College Hockey Stats Box Score

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The top-seeded and No. 2/3 nationally-ranked Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team defeated fourth-seeded Oswego State, 7-1, in the semifinal round of the Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena to extend its winning streak to 13 games.
 
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 2 in the D3hockey.com Women's Top-10 Poll and No. 3 in the USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-10 Poll.

The Cardinals rise to 24-2-0 overall with the win and will look to capture its second NEWHL title in as many years on Saturday, March 2, when they host third-seeded SUNY Cortland in the championship game at 3 p.m. The winner of the NEWHL championship game will earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament. Oswego ends its season at 10-13-3 overall.
 
In what was a rematch of last year's NEWHL championship game, Plattsburgh State built on a 1-0 lead through one period of play with three goals in the second and three more goals in the third.
 
Freshman forward Nicole Unsworth (Milwaukee, Wis./East Coast Wizards) led the Cardinals with two goals, while senior forward Courtney Moriarty (Estero, Fla./Northfield Mount Hermon), sophomore forward Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite), sophomore forward Kaitlin Drew-Mead (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) and senior forward Mackenzie Millen (Anchorage, Alaska/North American Hockey Academy) each tallied two points on a goal and an assist.
 
Unsworth opened scoring at 9:46 of the first on the power play. Sophomore defenseman Erin McArdle (Macomb, Mich./Belle Tire) played the puck into the slot before Moriarty chipped it into the air in traffic. Unsworth corralled the rebound along the left post and backhanded a shot into the back of the net to make it a 1-0 game.
 
Drew-Mead fired in the game-winner with 2:53 gone in the second. Sophomore defenseman Emma Killeen (Watertown, Conn./The Gunnery) wrapped the puck along the left corner boards to Millen behind the goal line, and Millen sent a feed into the low slot that deflected off the goaltender's pads. Drew-Mead gathered the puck in the slot and scored through the five hole to bury her 11th goal of the season.
 
At 12:36 of the second, sophomore forward Madison Walker (Denver, Colo./Lansing Spartans) found the back of the net. Freshman defenseman Sierra Benjamin (Palm Coast, Fla./Northwood School) intercepted an Oswego pass in the Lakers' zone on the right point and sent a cross-ice feed to Walker, who took a shot that drew the inside part of the right post and passed the goal line.
 
Millen extended the lead to 4-0 at 17:14 of the second, as she took a shot that was blocked away by a Laker defender in the slot before gaining control of the rebound and scoring from a tight angle along the goal line. Drew-Mead earned an assist on the play.
 
The Lakers erased the shutout bid at 18:10 of the second, as freshman forward Skylar Byrne tipped in a shot taken by freshman defenseman Bailey Thomas from the left point. Freshman forward Sara Cruise was also credited with an assist.
 
Just 23 seconds into the third, Moriarty scored. Killeen sent a pass ahead that deflected off Katonka's skate and onto the blade of sophomore forward Abby Brush's (Mount Prospect, Ill./Chicago Young Americans) stick. Cloaked by a Laker defender, Brush had just enough time to poke the puck forward to Moriarty, and Moriarty scored low blocker side on a short breakaway opportunity.
 
Katonka entered the goal column at 6:49 of the third, scoring unassisted on a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle. Finally, at 9:09 of the third, Unsworth scored the final marker of the game, cashing in on her own rebound. Freshman defenseman Hanna Rose (Chaumont, N.Y./Northwood School) and senior defenseman Maci Hoskins (Oklahoma City, Okla./Northwood School) each earned assists on Unsworth's score.
 
Plattsburgh State finished with a 51-18 edge in shots on goal and went 1-for-2 on the power play. Oswego was scoreless on two power-play opportunities, which included a large portion of a five-minute Cardinal penalty toward the end of the third period.
 
Senior goaltender Kassi Abbott (Medford, Mass./Boston Shamrocks Elite) made 17 saves in the win for the Cardinals, while junior goaltender Rachael Farmer (23 saves) and freshman goaltender Cassie Shokar (21 saves) split time in net in the loss for the Lakers.