PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The No. 3 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team extended its winning streak to 13 games with a 4-1 Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) win over SUNY Canton on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. It marked the Cardinals' regular-season home finale.
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 3 in the DCU/USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-15 Poll.
Prior to the start of the game, the Cardinals honored their seven-member Class of 2023: graduate student goaltender Ashley Davis (Winterville, N.C./Northwood School), graduate student defenseman/student assistant coach Hanna Rose (Chaumont, N.Y./Northwood School), graduate student forwards Holly Schmelzer (East Amherst, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles), Nicole Unsworth (Milwaukee, Wis./East Coast Wizards) and Sara Krauseneck (Saginaw, Mich./Northern Cyclones), senior goaltender Chloe Beaubien (Colorado Springs, Colo./Ontario Hockey Acaemy) and senior defenseman Sierra Benjamin (Palm Coast, Fla./Northwood School).
The Cardinals owned a 63-17 advantage in shots on goal and went 1-for-6 on the power play, which included 1:08 of a 5-on-3 opportunity midway through the second period. The Kangaroos were 1-for-2 with the extra attacker.
Krauseneck paced Plattsburgh State with two goals, while Unsworth recorded a goal and an assist. Benjamin chipped in with two assists.
Plattsburgh State rises to 21-2-0 overall (15-1-0 NEWHL) with the win and next visits Buffalo State on Friday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m. Canton falls to 13-8-2 overall (7-7-1 NEWHL) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Cortland on Friday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m.
Junior forward Mae Olshansky (Wilmette, Ill./North American Hockey Academy) netted the first goal of the game 16:24 into the first period. First-year defenseman Taya Balfour (Moorestown, N.J./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) sent a stretch pass down that bounced off Unsworth before it settled onto the stick of Olshansky on the right wing. Olshansky took a shot that was saved before collecting the rebound and scoring high glove side on the backhand.
Krauseneck scored on the power play 4:26 into the second period to double up the advantage. Sophomore defenseman Mattie Norton (Glen Carbon, Ill./St. Louis Lady Blues) passed D-to-D to Benjamin, and Benjamin took a shot from the left point that Krauseneck deflected in.
Canton cut the gap in half with a power-play goal 15:14 into the second. Junior forward Iida Laitinen passed D-to-D to first-year defenseman Mathilde Couture on the right point, and Couture passed down to first-year forward Danika Lalonde at the bottom of the right circle. Lalonde then wristed a shot at a sharp angle that clanged off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net.
Just 2:05 later, Unsworth put the Cardinals back up by two goals. Junior forward Ciara Wall (Stoneham, Mass./University of New Hampshire) won the puck in a scrum along the left boards and snuck a pass forward to Unsworth in the left circle. Unsworth then dragged the puck across the crease before scoring low glove side.
Krauseneck added further insurance to Plattsburgh State's cause with her second goal of the game at 11:55 of the third. Benjamin intercepted a pass in the defensive zone and kicked off a Cardinal breakout by springing Krauseneck forward into the neutral zone. Krauseneck gained the attacking zone with a Kangaroo defender draped around her before skating into the slot and scoring through the five-hole.
Davis made 12 saves in the opening two periods of play and earned the winning decision, while Beaubien turned aside four shots in the third period. Senior goaltender Sirena Alvarez made 59 saves in the loss for Canton.