CHAMPIONSHIP WEBPAGE
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MIDDLEBURY, Vt.. – The Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team (25-2-1) continues its quest to win its eighth overall NCAA Division III national title on Friday, March 18, at Middlebury College's Chip Kenyon '85 Arena, as the the Cardinals take on Gustavus Adolphus College (24-3-2) in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Tournament at 3 p.m. Middlebury (25-0-0) and Elmira College (25-2-1) square off in the other semifinal-round game at 7 p.m., with the two semifinal winners to play for the national championship on Saturday, March 19, at 7 p.m. The third-place game will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday.
TICKET PRICING: Thanks to Middlebury College and in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, admission into all games this weekend will be free of charge.
COVID PROTOCOLS: Until 3 p.m. on Friday, March 18, all visitors on Middlebury's campus must wear a tight-fitting mask indoors at all times. However, beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, mask wearing will become optional indoors. All spectators in attendance must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and have received their booster shot, if eligible, or have a valid medical or religious exemption. Proof of vaccination is required at the door.
IN THE RANKINGS
USCHO.com Women's Div. III Top-10 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Middlebury (15)
2. Plattsburgh State
3. Elmira
5. Gustavus Adolphus (*pronounced "guhs-TAY-vihs | uh-DOL-fihs")
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Plattsburgh State qualified for its 17th NCAA Division III Tournament in program history, earning the automatic qualifier out of the Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL). The Cardinals won their fourth consecutive NEWHL championship and their ninth conference title overall dating back to their membership in the ECAC West.
NATIONAL SEMIFINAL BOUND AGAIN
The Cardinals are in their 14th overall and ninth consecutive national semifinal after defeating Colby College, 3-2, in overtime in the NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinals this past Saturday. Plattsburgh State is seeking its eighth overall national title. The Cardinals are also looking to make the championship game for the ninth time in program history. The only national championship game in which Plattsburgh State appeared that did not result in a win for the Cardinals was a 3-1 loss to Middlebury in 2005-06. Plattsburgh State has won more NCAA Division III national titles than any other school in Division III women's ice hockey history.
DISTINGUISHED CARDS
Plattsburgh State led the way along with the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with the most number of CCM/American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-Americans in 2021-22, as the Cardinals had four student-athletes earn All-America recognition. Annie Katonka and Erin McArdle earned First-Team All-America honors, while Sara Krauseneck and Sierra Benjamin merited Second-Team All-America distinction.
Plattsburgh State reeled in several awards from the NEWHL this postseason. Katonka, Krauseneck, McArdle and Benjamin were named to the All-NEWHL First Team, while Nicole Unsworth was selected to the All-NEWHL Second Team. Katonka was named the NEWHL Tournament MVP, while Unsworth and Mattie Norton joined her on the All-Tournament Team.
In addition, by virtue of her NEWHL Player of the Year honor, Katonka was a finalist for the Laura Hurd Memorial Award, which is awarded annually to the top women's ice hockey student-athlete in NCAA Division III. Katonka is a two-time finalist for the Laura Hurd Award, as she earned NEWHL Player of the Year honors in 2020 as well.
AGAINST THE FIELD
Plattsburgh State finds itself opposite Gustavus Adolphus for the fourth time in the NCAA Tournament, having defeated the Golden Gusties in the third-place game in 2011-12 and 2012-13 and lost to Gustavus Adolphus in the third-place game in 2004-05. The Cardinals are 4-1-1 all-time against the Golden Gusties. Gustavus Adolphus qualified for the NCAA Tournament by virtue of the MIAC's automatic bid, and it defeated the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 3-0, in the first round before downing the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 5-3, in the quarterfinals.
The opposite semifinal game features a pair of opponents that the Cardinals have a long history with. Plattsburgh State is 23-11-4 all-time against Middlebury, though the Cardinals have had mixed results at Chip Kenyon '85 Arena with a 9-7-2 road record against the Panthers. The two teams were slated to play on Jan. 11, but the game was originally postponed to Jan. 18 and then later canceled. Plattsburgh State is 34-23-3 all-time against long-time rival Elmira, as the two schools used to be members of the ECAC West. The two teams split their regular-season series this year, as Elmira prevailed, 4-3, in overtime in the consolation game of the Cardinal/Panther Classic on Nov. 28, while Plattsburgh State earned a measure of revenge with a 4-3 victory to open the Norwich East-West Classic on Dec. 11. Middlebury earned the tournament's top seed as the automatic qualifier out of the NESCAC, while Elmira earned a bid to the tournament as the automatic qualifier out of the NEHC.
A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
Several student-athletes contribute to a potent Cardinal offense that ranks second in NCAA Division III with 5.69 goals per game. Annie Katonka leads the way with a national-leading 1.36 goals per game, and she also ranks first among national leaders in game-winning goals (10). Katonka is currently tied for the program record in career power-play goals with 29. Among the national leaders in points per game, the Cardinals' entire top forward line ranks in the top 10. Katonka ranks second with 2.28 points per game, while Sara Krauseneck and Ivy Boric sit fifth (1.89 points per game) and eighth (1.63 points per game), respectively. Krauseneck is currently building on a single-season program record 32 assists, while Erin McArdle holds the career program record in points among defensemen (95).
Plattsburgh State ranks second in Division III in power-play percentage, scoring at a 34.9 percent clip with the extra attacker (37-for-106). The Cardinals also rank third nationally in scoring margin (4.29 goals per game). So far this season, Plattsburgh State has not scored fewer than two goals in any game, and it has scored five or more goals in 16 games this season.
The Cardinals are unbeaten in their past 20 games dating back to a 6-1 win over Potsdam on Dec. 3, with their only non-win during that span being a 3-3 overtime tie with Cortland on Feb. 4. Plattsburgh State also has had its share of overtime games this season, needing to go to the extra session on five occasions and going 2-2-1 in those games. The Cardinals are 2-0-0 in 5-on-5 overtime and 0-2-1 in the 3-on-3 overtime format that is utilized during the regular season.
A LOOK AT THE COACHES
Nineteenth-year head coach Kevin Houle leads the Cardinals and has a 448-53-26 overall record, while Gustavus Adolphus is led by 23rd-year head coach Mike Carroll, who sports a 464-119-48 overall mark. In the other semifinal game, 33rd-year head coach Bill Mandigo leads Middlebury with a 623-158-48 overall record, while Elmira's sixth-year head coach Tim Crowley sports a 110-18-10 overall mark.