#3 Cortland State Red Dragons @ #1 Plattsburgh State Cardinals March 5th 2022

NEWHL Women's Hockey Championship
2022 NEWHL Hockey Champions
Photo By: 
Nate Lepage

The Plattsburgh State Women’s Ice Hockey Team poses with the NEWHL championship trophy. The Plattsburgh State Women’s Hockey Team earned its ninth consecutive conference championship Saturday with a 4-3 overtime victory over SUNY Cortland in the New England Women’s Hockey League final.

The Cardinals found themselves on the back foot early, as the Red Dragons scored with the very first shot of the contest. Junior forward Dany Donegan was credited with the goal after getting a redirection on a shot from junior defenseman Molly McCabe at the 3:11 mark of the first period.

Plattsburgh pressed for much of the period, but the Cortland defense restricted the Cardinals to 7 shots on goal in the opening period, recording 6 shots themselves.

The Cardinals got the break they needed at the 4:11 mark of the second period when senior forward Sara Krauseneck took a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle that deflected off a defenseman’s stick and found its way into the goal just behind the far post. Graduate student Annie Katonka and senior defenseman Emma Killeen recorded assists on the tying goal.

The Red Dragons pulled out in front again in the middle of the second period, as freshman forward Destiny Bautista put the puck high glove side with assists credited to fellow freshmen Gillian Zwolak and Mia Klasnick, but the lead would not last long.

At 15:13 of the second period, Katonka leveled the game at 2-2 as she scored her 32nd goal of the season with a one-timer from the slot off a feed from junior forward Ivy Boric, with a secondary assist credited to freshman defenseman Mattie Norton.

The Cardinals took their first lead of the game at 18:37 of the second as junior forward Tatem Cheney got her stick on the puck in a crowded crease to put it in the net. Assists went to senior forward Taylor Whitney and freshman forward Riley Calhoun.

The Red Dragons drew back level in the third period after the Cardinals were called for the only penalty of the entire game. Graduate student Erin McArdle was called for the slash to deny a near breakaway, and senior forward Grace Schnorr made Plattsburgh pay with a blast from the right point that found the back of the net.

The level at three goals each, the teams went to the locker room to prepare for the overtime period.

The extra frame was short, though, as sophomore forward Mae Olshansky made a pass in the neutral zone that sent senior forward Nicole Unsworth in alone on goal in the first minute. As Unsworth skated in close, passing from left to right at the top of the crease, she managed to evade the poke check from NEWHL goaltender of the year Molly Goergen and slip the puck into the net on the blocker side to seal the win for the Cardinals.

Goergen made 32 saves in the loss for Cortland, while Plattsburgh’s Chloe Beaubien recorded 23 saves and the win.

With the win, the Cardinals earned an automatic qualification for the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey tournament, in which they will host Colby College at 3 p.m. on March 12th.

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