No. 2/2 Plattsburgh edged by No. 5/6 Adrian 1-0 in Panther/Cardinal Classic Opener

No. 2/2 Plattsburgh edged by No. 5/6 Adrian 1-0 in Panther/Cardinal Classic Opener

College Hockey Stats Box Score
 
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – In what has become a tightly-contested interregional rivalry the past few years, Saturday's Panther/Cardinal Classic opener between the No. 2/2 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team and No. 5/6 Adrian College lived up to the hype once again, though this time, the Cardinals fell to the Bulldogs, 1-0, at Middlebury College's Chip Kenyon '85 Arena.
 
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 2 in both the USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-10 Poll and the D3hockey.com Women's Top-10 Poll, while Adrian is ranked at No. 5 in the USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-10 Poll and No. 6 in the D3hockey.com Women's Top-10 Poll.
 
The contest marked a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Tournament national championship game, which Plattsburgh State won, 4-3, in overtime. The Cardinals also topped the Bulldogs, 1-0, in last year's UNO Classic opener.
 
Adrian's goal was the first Plattsburgh State had conceded all year though five full games, as the Cardinals went 5-0-0 with five shutouts heading into Saturday's contest. Senior goaltender Kassi Abbott (Medford, Mass./Boston Shamrocks Elite), who had a 20-save effort in the setback, still boasts stellar numbers for the season in both goals-against average (0.17) and save percentage (.992), both of which rank second in NCAA Division III. Abbott's counterpart, sophomore goaltender Kate Turner, backstopped Adrian to the win with a 25-save shutout.
 
Plattsburgh State slips to 5-1-0 overall with the loss and will square off with No. 1/1 Elmira College in the Panther/Cardinal Classic consolation game tomorrow at 2 p.m. Adrian rises to 7-1-0 overall with the win and faces No. 4/4 Middlebury in the championship game tomorrow at 5 p.m.
 
The Bulldogs scored the lone goal of the game 7:13 into the first period. Junior forward Taylor Henthorne entered the zone and evaded three defenders in the right circle before taking a wrist shot that was saved by Abbott. Sophomore forward Neysa Miller, who was unguarded along the far post, knocked in the rebound from just outside the crease.
 
After being outshot, 9-6, in the first period, the Cardinals applied significant offensive pressure the rest of the game, holding a 19-12 edge in shots on goal in the second and third periods. Plattsburgh State was unable to produce the equalizer, however, even with the extra attacker as a result of pulling its goaltender in the final minute of play.
 
Both penalty-killing units came up big, with Plattsburgh State going 0-for-5 on the power play and Adrian going 0-for-4 with the extra skater.
 
Sophomore forward Abby Brush (Mount Prospect, Ill./Chicago Young Americans) and sophomore defenseman Erin McArdle (Macomb, Mich./Belle Tire) led the Cardinal offense with five and four shots on goal, respectively.

In the first game of the Panther/Cardinal Classic, Elmira and Middlebury battled to a 1-1 overtime tie, and Middlebury won the shootout, 1-0, to advance to the championship.