SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Plattsburgh and Oswego each claimed three Northeast Women's Hockey League All-Conference First Team selections to dominate the conference's inaugural all-league team.
The NEWHL announced its All-Conference Team on Friday, March 2, with Plattsburgh leading the way with five total selections, including First Team senior forward Melissa Sheeran (Schaghticoke, NY/Millbrook School), First Team junior forward Courtney Moriarty (Estero, FL/Northfield Mount Hermon), and sophomore First Team defenseman Hannah Kiraly (Glendale, AZ/Northern Cyclones).
Junior goalkeeper Kassi Abbott (Medford, MA/Boston Shamrocks Elite) and senior forward Kayla Meneghin (Clifton, NJ/The Gunnery) landed on the Second Team for the Cardinals who will host Oswego in the NEWHL Championship on Saturday, March 3, at 3 p.m.
The NEWHL All-Conference Team is comprised of players who are nominated and voted upon by the head coaches of the league. Each team consists of three forwards, two defensemen and a goalkeeper unless there are ties in voting.
The 2018 Second Team actually boasts eight players with an extra forward and an additional defensive player because of ties in balloting.
Oswego senior netminder Mariah Madrigal (Brownstown, MI/Team Detroit), who was named the NEWHL Goalkeeper of the Year on March 1, earned First Team honors along with senior forward Olivia Ellis (Wilcox, SK, Canada/Notre Dame Hounds) and sophomore defensive player Kate Randazzo (Ancaster, ON, Canada/Burlington Barracudas).
Madrigal currently stands third in total saves (394) in the NEWHL, while she is fourth in goals against average (1.96), fifth in winning percentage (.556 / 9-7-2) and sixth in save percentage (.916).
Randazzo and Ellis, meanwhile, lead the Lakers in scoring. Ellis tops the club with 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists, while Randazzo has amassed 19 points on five goals and 14 assists.
Ellis currently is ranked fourth in scoring and assists in the league, and she is tied for sixth in goals scored. Randazzo is tied for seventh in points and tied for fifth in assists in the conference.
It is no surprise that Plattsburgh's Sheeran and Moriarty earned First Team accolades. Sheeran tops the conference in points (46) and assists (28), while she ranks second in goals (18) and is second in plus/minus rating with a +21 mark.
Moriarty, by far, leads the NEWHL in goals scored with 28. She is second in points (42), first in plus/minus (+25), and tied for fifth in assists with 14.
From her defensive position, Kiraly contributed on offense throughout the season for Plattsburgh. She is currently tied for seventh in scoring with 19 points and is third in the NEWHL in assists with 16. Her plus/minus rating of +12 has her 15th in the league.
Plattsburgh's Second Team representatives - Abbott and Meneghin – have been key contributors all season for the Cardinals. Meneghin ranks third in points (35) and in goals (17) in the NEWHL, while her 18 assists is good enough to currently stand second in the league. She also is tied for fifth in the conference in plus/minus with a +19.
Abbott leads the NEWHL with a .900 winning percentage built on a 13-1-1 overall record. She is second in save percentage (.956) and in goals against average (0.95), and is fifth in total saves (307).
The remaining three teams in the conference – Buffalo State, Cortland and Potsdam – each landed two players on the NEWHL All-Conference Second Team.
Buffalo State senior forward Erin Gehen (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West/Cazenovia Chiefs) and sophomore defenseman Cheyenne Matson (Wasilla, AK/Matsu Career & Tech/Alaska All-Stars U-19) each earned Second Team honors for the Bengals, while Cortland sophomore forward Miranda Kolb (Watertown, NY/Immaculate Heart/Syracuse Nationals) and junior defenseman Samantha Pippin (Allen Park, MI/Allen Park/Team Detroit) were also voted to the Second Team squad.
Potsdam senior forward Anna-Rose Bertin (Marathon, ON, Canada/CIH Academy) and sophomore defenseman Delphine Leonard (Montreal, QC, Canada/Dawson College Prep) rounded out the All-League Team.
Gehen is tied for ninth in scoring in the conference with 18 points on 12 goals and six assists. Her goal total ranks fourth in the NEWHL. Matson, meanwhile, has racked up seven points on two goals and five assists and is tied for ninth among defenseman in scoring in the league.
Kolb led Cortland in scoring this season with 23 points on 11 goals and 12 assists. She currently stands fourth in the league in scoring, is tied for eighth in assists, and ranks fifth in goals scored.
Pippin contributed 11 points this season to the Cortland offense on five goals and six assists. She is tied for first among NEWHL defenseman in goals scored, tied for fourth in scoring, and tied for seventh in assists.
In 24 games for Potsdam, Bertin accrued 15 points on seven goals and eight assists, while Leonard contributed six points on a goal and five assists.
NEWHL All-Conference First Team
- F - Olivia Ellis, Oswego – Senior (Wilcox, SK, Canada/Notre Dame Hounds)
- F - Courtney Moriarty, Plattsburgh - Junior (Estero, FL/Northfield Mount Hermon)
- F - Melissa Sheeran, Plattsburgh - Senior (Schaghticoke, NY/Millbrook School)
- D - Hannah Kiraly, Plattsburgh - Sophomore (Glendale, AZ/Northern Cyclones)
- D - Kate Randazzo, Oswego - Sophomore (Ancaster, ON, Canada/Burlington Barracudas)
- G - Mariah Madrigal, Oswego – Senior (Brownstown, MI/Team Detroit)
NEWHL All-Conference Second Team
- F - Anna-Rose Bertin, Potsdam - Senior (Marathon, ON, Canada/CIH Academy)
- F - Erin Gehen, Buffalo State - Senior (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West/Cazenovia Chiefs)
- F - Miranda Kolb, Cortland - Sophomore (Watertown, NY/Immaculate Heart/Syracuse Nationals)
- F - Kayla Meneghin, Plattsburgh - Senior (Clifton, NJ/The Gunnery)
- D - Delphine Leonard, Potsdam - Sophomore (Montreal, QC, Canada/Dawson College Prep)
- D - Cheyenne Matson, Buffalo State - Sophomore (Wasilla, AK/Matsu Career & Tech/Alaska All-Stars U-19)
- D - Samantha Pippin, Cortland - Junior (Allen Park, MI/Allen Park/Team Detroit)
- G - Kassi Abbott, Plattsburgh - Junior (Medford, MA/Boston Shamrocks Elite)