PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The second-ranked and top-seeded Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team cruised to its fifth consecutive Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) championship game appearance, as the Cardinals defeated fourth-seeded SUNY Canton, 7-1, in the NEWHL Tournament semifinals on Saturday afternoon at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. With the victory, the Cardinals extended their winning streak to 16 games.
 
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 2 in the DCU/USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-15 Poll.
 
The Cardinals finished with a 66-18 edge in shots on goal, while the Kangaroos were 1-for-3 on the power play. Plattsburgh State was scoreless on four opportunities with the extra skater, which included a five-minute major.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 24-2-0 overall with the win and hosts second-seeded SUNY Cortland in the NEWHL Tournament championship game on Saturday, March 4, at 3 p.m. The Red Dragons accounted for the Cardinals' last loss, which was a 1-0 setback back on Dec. 2. Canton finishes its season at 14-10-2 overall.
 
Junior forward Mae Olshansky (Wilmette, Ill./North American Hockey Academy) put the Cardinals on the board 4:47 into the game. Junior forward Ciara Wall (Stoneham, Mass./University of New Hampshire) chipped a pass along the left corner boards to graduate student forward Nicole Unsworth (Milwaukee, Wis./East Coast Wizards), and Unsworth backhanded a pass into the slot. The puck hit a skate before Olshansky banged it in on the doorstep.
 
Graduate student forward Sara Krauseneck (Saginaw, Mich./Northern Cyclones) tallied with 11:41 gone in the first to double the score. First-year defenseman Aizah Thompson (Williamsville, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) passed down low to senior forward Julia Masotta (Tewksbury, Mass./Norwich University) from the left point, and Masotta fed Krauseneck with a pass in the slot. Krauseneck then wristed a shot through the five-hole for her team-leading 18th goal of the season.
 
Just 53 seconds later, graduate student forward Holly Schmelzer (East Amherst, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles) made it a 3-0 game. Sophomore forward Lily Stumm (Cranberry Township, Pa./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) passed back to senior defenseman Sierra Benjamin (Palm Coast, Fla./Northwood School) from the neutral zone, and Benjamin sprung Schmelzer ahead with a stretch pass. Schmelzer skated into the inside edge of the left circle before scoring high glove side.
 
With 12:05 elapsed in the second period, Stumm added another goal to the Cardinals' cause. Sophomore forward Riley Calhoun (New Hartford, N.Y./Bishop Kearney Selects) passed to first-year forward Emma McLean (Burlington, Mass./Pomfret School) along the back wall, and McLean sent a pass to Stumm out in front. Stumm's one-time shot was denied before she buried her own rebound.
 
Canton scored on the power play with 14:48 gone in the second to break up the shutout bid, as first-year defenseman Mathilde Couture scored high glove side from the right circle on a one-time shot that came off a feed from junior forward Iida Laitinen. First-year forward Jayme McIlveen also earned an assist on the goal.
 
First-year defenseman Su-An Cho (Madison, Ala./Florida Alliance) scored her first collegiate goal with 1:28 left in the second. Canton tried to clear the zone, but Cho intercepted the bank pass off the boards on the left point. She skated into the left circle before scoring bar down.
 
Benjamin added further insurance to Plattsburgh State's cause at 7:42 of the third. Wall sent a puck back to the neutral zone, and Benjamin collected it at the red line. She used her speed to gain the zone on the left wing and dragged the puck across the crease before scoring low glove side. Cho also earned an assist on the score.
 
Sophomore forward Bridget Orr (Excelsior, Minn./North American Hockey Academy) buried the final goal of the game with 13:50 gone in the third. Calhoun touched the puck after a defensive-zone face-off win along the left boards, and after a battle for possession, first-year forward Grace Yarkosky (South Lyon, Mich./HoneyBaked) helped break the Cardinals into a 2-on-1 rush. She centered a pass over to Orr, and Orr scored over the goalie's blocker.
 
Graduate student goaltender Ashley Davis (Winterville, N.C./Northwood School) made 17 saves in the win for Plattsburgh State, while senior goaltender Sirena Alvarez turned aside 59 shots in the loss for Canton.