College Hockey Stats Box Score
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The No. 2/3 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team pushed its winning streak to 12 games on Tuesday evening, defeating No. 10 Middlebury College, 3-1, in non-conference action at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena in the regular-season finale for both teams.
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, while Middlebury is ranked at No. 10 in the USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-10 Poll.
In a rematch of last year's thrilling NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinal, Tuesday's contest matched the drama of a postseason game, as the Cardinals needed an empty-net goal in the final minute of regulation to put the game on ice.
The Cardinals outshot the Panthers by a 45-21 margin, and both teams were scoreless on the power play. Middlebury was 0-for-6 with the extra skater, while Plattsburgh State went 0-for-5.
Plattsburgh State rises to 23-2-0 overall with the win and next hosts Oswego State in the Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) Tournament semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m. Middlebury drops to 14-7-3 overall with the loss and next hosts Connecticut College in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m.
Both teams' penalty-kill units excelled in the first period, with the Cardinals killing off three penalties and the Panthers killing off two. Senior forward Mackenzie Millen(Anchorage, Alaska/North American Hockey Academy) had Plattsburgh State's best chance of the period with a shorthanded breakaway, but sophomore goaltender Anna Goldstein flashed her right pad for a save.
After a scoreless first period, sophomore forward Kaitlin Drew-Mead (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) put Plattsburgh State on the board at 1:33 of the second. Sophomore defenseman Erin McArdle (Macomb, Mich./Belle Tire) passed back to freshman forward Taylor Whitney (Livonia, Mich./Little Caesars) in the Cardinals' zone, and Whitney sent a stretch pass ahead to Drew-Mead. The pass helped send Drew-Mead on a breakaway through the neutral zone and into Panther territory, and with just the goaltender to beat, she scored glove side.
Sophomore forward Abby Brush (Mount Prospect, Ill./Chicago Young Americans) scored the game-winner at 6:48 of the third period. Brush forced a turnover in the defensive zone and tapped the puck ahead to herself with her left skate. She split a pair of Middlebury defenders to create a breakaway opportunity, and she scored through the five hole to make it a 2-0 game.
The Panthers trimmed the deficit in half at the 15:13 mark of the third period. Freshman forward Katie Hargrave passed to junior defenseman Anna Zumwinkle on the right point from behind the net, and Zumwinkle wristed a shot through traffic to put Middlebury on the board.
Middlebury called a timeout with 1:22 left in regulation and pulled its goalie with 56 seconds remaining after the puck left the Panthers' zone. Sophomore forward Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) put the game on ice with an empty-netter with 26 seconds remaining, and McArdle was credited with an assist on the goal.
Senior goaltender Kassi Abbott (Medford, Mass./Boston Shamrocks Elite) made 20 saves in the win for the Cardinals, while Goldstein turned aside 42 shots in the loss for the Panthers.