College Hockey Stats Box Score

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The No. 2/3 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team completed a weekend Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) sweep of SUNY Cortland on Saturday at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena with its second shutout in as many games to start the season, scoring six goals in the second and third periods to blank the Red Dragons, 7-0.
 
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 2 in the D3hockey.com Women's Top-10 Poll and No. 3 in the USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-10 Poll.
 
The Cardinals had their offense clicking on all cylinders from the opening face-off, finishing with a 60-12 margin in shots on goal. Plattsburgh State prevented Cortland from putting a shot on target in the third period. The Cardinals went 1-for-4 on the power play while holding the Red Dragons scoreless in their one chance with the extra attacker.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 2-0-0 overall (2-0-0 NEWHL) with the win and hosts defending NCAA Division III national champion Norwich University on Rock the Red Night Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. Cortland falls to 2-2-0 overall (0-2-0 NEWHL) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Potsdam on Friday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m.
 
Sophomore forward Abby Brush (Mount Prospect, Ill./Chicago Young Americans) and senior forward Courtney Moriarty (Estero, Fla./Northfield Mount Hermon) each scored twice, while freshman defenseman Hanna Rose (Chaumont, N.Y./Northwood School) posted her first collegiate goal and added an assist. Sophomore forward Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Pens Elite) and freshman defenseman Sierra Benjamin (Palm Cost, Fla./Northwood School) each dished out a pair of assists.
 
Brush put the Cardinals on the board 10:39 into the first period. Junior defenseman Hannah Kiraly (Glendale, Ariz./Northern Cyclones) passed across the neutral zone to Katonka, and Katonka threw a bouncing puck toward the Cortland goalie from the left point. The Red Dragon netminder made the save but was unable to freeze the puck, and Brush crashed the net and went five-hole to give Plattsburgh State a 1-0 lead.
 
Rose's first collegiate goal, which came 4:34 into the second period, was one for the highlight reel, as she ripped a slap shot from the blue line on a loose puck that hit the goalie's glove and trickled past the goal line. Freshman forwards Natalia Asimakis (Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich./Little Caesars) and Sara Krauseneck (Saginaw, Mich./Northern Cyclones) each were credited with their first collegiate assist on the play.
 
Freshman forward Moe Tsukimoto (Sapporo, Japan/Northwood School) buried her first regular-season collegiate goal with 8:09 gone in the second. Katonka dug out a puck along the end boards and skated out past the goal line at the bottom of the right face-off circle. She then centered a pass to Tsukimoto, who scored stick side.
 
Moriarty's first goal of the contest came 10:03 into the third. After a battle for the puck ensued along the end boards, senior forward Mackenzie Millen (Anchorage, Alaska/North American Hockey Academy) gained possession. She started skating behind the goal from right to left before changing direction, which allowed Moriarty to get free in the low slot. Moriarty then one-timed Millen's feed past the Red Dragon goalie to make it a 4-0 game.
 
Just 22 seconds later, Brush netted her second marker of the contest. After an offensive-zone face-off win, sophomore defenseman Erin McArdle (Macomb, Mich./Belle Tire) passed D-to-D to Benjamin, and Benjamin ripped a shot that got tangled up in traffic. With the goalie screened, Brush went unchecked along the left post and banged in the loose puck. It marked the first collegiate assist for Benjamin.
 
Senior forward Ashley Songin (Springville, N.Y./Nichols School) scored on the power play with 12:21 elapsed in the third period. Rose fed Benjamin from the blue line, and Benjamin passed the puck to Songin in the slot. After the puck went off Songin's blade, the Cortland goalie pushed the puck aside with her stick blade. The mistake proved costly, as Songin caught the goaltender off balance and found the back of the net.
 
Moriarty wrapped up scoring 15:09 into the third. Sophomore forward Kaitlin Drew-Mead (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) passed to Moriarty from behind the goal line, and Moriarty one-timed a shot from the low slot past the Red Dragon netminder glove side.
 
Senior goaltender Kassi Abbott (Medford, Mass./Boston Shamrocks Elite) registered her 11th career shutout and her second in as many games with a 12-save effort in the victory for the Cardinals, while senior goaltender Victoria Gibson made 52 stops in the loss for the Red Dragons. Cortland's sophomore goaltender Chelsea Allain stopped the only shot on goal she faced in 4:51 of action late in the third period.