BUFFALO, N.Y. – The No. 3 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team extended its winning streak to 15 with an 8-0 Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) win over Buffalo State in its regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon at the Buffalo State Ice Arena.
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 3 in the DCU/USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-15 Poll.
Senior forward Julia Masotta (Tewksbury, Mass./Norwich University) scored twice, while graduate student forward Sara Krauseneck (Saginaw, Mich./Northern Cyclones) notched three points on a goal and two assists. Krauseneck has now recorded a point in eight consecutive games. Senior defenseman Sierra Benjamin (Palm Coast, Fla./Northwood School) and senior forward Ivy Boric (Newport Beach, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) each registered three assists.
The Cardinals owned a 66-12 edge in shots on goal and went 1-for-6 on the power play in addition to scoring a shorthanded goal. The Bengals were scoreless in five chances with the extra skater.
Plattsburgh State rises to 23-2-0 overall (17-1-0 NEWHL) with the win and next hosts fourth-seeded SUNY Canton in the NEWHL Tournament semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 3 p.m. Buffalo State finishes out its season at 7-18-0 overall (1-17-0 NEWHL) with the loss.
Junior forward Mae Olshansky (Wilmette, Ill./North American Hockey Academy) put the Cardinals on the board 4:48 into the first period. Junior forward Ciara Wall (Stoneham, Mass./University of New Hampshire) passed to senior defenseman Kendall Wasik (Novi, Mich./HoneyBaked) on the right point, and Wasik took a shot that Buffalo State's goalie turned aside with a pad save. Olshansky then collected the rebound at the bottom of the left circle and backhanded a shot into the back of the net.
Masotta scored at the 15:27 mark of the first to make it a 2-0 game. First-year defenseman Su-An Cho (Madison, Ala./Florida Alliance) took a shot that was saved, and Krauseneck took control of the rebound along the back wall. She then eluded defenders before skating out in front, centering a pass to Masotta from the left circle that Masotta one-timed into the back of the net low glove side.
Krauseneck added to the Cardinal advantage at 19:07 of the first. Wasik sent a puck down low to Boric in the right corner, and Boric flicked a pass out in front to Krauseneck in the slot that Krauseneck one-timed past the goaltender blocker side on the backhand.
Senior forward Tatem Cheney (Ottawa, Ontario/Ottawa Lady 67's) buried her first goal of the year 8:13 into the second period. Benjamin passed to sophomore forward Bridget Orr (Excelsior, Minn./North American Hockey Academy) in the right circle, and Orr fed Cheney in the slot before Cheney scored high glove side.
Graduate student forward Holly Schmelzer (East Amherst, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles) netted a shorthanded goal at 10:28 of the second. Benjamin forced a turnover in the neutral zone and led a 2-on-1 rush into the Bengals' end. She passed over to Schmelzer, and Schmelzer scored on a one-time shot stick side.
Thirty-eight seconds into the third period, Masotta scored her second of the afternoon. Boric helped break Krauseneck into the neutral zone after the Cardinals won a defensive-zone face-off, and Krauseneck flicked the puck ahead to Masotta in the attacking zone. Masotta eluded Bengal defenders in the right corner before skating into the slot and scoring low glove side.
Sophomore defenseman Mattie Norton (Glen Carbon, Ill./St. Louis Lady Blues) scored on the power play with 3:13 gone in the third. Boric passed back to Benjamin on the left point, and Benjamin and Norton passed to each other D-to-D before Norton scored through the five-hole.
Wall closed out scoring at 16:35 of the third. Wall won an offensive-zone face-off back to first-year defenseman Aizah Thompson (Williamsville, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) on the left point, and Thompson took a shot that Wall redirected into the back of the net.
Senior goaltender Lilla Nease (Lake Forest, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) posted a 12-save shutout in the win for the Cardinals, while sophomore goaltender Jessica Auge made 58 stops in the loss for the Bengals.