a huge factor in preparing the team, according to Cassan.

Yet not all of the lady Cadets were worried about playing away from their home rink.

"The rink is five feet narrower and we usually do better in smaller rinks, so we shouldn't have any problems come game time," Scardino said.

While the team was excited for the NCAA Frozen Four tournament, they are sad to see the season end. 

"All the girls and coaches could not (have been) more excited. Although it has been a long season, no one is ready for it to end," Leupp said.

After losing to Elmira in the NCAA quarterfinals last season, the Cadets were excited for the chance of a rematch in the semifinals this year.

The loss last year has not affected the team's confidence level at all. "All of us want this win more than you can imagine, and it will mean that much more to the returning players," Leupp said.

The lady Cadets defeated Elmira 3 to 2, to advance to the finals the following day against the No. 1 ranked Amherst College. 

The Cadets suffered a loss to Amherst, 7 – 2 in the NCAA Championship game. Despite the disappointing loss, the Cadets are proud of their 2009-10 season and how far they've come.

The team made it to its first ever Frozen Four appearance and set a new program record of 20 victories, finishing the season with an overall record of 20-6-5.