PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Senior forward Taylor Whitney (Livonia, Mich./Little Caesars) scored a hat trick and both graduate student forward Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) and senior forward Sara Krauseneck (Saginaw, Mich./Northern Cyclones) tied program records, as the No. 2 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team defeated Buffalo State, 9-0, to extend its unbeaten streak to 16 games on Friday evening in Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) action at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 2 in the DCU/USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-10 Poll.
Katonka equaled the program's career record in power-play goals with 29, matching Laurie Bowler's total that she achieved from 2006-10. In addition, Krauseneck recorded two assists to match the single-season program record of 31 set by Bridget Balisy in 2015-16.
The Cardinals were red hot on the power play, converting 5-of-6 opportunities with the extra skater. The Bengals, meanwhile, were 0-for-5 on the power play and put just one shot on goal in those five chances. Plattsburgh State finished with a 72-7 margin in shots on goal.
Plattsburgh State rises to 21-2-1 overall (16-0-1 NEWHL) with the win, while Buffalo State falls to 1-21-1 overall (0-16-0 NEWHL) with the loss. The two teams meet again tomorrow at 3 p.m. on the Cardinals' Senior Day, which also serves as Plattsburgh State's final game of the regular season. Prior to the start of the game, the Cardinals will honor defenseman Erin McArdle (Macomb, Mich./Belle Tire), forward Kaitlin Drew-Mead (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons), defenseman Emma Killeen (Watertown, Conn./The Gunnery), Whitney and Katonka as a part of Senior Day.
Junior forward Ivy Boric (Newport Beach, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) buried a power-play goal at 15:17 of the first period to open scoring. Senior defenseman Sierra Benjamin (Palm Coast, Fla./Northwood School) sent a short pass to Krauseneck along the right post, and Krauseneck sent a quick backhanded pass to Boric in the left circle. Boric then scored on a one-time shot on the short side to net her 13th goal of the season.
Whitney entered the scoring column at 6:30 of the second. Senior forward Nicole Unsworth (Milwaukee, Wis./East Coast Wizards) got a piece of the puck as it sprung ahead to Whitney in the offensive zone, and Whitney went bar down from the right face-off circle to give the Cardinals a 2-0 advantage.
Katonka scored her program-record-tying 29th career power-play goal at 11:28 of the second period. McArdle passed down to Benjamin in the right circle from the right point, and McArdle centered a pass to Katonka in the slot, who scored high glove side.
At 18:53 of the second, Katonka scored her second of the game. Wasik chipped a pass to Krauseneck in the left corner, and Katonka played the puck out in front from behind the goal line. With the puck tangled up in traffic, Katonka then banged in a shot high glove side to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead through two periods of play. Krauseneck's assist on the goal pushed her season total to 31, matching the program record.
Just 25 seconds into the third period, Krauseneck notched her third point of the night with an even-strength goal. Boric played the puck out in front from behind the goal line, and Katonka got a piece of it before Krauseneck scored at close range.
First-year defenseman Mattie Norton (Glen Carbon, Ill./St. Louis Lady Blues) scored on the power play at 5:44 of the third. Wasik passed to Drew-Mead at the top of the left circle, and Drew-Mead slid a pass over to Norton in the right circle. From just inside the hash marks, Norton ripped a shot that knocked the water bottle off the top of the net to make it a 6-0 game.
At 7:44 of the third, Whitney notched her second of the game, scoring a power-play goal as a part of a five-minute major penalty. First-year forward Tes Hurd (Ann Arbor, Mich./HoneyBaked) sent a drop pass back to Benjamin, and with space in the low slot, Benjamin found Whitney at the bottom of the right circle. With the goaltender out of position, Whitney guided the puck past the goal line.
First-year forward Riley Calhoun (New Hartford, N.Y./Bishop Kearney Selects) added another goal to the Cardinals' cause at 11:15 of the third. First-year forward Rachel Martin (Lancaster, Pa./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) sent a pass back to Wasik on the right point after an offensive-zone face-off win, and Wasik sent a feed into the slot that ricocheted off Calhoun's skate into the back of the net. It marked the first collegiate point for Martin.
Finally, with 36.5 seconds left in the game, Whitney completed her second career hat trick by scoring on the power play. Junior forward Tatem Cheney (Ottawa, Ontario/Ottawa Lady 67's) took a shot from the left circle that the Buffalo State goaltender saved, and Hurd knocked a piece of the puck on the rebound before Whitney jammed it across the goal line.
Junior goaltender Chloe Beaubien (Colorado Springs, Colo./Ontario Hockey Academy) posted a seven-save shutout, while first-year goaltender Jessica Auge made 63 stops in the loss for Buffalo State.