PLATTSBURGH N.Y. – The top-seeded and second-ranked Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team starts its journey toward trying to win the 2023 Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) title on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 3 p.m. at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena, as the Cardinals host SUNY Canton in the NEWHL Tournament semifinal round.
TICKET PRICING: Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-12 and free for children ages 4 and under and for current students from NEWHL schools with valid college issued identification. There are no refunds or exchanges for NEWHL postseason tickets. All seating is general admission.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The first-ever matchup between the Kangaroos and the Cardinals came on Dec. 16, 2019, with the Cardinals earning a 5-1 victory. Plattsburgh State is 9-0-0 all-time against Canton and holds a 3-0-0 record against the Kangaroos during the 2022-23 season. The Cardinals won 1-0 at home on Jan. 20, prevailed 5-2 at Canton on Jan. 27 and secured the sweep at home with a 4-1 victory on Feb. 11.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State (23-2-0, 17-1-0 NEWHL) is seeking its fifth straight NEWHL championship and its 10th straight conference championship overall. The Cardinals have also won seven NCAA Division III national championships, including five of the last seven, and has advanced to the national semifinals for nine straight seasons. The Cardinals enter Saturday's game on a 15-game winning streak.
Plattsburgh State is currently ranked No. 2 in the USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-15 Poll. The Cardinals average 4.08 goals per game and currently have four of the five leading scorers in the NEWHL. Plattsburgh State also manages to hold its opponents to only 1.2 goals per game.
Graduate student forward Sara Krauseneck (Saginaw Mich./Northern Cyclones) leads the team in points and goals. Krauseneck has 17 goals and 19 assists in 25 games played. Four other players from Plattsburgh State also join Krauseneck with 10 or more goals on the season; those players include: senior forward Julia Masotta (Tewksbury, Mass./Norwich University) with 14, sophomore forward Mae Olshansky (Wilmette, Ill./North American Hockey Academy) with 14, junior forward Ivy Boric (Newport Beach, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) with 13 and senior forward Nicole Unsworth (Milwaukee, Wis./East Coast Wizards) with 13 as well. Unsworth and Boric also have more than 100 points to their credit for their careers with 121 and 105, respectively.
Krauseneck enters the game with 133 career points, including 36 this season for the Cardinals. Masotta and Olshansky both have 13 assists to go with their 14 goals as well on the season. Plattsburgh State defense is led by seniors Sierra Benjamin (Palm Coast, Fla./Northwood School) and Kendall Wasik (Novi, Mich./HoneyBaked). Benjamin leads the NEWHL this season in assists with 22, while Wasik has 16.
In goal, Plattsburgh State is led by graduate student goaltender Ashley Davis (Winterville, N.C./Northwood School) and senior goaltender Lilla Nease (Lake Forest, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks). Davis owns a 0.65 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage so far this season, while Nease has fashioned a 1.36 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage.
As a team, Plattsburgh State leads the NEWHL and ranks second in NCAA Division III in power-play percentage (.330) in addition to leading the league in penalty-kill percentage (.903).
Head coach Kevin Houle holds a 472-56-26 record in his 20 years with the Cardinals.
ABOUT THE KANGAROOS: Canton (14-9-0, 8-9-1 NEWHL) is making its first NEWHL Tournament appearance. The Kangaroos are led offensively by first-year forward Danika Lalonde, who has 23 points on 10 goals and 13 assists so far this season. Iida Laitinen ranks second on the team in scoring with 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists. The Kangaroos are protected by senior goaltender Sirena Alvarez, who has posted a .922 save percentage on 605 total saves during the 2022-23 season (second in the NEWHL). As a team, Canton ranks fourth in the NEWHL in power-play percentage (.162) and fifth in the league in penalty kill percentage (.819). Head coach Kalie Grant has led Canton to a 14-9-2 record during her first season behind the bench.
WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of this game will face either No. 2 seed SUNY Cortland or No. 3 seed Oswego State in the NEWHL Tournament championship game on Saturday, March 4, at the site of the highest-remaining seed. The winner of the NEWHL championship receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.