PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team begins its quest to win its seventh overall NCAA Division III national title on Wednesday, March 6, at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena, as the Cardinals host Endicott College at 5 p.m. in the NCAA Division III Tournament first round.
TICKET PRICING: Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for students with valid identification and senior citizens, $3 for children between the ages of 3-12 and free for children 2 years old and under... The Field House box office will open at 3:30 p.m. the day of the game... There are no refunds or exchanges for NCAA postseason tickets... All seating is general admission.
ABOUT THE SERIES: This will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs, as Endicott began its first season of varsity competition in 2015-16.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State has won six NCAA Division III national titles in its history, which included a stretch of four straight from 2014-17, and has advanced to the national semifinals for seven straight seasons... The Cardinals enter the NCAA Tournament by virtue of the automatic bid out of the Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL)... The Cardinals enter Wednesday's contest on a 14-game winning streak... 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… Several student-athletes contribute to a potent Cardinal offense that leads Division III in scoring offense (5.07 goals per game)... Sophomore forward Annie Katonka leads Division III in power-play goals (11) and also ranks among the national leaders in goals per game (second, 1.04) and points per game (second, 1.78)... Her 11 power-play goals are the third-most in a single season in program history, just one back of the program record shared by senior forward Courtney Moriarty (2017-18) and Laurie Bowler (2007-08)... Overall, Katonka has 48 points on 28 goals and 20 assists, leading the NEWHL in both points and goals... Moriarty is tied for 12th in Division III in points per game (1.37), as she has tallied 37 points on 16 goals and 21 assists... She enters the weekend with 144 career points, which is tied with Shannon Stewart (2011-15) for sixth in program history... Sophomore defenseman Erin McArdle is tied for fifth in Division III in points per game among defensemen (0.85), while junior defenseman Hannah Kiraly ranks 16th in the same statistical category (0.70)... Freshman forward Taylor Whitney ranks 11th in the nation in points per game among freshmen (0.96), while senior forward Mackenzie Millen leads the NEWHL in assists with 23... Senior goaltender Kassi Abbott is enjoying a standout year in between the pipes for Plattsburgh State, as she ranks among the Division III leaders in goals-against average (first, 0.67), save percentage (first, .961), shutouts (tied for first, 13) and winning percentage (tied for second, .926)... In addition to scoring offense, the Cardinals also lead Division III in scoring defense (0.67 goals allowed per game), scoring margin (4.41 goals per game), penalty kill efficiency (.972) and combined special teams (.612)... The Cardinals have racked up the NEWHL postseason awards, with Moriarty being named NEWHL Player of the Year, Abbott being named NEWHL Co-Goalie of the Year and freshman defenseman Hanna Rose being named NEWHL Rookie of the Year... Moriarty, Millen, Katonka, Kiraly and Abbott were named to the All-NEWHL First Team, while McArdle was selected to the All-NEWHL Second Team... Rose, freshman defenseman Sierra Benjamin and Whitney all earned NEWHL All-Rookie Team honors... Moriarty was named the Tournament MVP as a result of her performances in the NEWHL Tournament, while Katonka and McArdle joined her on the All-Tournament Team... Head coach Kevin Houle has amassed a 393-50-25 record in his 16 years behind the Cardinal bench.
ABOUT THE GULLS: Endicott is making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Colonial Hockey Conference (CHC) championship... The Gulls defeated Morrisville State, 1-0, in overtime, in the CHC championship game, as junior forward Jillian Gibbs tallied at the 11:00 mark of the first overtime period on assists from junior forward Jade Meier and sophomore defenseman Maeve Moynihan... While Endicott is an unfamiliar foe for the Cardinals, the Gulls competed well against the NCAA Division III elite this year, tying defending national champion Norwich University, 2-2, in overtime on Jan. 14 and losing by only a goal at Williams College on Nov. 20... Endicott was nearly unbeatable at the Raymond J. Bourque Arena in 2018-19, going 11-1-1 at home... The Gulls own a 7-3-2 road record and a 1-0-1 mark at neutral sites... Endicott will look to several student-athletes to general offense, including Gibbs, freshman forward Courtney Sullivan and senior forwards Lexi Klein and Caroline Hughes... Gibbs leads the team in goals (13), assists (11) and points (24) and ranks first in Division III in game-winning goals (7)... Sullivan was named CHC Rookie of the Year and has contributed 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points... CHC Goaltender of the Year and senior Vendela Jonsson has an overall season record of 11-3-4 in net for the Gulls, and she is ranked fourth nationally in goals-against average (1.08) and shutouts (7) and sixth in save percentage (.951)... Fourth-year head coach Andrew McPhee enters Wednesday's contest with a career record of 174-118-28, which includes nine seasons at Trinity (Conn.) College and four years at Endicott... He is 74-21-11 during his tenure at Endicott.
WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of this game will face either Williams College or Norwich University in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 9.