PLATTSBURGH — Last season, the Cortland Red Dragons women’s hockey team gave the Plattsburgh Cardinals its only conference loss of its post-ECAC West era.
Cortland remains the only other SUNYAC team to appear on United State College Hockey Online’s top-15 poll this season.
After a two-game home State University of New York Athletic Conference slate last weekend, Plattsburgh remains superior.
The No. 4 Cardinals (8-0-1, 6-0-0) defeated the No. 13 Red Dragons (7-2-1, 4-1-1), 2-0, Friday and the Canton Kangaroos (8-4-0, 2-4-0), 4-2, Saturday.
The wins give Plattsburgh a leg up in the conference standings, regaining the top spot in the SUNYAC before the Norwich East-West Hockey Classic, signifying the end of the first half of the season.
Both games were rematches of last year’s Northeast Women’s Hockey League playoffs, when the Cardinals beat the Kangaroos 7-1 in the semifinals and the Red Dragons 2-0 in the Championship.
FRIDAY
Lilla Nease has developed into one of the top goaltenders in the country this season. After winning Tournament MVP of the Panther/Cardinal Classic last weekend, Nease stepped up again against Cortland, saving all 20 shots in her direction.
“I think having solid defense today really helped me,” Nease said. “My D was on it, blocking passes, making good plays and getting the puck out of the zone.”
Ciara Wall opened the scoring mid-way through the first period, assisted by forward Julia Masotta and first-year defenseman Maegan Forsyth, after a Forsyth shot was blocked.
Plattsburgh struck again with seconds left in the second period. After a Red Dragon was sent to the penalty box for hooking, Cardinal senior forward Mae Olshansky put a puck into the three hole. Wall and Masotta assisted the play.
Olshansky was scratched against Middlebury last week. This goal felt extra good.
“It’s really nice being able to contribute however I can,” Olshansky said
Plattsburgh won the shots battle 31-20 and faceoffs, winning 26 of 50. Cortland’s lone penalty resulted in a score, while Plattsburgh killed two.
“It was a team effort from start to finish,” head coach Kevin Houle said. “The girls played real hard from start to finish… it was a huge win for them.”
SATURDAY
The Cardinals sat Nease against the Kangaroos, starting first-year Chloe Lewis for the second time this season. Lewis showed promise, saving 26 of 28 shots in her 60 minutes.
Plattsburgh scored first at the 14-minute mark, when defender Adriana Urban hit defenseman and captain Kendall Wasik for the score.
The Cards again succeeded on a power play after two Kangaroos were penalized less than 30 seconds apart for tripping, 15 minutes into the second. Masotta took advantage of the five-on-three opportunity, scoring a wrap-around goal assisted by Wasik and forward Ivy Boric.
Canton answered with its own power play goal five minutes later to make the score 2-1, when Wall was in the box for cross checking and forward Sydnee Franics for boarding.
Cardinal forward Zsofia Pazmandi increased her team-leading goal total to eight, seven minutes into the third. She was assisted by Urban and forward Bridget Orr.
The Kangaroos kept the Cardinals on their feet with a score five minutes later to bring the game within one goal at 3-2.
Plattsburgh got some insurance when Boric scored her first goal of the season assisted by Wasik and Pazmandi.
Boric, an alternate captain, scored double-digit goals in each of her first three seasons. She’s taken 3.22 shots per game this season, compared to last season’s six. The veteran has had to take a reduced scoring role with eight first-year skaters on the lines.
The win keeps Plattsburgh on an 11-game winning streak against Canton since their first meeting in 2019. With no more conference games on the schedule until Jan. 5, 2024 against Oswego, Plattsburgh waits for the results of Cortland’s two SUNYAC games this week to see which team will remain atop the conference during the winter break.
Plattsburgh will next face the No. 12 Norwich Cadets (6-2-1) in the Classic tournament Saturday, at 3 p.m. in Northfield, Vermont, in a rematch of the Nov. 14 2-2 tie between the rivals.
The winner will then face the winner of the game between the Elmira Soaring Eagles (6-2-1) and the Nazareth Golden Flyers (5-1-1) Sunday. The consolation will be played at 1 p.m., and the championship at 4 p.m.
“I think it’s a tournament that a lot of players look forward to,” Masotta, a former Cadet, said. “It’s exciting, and it’s kind of at a vulnerable point in the year where everybody’s got finals the next week and you got a lot going on, you’re hurt, you’re tired… I think that’s where we need to persevere.”
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Plattsburgh State 2, Cortland 0
COR;0;0;0;—;0
PSU;1;1;0;—;2
First Period- 1, PSU, Wall GWG (Masotta, Forsyth), 9:41.
Second Period- 2, PSU, Olshansky PP (Wall, Masotta), 19:41.
Shots- Plattsburgh, 31. Cortland, 20.
Saves- Goergen, COR, 29. Nease, PSU, 20.
Plattsburgh State 4, Canton 2
CAN;0;1;1;—;2
PSU;1;1;2;—;4
First Period- 1, PSU, Masotta (Urban, Wasik), 14:14.
Second Period- 2, PSU, Masotta PP (Wasik, Boric), 14:46. 3, CAN, Snook PP (Lalonde, Caroccio.
Third Period- 4, PSU, Pazmandi GWG (Orr, Urban). 5, CAN, Chamonix (Small, Caroccio). 6, PSU, Boric (Wasik, Pazmandi).
Shots- Plattsburgh, 37. Canton, 28.
Saves- Lenihan, CAN, 33. Lewis, PSU, 26.