College Hockey Stats Box Score
CORTLAND, N.Y. – The No. 2/2 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team completed a Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) sweep of SUNY Cortland Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena, defeating the Red Dragons by a 6-1 final.
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.
Sophomore defenseman Erin McArdle (Macomb, Mich./Belle Tire) was credited with a career-high four assists, while senior forward Courtney Moriarty (Estero, Fla./Northfield Mount Hermon) scored twice, including once on the power play. Moriarty's game-winner was the 21st of her career and gave her sole possession of second in the program's record book. Sophomore forward Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) finished with three points, scoring a power-play goal and adding two assists.
The Cardinals outshot the Red Dragons by a 46-16 edge and went 2-for-5 on the power play. Cortland was 1-for-3 with the extra skater.
Plattsburgh State rises to 15-2-0 overall (10-0-0 NEWHL) with the win and next hosts Oswego State on Friday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. Cortland slips to 7-7-3 overall (0-7-3 NEWHL) with the loss and next hosts Buffalo State on Friday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m.
Freshman forward Taylor Whitney (Livonia, Mich./Little Caesars) buried the first goal of the game at 8:43 of the first period. McArdle threw a puck toward the net that was saved, and after senior forward Mackenzie Millen (Anchorage, Alaska/North American Hockey Academy) tried to bury the rebound, Whitney poked the puck past the goal line.
Moriarty scored the game-winner 17:00 into the first period. Katonka won an offensive-zone face-off, while freshman defenseman Sierra Benjamin (Palm Coast, Fla./Northwood School) passed D-to-D to McArdle. McArdle took a shot that Katonka deflected in front of the goal before Moriarty banged it in.
The Cardinals' third goal came on the power play with 10:23 elapsed in the second. McArdle passed D-to-D to junior defenseman Hannah Kiraly (Glendale, Ariz./Northern Cyclones), and Kiraly passed to Katonka in the slot. Katonka ended up scoring low glove side to hand Plattsburgh State a 3-0 advantage.
Moriarty scored on the power play for the 20th time in her career at 12:16 of the second period to move into a tie for sixth on the program's all-time list. McArdle got the puck to Katonka in the slot before Katonka sent a pass to Moriarty at the bottom of the right face-off circle. Moriarty then one-timed a shot that hit the inside of the right post and into the back of the net.
Freshman forward Natalia Asimakis (Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich./Little Caesars) scored her first collegiate goal 5:32 into the third period, as she drove a loose puck in the slot past the goaltender. Sophomore forward Kaitlin Drew-Mead (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) and Millen earned assists on the play.
Just 49 seconds later, freshman forward Nicole Unsworth (Milwaukee, Wis./East Coast Wizards) gave the Cardinals a 6-0 lead. Freshman forward Moe Tsukimoto (Sapporo, Japan/Northwood School) evaded several defenders in the high slot and took a shot that the Cortland netminder turned aside. Unsworth jabbed in the rebound on the doorstep to score her third goal of the season.
The Red Dragons erased the shutout bid on the power play 1:14 after Unsworth's goal. Junior defenseman Emily Rose passed D-to-D to senior defenseman Samantha Pippin, and Pippin scored on a wrist shot high glove side from the right point.
Senior goaltender Kassi Abbott (Medford, Mass./Boston Shamrocks Elite) made 15 saves in the win for Plattsburgh State, while sophomore goaltender Chelsea Allain turned aside 40 shots in the loss for Cortland.