SYRACUSE, NY – Paced by a quintet of First Team selections, Plattsburgh posted a total of six players to the 2019 Northeast Women's Hockey League All-Conference Team.
The honors are voted upon by the head coaches of the NEWHL and were announced by the league on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from its conference office in Syracuse, N.Y.
The Cardinals, who will host the 2019 NEWHL Championship on Saturday, March 2, when they take on Cortland at 3 p.m. in Plattsburgh, N.Y., were led by First Team Goalkeeper selection and Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Kassi Abbott (Medofrd, MA/Boston Shamrocks Elite).
The NEWHL Goalkeeper of the Year award is presented to the netminder who receives the most points during voting for the All-League Team. Abbott shared the honor with Buffalo State sophomore goalie Bri Gawronski (Dunkirk, NY) who also was named to the NEWHL First Team.
A two-time selection named to the NEWHL Second Team last year, Abbott has recorded a 22-2 overall record while registering a perfect 16-0 mark during the conference schedule. She currently leads the conference in goals against average (0.70), save percentage (.959) and winning percentage (.923), while her 401 saves ranks second.
During the 16-game NEWHL schedule, Abbott was credited for all 16 victories for the Cardinals while allowing just six total goals. She boasted a 0.41 goals against average and a .973 save percentage.
Plattsburgh dominated the All-NEWHL First Team, landing a total of five players on the squad, including all three forward positions.
Senior Courtney Moriarty (Estero, FL/Northfield Mount Hermon), sophomore Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, PA/Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) and senior Mackenzie Millen (Anchorage, AK/Alaska North American Hockey Academy) were named First Team Forwards, while junior Hannah Kiraly (Glendale, AZ/Northern Cyclones) collected a First Team Defense for the second straight season.
Sophomore Erin McCardle (Macomb, MI/Belle Tire) was named to the Second Team Defense for the Cardinals.
Katonka currently leads the NEWHL in scoring with 45 points on 27 goals and 18 assists. She is first in goals, fourth in assists, and is tied for second in the plus/minus rating with a +30 mark.
Moriarty, a repeat All-NEWHL First Team member, is second in the conference in scoring with 34 points on 15 goals and 19 assists. She is tied for second in total assists and in goals scored, while her +29 plus/minus rating has her tied for fourth in the league.
In earning her first All-Conference accolades, Millen has been the quintessential setup player as she leads the NEWHL in assists with 22, and tops the conference in plus/minus rating with a +34. She is third in scoring with 31 points and tied for 10th in the league with nine goals.
A native of the Southwest Desert, Kiraly earned her second straight All-NEWHL First Team award on defense by registering a +29 in the plus/minus rating – tying for the fourth-best mark in the conference. She contributed 19 points on three goals and 16 assists so far in 2018-19, listing her tied for fifth in the league in helpers.
McCardle claimed a Second Team Defense slot after producing a +27 in the plus/minus rating for the Cardinals. She is presently tied for eighth in the conference in the category and has totaled 21 points on a pair of goals and 19 assists. She is third in the league in helpers.
Gawronski was one of two Buffalo State representative on the All-NEWHL Team after claiming the Co-Goalkeeper of the Year award. She was named Co-First Team Goalkeeper after compiling deceiving numbers for the Bengals this season.
The sophomore netminder posted a 7-16-2 overall mark with a 4-11-1 record in conference games; however, she played more than 1500 minutes in net and recorded an astonishing conference-leading 838 saves – more than double of the next closest NEWHL goalkeeper (Abbott – 401).
Gawronski also posted a 3.07 overall goals against mark (3.06 in conference play) and had a .916 save percentage (.921 NEWHL mark).
Senior Emma Ruggiero (Amherst, NY /Sacred Heart/Buffalo Regals) earned All-NEWHL Second Team honors for the Bengals. She produced 24 points on 14 goals and 10 assists this season and is tied for fourth in the conference in both scoring and goals scored. She also is tied for 10th in assists.
Oswego boasted a pair of Second Team selections on defense with junior Kate Randazzo (Ancaster, Ontario, Canada/Burlington Barracudas) and sophomore Philomena Teggart (Pickering, Ontario, Canada/Durham West Junior Lightning). Randazzo was a First Team choice in 2018.
Randazzo contributed 10 points on two goals and eight assists this season with a +5 rating, while Teggart had nine points on three goals and six assists with a +1 mark.
Potsdam senior Rylie Murray (Berkley, MI/Honeybaked) claimed First Team Defense honors for the Bears, while junior Miranda Kolb (Watertown, NY) was named a Second Team Forward for the second consecutive season.
Murray contributed 12 points this season on three goals and nine assists. Kolb, who earned Second Team accolades for Cortland in 2018, amassed 14 points on eight goals and six assists. She is tied for 18th in scoring and is 13th in goals in the NEWHL.
Cortland sophomore Grace Schnorr (Camillus/Little Caesars U19AAA) was the lone Red Dragon on the All-NEWHL squad after earning Second Team Forward accolades. She has amassed 24 points on 15 goals and nine assists, tying her for fourth in the league in scoring. She also is tied for second in goals scored and 13th in handing out assists.
Schnorr is leading the Red Dragons to their first appearance in the NEWHL Championship game on Saturday at Plattsburgh.
NEWHL All-Conference First Team
- F Annie Katonka (Plattsburgh)
- F Mackenzie Millen (Plattsburgh)
- F Courtney Moriarty (Plattsburgh)
- D Hannah Kiraly (Plattsburgh)
- D Rylie Murray (Potsdam)
- G Kassi Abbott (Plattsburgh State)
- G Bri Gawronski (Buffalo State)
NEWHL All-Conference Second Team
- F Miranda Kolb (Potsdam)
- F Emma Ruggiero (Buffalo State)
- F Grace Schnorr (Cortland)
- D Erin McArdle (Plattsburgh)
- D Kate Randazzo (Oswego)
- D Philomena Teggart (Oswego)