NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Graduate student forward Sara Krauseneck (Saginaw, Mich./Northern Cyclones) scored the game-winning goal with three minutes left in regulation and senior goaltender Lilla Nease (Lake Forest, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) posted a 22-save shutout, as the No. 4 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team captured its seventh Norwich East-West Hockey Classic title with a 1-0 win over No. 3 Adrian College in the tournament's championship game on Sunday afternoon at Norwich University's Kreitzberg Arena.
Adrian is ranked at No. 3 in the DCU/USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-15 Poll, while Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 4.
Nease was named Tournament MVP, while sophomore defenseman Mattie Norton (Glen Carbon, Ill./St. Louis Lady Blues) joined her on the All-Tournament Team. Nease finished the weekend with a .964 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average, while Norton tallied three points on a goal and two assists, which included Plattsburgh State's overtime game-winning goal against No. 8 Elmira College on Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals made the most of their lone power-play opportunity, as Adrian was called for a two-minute minor for tripping at 16:35 of the third. After Plattsburgh State patiently cycled the puck in the offensive zone, Norton passed D-to-D to senior defenseman Sierra Benjamin (Palm Coast, Fla./Northwood School). Benjamin then skated into the high slot and took a shot that Krauseneck redirected into the back of the net.
Adrian vacated the net with 1:40 left, and while Nease was sprung into action once with approximately a minute to go, Plattsburgh State prevented the Bulldogs from netting the equalizer, and after the Cardinals won a defensive-zone face-off with 12 seconds left, they pinned the puck along the boards before the final horn sounded.
Plattsburgh State closes out the fall semester at 11-2-0 overall and takes nearly a month off from competition before visiting defending national champion Middlebury College on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. Adrian falls to 10-1-0 overall with the loss and next hosts Suffolk University on Friday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m.
Both teams took 22 shots on goal, while Adrian went 32-for-51 on face-offs. Plattsburgh State held the upper hand on special teams, going 1-for-1 on the power play while holding Adrian scoreless in two chances with the skater advantage.
Adrian's senior goaltender Sophie Goldberg made 21 stops in the loss for the Bulldogs.