USCHO.com Division III Women's Top-10 Poll (Final)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey garnered all 15 first-place votes and 150 voting points to earn the No. 1 ranking in the final USCHO.com Division III Women's Top-10 Poll of 2019-20, as announced on Monday.
Plattsburgh State (26-1-0, 18-0-0 Northeast Women's Hockey League [NEWHL]), which finished the season on an 18-game winning streak, was ranked No. 1 for the entire 2019-20 season and has held the top spot for 19 consecutive polls dating back to March 18, 2019. The Cardinals' season came to an abrupt end when the NCAA announced on March 12 that all of its winter and spring championships would be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cardinals earned the top ranking after claiming their eighth consecutive conference tournament title (third consecutive NEWHL Tournament title) and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the 16th time in 2019-20. Plattsburgh State garnered the NEWHL Tournament title and the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with a 6-1 win over Oswego State in the NEWHL Tournament championship game on Saturday, March 7, at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
Plattsburgh State, which had six wins over teams that were ranked in the USCHO.com Division III Women's Top-10 Poll at the time of the game this season, led NCAA Division III women's ice hockey in wins, winning percentage (.963), fewest losses and penalty-kill efficiency (98.1 percent), while ranking second in power-play efficiency (28.1 percent), second in combined special teams (60.4), second in scoring offense (4.85), second in scoring margin (3.89) and third in scoring defense (0.96).
Plattsburgh State achieved two NCAA records in 2019-20. The Cardinals recorded the longest overall winning streak in NCAA Division III women's ice hockey history with their 26th consecutive win over then-No. 7 University of Wisconsin-River Falls as part of the Panther/Cardinal Classic on Nov. 30, in Middlebury, Vt. Plattsburgh State also set the record for the longest home winning streak in NCAA Division III women's ice hockey as the Cardinals defeated Oswego State, 3-0, on Nov. 9, for their 29th consecutive home win. The Cardinals' home winning streak is at 40 games after they went undefeated at home (14-0-0) on the season.
Head coach Kevin Houle, who has a 423-51-25 (.873) record over 17 seasons, recorded his 400th career coaching victory in Plattsburgh State's 3-1 home win over then-No. 8 Norwich University on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
This season, the Cardinals claimed six All-NEWHL selections (five All-NEWHL First Team honorees), including the NEWHL Player of the Year and NEWHL Goaltender of the Year, two NEWHL All-Rookie Team honorees. Houle and assistant coach Julia Duquette were named the 2020 NEWHL Coaching Staff of the Year.