(Plattsburgh Story) CORTLAND, N.Y. – The No. 4 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team saw its Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) unbeaten streak come to an end on Friday evening at Alumni Arena, falling to SUNY Cortland, 1-0, in a league contest. The Cardinals' streak ended at 74 games, as they went 72-0-2 to start out their first five years in the NEWHL dating back to the league's inaugural 2017-18 season.
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 4 in the DCU/USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-15 Poll.
Senior goaltender Lilla Nease (Lake Forest, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) stood on her head, making 26 saves in the loss for the Cardinals. Sophomore goaltender Molly Goergen turned aside 30 shots in the win for the Red Dragons.
Plattsburgh State falls to 8-2-0 overall (6-1-0 NEWHL) with the loss and next visits No. 15 Oswego State tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. Cortland rises to 5-3-0 overall (3-2-0 NEWHL) with the win and hosts SUNY Morrisville next on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m.
Cortland scored the lone goal of the game with 10:55 elapsed in the second. Senior defenseman Molly McCabe passed to sophomore defenseman Beth McArthur along the back wall in the Red Dragons' zone, and McArthur sent a stretch pass ahead to sophomore forward Mia Hlasnick in the neutral zone after the pass was deflected by a Cardinal skater. Hlasnick led a 2-on-1 rush into the offensive zone and scored high glove side from the right circle.
Nease made several key saves in the third period to keep the differential at a goal, but the Cardinals were unable to keep sustained pressure in the offensive zone. Plattsburgh State pulled its goalie with 50 seconds left in regulation in favor of the extra attacker, and its best chance to net the equalizer came with 30 seconds to go. Senior defenseman Kendall Wasik (Novi, Mich./HoneyBaked) blasted a slap shot from the right point that Goergen turned aside, and the rebound squirted out to the weak side. While two Cardinals were in the vicinity, the puck found its way to the back wall. Cortland then was able to pin the puck along the boards in the waning moments to hold on for the win.
Neither team sustained a penalty in the contest, while Plattsburgh State finished with a 30-27 edge in shots on goal.