College Hockey Stats Box Score
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The No. 2/3 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team completed a Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) sweep of SUNY Potsdam and extended its winning streak to nine, as the Cardinals posted a 4-0 victory over the Bears at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena Saturday afternoon on Senior Day.
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.
Prior to the start of the game, Plattsburgh State honored its five seniors: forwards Ashley Songin (Springville, N.Y./Nichols School), Mackenzie Millen (Anchorage, Alaska/North American Hockey Academy) and Courtney Moriarty (Estero, Fla./Northfield Mount Hermon), defenseman Maci Hoskins (Oklahoma City, Okla./Northwood School) and goaltender Kassi Abbott (Medford, Mass./Boston Shamrocks Elite).
Junior defenseman Hannah Kiraly (Glendale, Ariz./Northern Cyclones) and sophomore forward Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) led the Cardinals' offense, as each posted a goal and an assist.
Plattsburgh State rises to 20-2-0 overall (14-0-0 NEWHL) with the win and next hosts Middlebury College on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. Potsdam falls to 8-11-3 overall (5-6-2 NEWHL) with the loss and next visits Oswego State on Friday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m.
Millen fired the opening salvo at 17:45 of the first period. She stole the puck from a Potsdam defender behind the goal line, skated around the outside edge of the right circle into the high slot and scored high glove side after splitting two more Bear defenders.
Just 13 seconds after the first face-off of the second period, Katonka staked the Cardinals to a 2-0 lead. Kiraly passed D-to-D to sophomore defenseman Emma Killeen (Watertown, Conn./The Gunnery) behind the Cardinals' blue line, and Killeen passed the puck forward to Katonka in the Bears' zone. Katonka skated into the high slot and ripped a slap shot that beat the goaltender blocker side.
Kiraly scored on the power play at 13:53 of the second to extend the Cardinals' advantage. Katonka won an offensive-zone face-off and got the puck back to Kiraly on the left point. Kiraly unleashed a slap shot that navigated through traffic in the slot and found the back of the net.
Sophomore forward Abby Brush (Mount Prospect, Ill./Chicago Young Americans) scored unassisted with 28 seconds left in the second period to bury what wound up being the final goal of the contest. A Potsdam skater lost control of the puck in the Bears' zone, and Brush gained possession in the right circle. She then wristed a shot over the goaltender's blocker to build the Plattsburgh State advantage to 4-0.
Potsdam relied on strong goaltending from junior goaltender Kayla McCabe in the third period, as McCabe made 14 saves during the stanza to prevent the Cardinals from building on their lead.
The Cardinals held a 46-11 advantage in shots on goal and went 1-for-5 on the power play. The Bears were scoreless on four chances with the extra skater.
Abbott posted her NCAA Division III-leading 12th shutout of the season to move into sole possession of third on the program's single-season shutout list. She finished with 11 saves in the victory. Sophomore goaltender Samantha White made 32 saves in the loss for the Bears, while McCabe played the entire third period and recorded 14 stops.