NORTHFIELD, Vt. – After over 50 minutes of scoreless hockey between the Castleton women's hockey team and Norwich University, it was Darby Palisi playing hero once again Saturday night.
 
One week after scoring in overtime in their quarterfinal win over UMass Boston last weekend, the junior scored her second straight game-winner with just under seven minutes to play in regulation to upset the No. 10 Cadets and send the Spartans back to the NEHC Championship for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
 
Castleton (15-9-2) was put to the test early in Saturday's contest, having to fight off nearly consecutive powerplays by Norwich in the first. But on the back of some stellar defense and a perfect showing by netminder Kirsten DiCicco, the Spartans were able to keep the score level after one.
 
DiCicco was brilliant Saturday, racking up 41 saves — the most she made since Castleton's 2-0 loss to Middlebury in November — and tallying her third shutout of the season. It was also the third time Norwich had been shut out all year, and just the second at home.
 
The sides traded blows in the second period, with Norwich still holding a slight 13-7 edge in shots, but another scoreless frame meant the game was headed to the third knotted at zero.
 
The Cadets once again controlled the tempo early in the third, locking Castleton into their own zone, but a hooking call on Norwich's leading scorer with seven minutes remaining presented Castleton with their best opportunity of the day, and one they would not pass up.
 
After gathering the puck in the Cadets' zone, Emery Bonner controlled it at the blue line. The freshman sent a pass across the ice toward Courtney Gauthier at the left circle, who carried it inside before finding Palisi at the right post. With the composure of a vet, the junior one-timed the puck high and into the top corner for the score, her eighth of the season — and third game-winner — to go along with a team-high 13 assists.
 
Norwich pulled their goalie with 52 seconds left, but Castleton tightened up on the defensive end to complete the shutout and earn the hard-fought 1-0 win, and a trip to their fourth NEHC Championship Game.
 
The title match will be played against one-seed and No. 3 ranked Elmira Saturday, March. 5, where the Spartans will look to win their first conference championship in program history.