POTSDAM, N.Y. – Senior forward Ivy Boric (Newport Beach, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) scored her second hat trick of the season and finished with four points on three goals and one assist, as the No. 3 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team completed a Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) weekend sweep of SUNY Potsdam on Saturday afternoon at the Maxcy Ice Arena with an 8-2 victory.
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 3 in the DCU/USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-15 Poll.
Graduate student forward Sara Krauseneck (Saginaw, Mich./Northern Cyclones) recorded three points on two goals and one assist, while senior defenseman Sierra Benjamin (Williamsville, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) registered three points on a goal and two assists.
The Cardinals finished with a 47-19 edge in shots on goal and went 2-for-5 on the power play. The Bears were 1-for-4 with the extra skater. Plattsburgh State was dominant on face-offs, going 37-for-51 at the dot.
Plattsburgh State rises to 4-0-0 overall (4-0-0 NEWHL) with the win and hosts local rival Norwich University on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. Potsdam falls to 2-2-0 (2-2-0 NEWHL) with the loss and hosts SUNY Canton next on Friday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m.
Krauseneck opened scoring with 7:50 gone in the first period, as she redirected a shot that Boric took at the top of the right circle into the back of the net. Benjamin earned a secondary assist on the goal.
Boric scored back-to-back goals less than three minutes apart to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. Her first goal came at 10:29 of the first period after junior forward Ciara Wall (Stoneham, Mass./University of New Hampshire) fed her with a short pass along the left wall, and she took a shot from the slot that bounced into the air off the goalie's blocker before arcing over the netminder's shoulder into the back of the net. Boric registered her second tally at the 13:22 mark, as she converted a pass from Krauseneck high glove side. Benjamin also earned an assist on Boric's second goal.
Potsdam got on the board at 5:25 of the second period on the power play, as senior forward Kaylee Merrill scored high glove side from the right circle on a feed from sophomore forward/defenseman Lyvia Chambers.
The Cardinals answered back at 7:55 of the second, as first-year forward Molly Riggi (Farmingdale, N.J./New Jersey Titans) passed down to sophomore forward Riley Calhoun (New Hartford, N.Y./Bishop Kearney Selects) at the bottom of the right circle, and Calhoun scored on the backhand from the slot. Riggi's assist served as her first collegiate point. Benjamin made it a 5-1 game just 16 seconds later, scoring on a slap shot from the right point. Graduate student forward Holly Schmelzer (East Amherst, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles) earned an assist on the goal.
Boric completed the hat trick at the 9:29 mark of the second period. Graduate student forward Nicole Unsworth (Milwaukee, Wis./East Coast Wizards) sent a backhand pass to Boric along the left wall, and Boric skated to the bottom of the left circle before dragging the puck across the crease and scoring through the five-hole.
Potsdam countered with a goal just 48 seconds before the second intermission, as sophomore forward Karley Green forced a turnover in the defensive zone to kick start the rush, and senior forward Meghan Teachout scored low glove side from the slot.
In the third period, Krauseneck tallied at the 5:01 mark, scoring on the rush glove side from the left circle after forcing a turnover in the neutral zone, while Schmelzer scored with 13:20 gone in the period. Schmelzer scored glove side from the left circle, with Riggi and first-year defenseman Taya Balfour (Moorestown, N.J./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) earning assists. It marked the first collegiate point for Balfour.
Senior goaltender Lilla Nease (Lake Forest, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) made 17 saves in the victory for the Cardinals, while junior goaltender Ellie Zurfluh and sophomore goaltender Hannah Barrett combined for 39 stops in the loss for the Bears.