The Plattsburgh State Cardinals celebrate winning the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Hockey Classic at Norwich University’s Kreitzberg Arena, their sixth title in the 11-year history of the tournament. For the sixth time in the 11-year history of the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic, the Cardinals of Plattsburgh State lifted the championship plaque at Norwich University’s Kreitzberg Arena, with a 2-1 win over the host Cadets.
The Cardinals came out strong in the first period, but the Cadets were able to answer that intensity, as Plattsburgh led shots in the opening period 12-7. The opening goal of the game, though, would come on an individual effort from Plattsburgh sophomore forward Mae Olshansky.
As Norwich looked to clear their defensive zone, Olshansky intercepted the breakout pass. Despite falling on the play, Olshansky was able to elevate the puck with a backhanded shot from her knees to beat Norwich senior goaltender Alexa Berg.
Norwich brought more fights to the second period, leading shots in the back-and-forth frame 12-10. The Cadets tied the game at 7:30 of the second period as junior forward Mikah Baptiste sent the puck low through heavy traffic to beat Plattsburgh junior goaltender Chloe Beaubien.
The Cardinals regained their lead before the second intermission as the rebound off a shot from senior defenseman Sierra Benjamin fell to Olshansky, who passed to graduate student forward Kaitlin Drew-Mead at the backdoor for the tap-in goal.
Drew-Mead’s tally proved to be the game-winner, as Plattsburgh controlled possession in the third period, leading shots 17-6.
Beaubien stopped 24 of the 25 shots she faced for the win in net for Plattsburgh, while Berg tied her career-high 37 saves on 39 shots in the loss.
As Plattsburgh celebrated its sixth championship in their nine years competing in this tournament, Plattsburgh forwards Annie Katonka and Olshanksy joined Elmira’s Morgan Mordini, Adrian’s Jocelin Hudanish, and Norwich's Morgan Tefft and Berg on the All-Tournament Team. Beaubien was named tournament MVP, record two wins, and stopped 53 of the 55 shots she faced on the weekend.
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Elmira freshman goaltender Leonie-Louise Kuehberger makes a diving glove save to rob Adrian senior forward Jessica VonRuden of a goal in front a wide-open net in the final minute of the first period of the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic’s consolation game at Norwich’s Kreitzberg Arena. The consolation game of the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic at Norwich University’s Kreitzberg Arena went to overtime for the third consecutive iteration of the tournament, with the Elmira College Soaring Eagles sharing third place once again, this time after a 2-2 tie with the Bulldogs of Adrian College.
Elmira opened the scoring late in the first period with a shot from the blue line by sophomore defenseman Madi Morton on the powerplay after Morton exchanged the puck several times with Senior forward Mary McCafferty several times to shift the defense.
In the final seconds of the first period, Adrian senior forward Jessica VanRuden took a shot as the puck fell to her in front of a wide-open net at the back door, only to be robbed with a diving glove save from Elmira freshman goaltender Leonie-Louise Kuehberger.
Despite Adrian’s 13-4 lead in shots on net in the opening frame, Morton’s tally gave the Soaring Eagles the 1-0 lead at the first intermission.
With Elmira’s Sabrina Shvartsman already in the penalty box for a tripping call late in the first period, a tripping penalty by Jenny Heath in the first minute of the second period gave the Bulldogs a 5-on-3 advantage. Adrian took advantage of the penalties, as a pass by sophomore defenseman Jocelin Hudanish deflected off an Elmira skate into the net for the tying goal.
Despite long spells of offensive pressure from the Bulldogs in the second period, the Soaring Eagles retook their lead at the midpoint of the game with a goal by senior forward Morgan Mordini and once again carried the one-goal advantage into the locker room.
Early in the third period, Adrian once again took full advantage of a powerplay opportunity, as an Elmira defenseman dispossessed a driving Maya Roy, only to have the puck fall to the stick of sophomore forward Karmen Anderson, who sent the puck high glove-side for the game-tying goal.
The two sides exchanged scoring opportunities throughout the 3-on-3 overtime period, but neither side could breakthrough for the victory.
The best opportunity of the extra period came in the final minute, as an ill-timed line change left Adrian exposed. The Soaring Eagles skated in 2-on-0, but Adrian’s junior goaltender Sophie Goldberg was able to kick the right pad out in time to deny the goal.
Kuehberger made 35 saves on Adrian’s 37 shots, while Goldberg stopped 30 of Elmira’s 32.
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Elmira goaltender Leonie-Louise Kuehberger prepares as Plattsburgh graduate student Annie Katonka skates in alone for the shorthanded go-ahead goal late in the third period in the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic at Norwich’s Kreitzberg Arena. Plattsburgh State graduate student Annie Katonka stole the show with a hat trick in her return from injury as the Cardinals earned their revenge win, 4-3 over Elmira College in the first round of the Northfield Savings Bank East/West Classic at Norwich University’s Kreitzberg Arena.
Plattsburgh started strong early in the first period, sending a flurry of shots toward Elmira’s freshman goaltender Leonie-Louise Kuehberger, but it was the Soaring Eagles who broke through first, as junior forward Holley Riva found the back of the net near the midpoint of the period.
The opening goal started a frantic sequence in which the teams combined for three goals in just 1:19 of game time. Plattsburgh defenseman Kendall Wasik leveled the score with a snipe from the point before Elmira captain Eliza Beaudin broke forward to regain the lead.
Having given up two goals on five shots, Plattsburgh goaltender Ashley Davis - who had struggled in games against Endicott and Elmira two weeks ago - was done for the evening, as coach Kevin Houle opted instead for junior goaltender Chloe Beaubien.
A powerplay late in the first period helped the Cardinals tie the game before the intermission, as Katonka took advantage of a scramble in front of the Elmira goal to put the puck home.
The Soaring Eagles once again took the lead at 3:10 of the third period with Beaudin’s second goal of the night, but an Elmira penalty for too many players on the ice gave Katonka the chance to once again tie the game on the power play.
Elmira had an opportunity to retake the lead after the midpoint of the period, as two Plattsburgh penalties gave them a full minute of the 5-on-3 powerplay, but the Cardinals’ penalty kill stood strong.
Another Plattsburgh penalty late in the third period gave the Soaring Eagles one more hope of avoiding overtime, but it backfired.
Shortly after a shorthanded breakaway by graduate student Kaitlin Drew-Mead was cut short by Elmira’s Madi Morton, Kantonka created some magic of her own. Katonka stole the puck from the stick of senior defenseman Jenny Heath at the Elmira blue line and skated in alone to beat Kuehberger.
The shorthanded tally completed the hat trick for Katonka, in her first game back after suffering a leg injury two weeks ago against Endicott.
Beaubien earned the win with 29 saves on the 30 shots she faced after replacing Davis, while Kuehberger’s 34 saves on 38 was not enough to avoid the loss.
Plattsburgh advanced to Sunday’s East/West Classic final against host Norwich University, while Elmira moved on to the consolation game against Adrian College. Gallery.

Adrian junior forward Une Bjelland rips a shot on the net toward Norwich goaltender Alexa Berg under pressure from senior defenseman Kayla Goleniak in the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic at Norwich’s Kreitzberg Arena. The 2021 Northfield Savings Bank East/West Classic got off to a roaring start with the host Norwich University earning a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Adrian College Saturday at Kreitzberg Arena.
The first period saw the No. 8 Adrian Bulldogs largely control play, outshooting the No. 10 Norwich Cadets 11-4. The Bulldogs opened the scoring early, with a shorthanded goal by sophomore Jocelin Hudanish at the 3:17 mark.
The Cadets came back, though, with a powerplay tally by sophomore Ally Lagrue, who tipped a shot from the point for a goal with four minutes remaining in the period.
While Adrian came out for the second period with the same intensity as the first, it was Norwich who took advantage of their chances.
Senior Morgan Tefft gave the Cadets the lead at 7:36 with a low-angle shot that beat Adrian goaltender Sophie Goldberg before Norwich doubled the lead with a tip from junior Ann-Frederique Guay. The goal was the Cadets’ third tally on just their sixth shot on the net.
Despite the Bulldogs’ early control of possession, the two-goal lead for the hosts changed the complexion of the contest, and the Cadets began to generate more sustained offensive pressure from there.
Adrian reduced the deficit to one goal in the third period, as sophomore Callie Wollschlager found the back of the net on the delayed penalty, but could not convert on the ensuing powerplay to tie the game.
Norwich continued to generate pressure through the third period, and Adrian struggled to find an opportunity to pull Goldberg from the net, but when they did get the extra attacker on it wasn’t enough.
Junior forward Julia Masotta sealed the Cadets’ victory with an empty-net goal at 19:16 of the third period, advancing Norwich to the East/ West Classic Championship Sunday against the defending champion Plattsburgh State. Adrian moved on to the consolation game against Elmira College.
Goldberg made 16 saves on 20 shots in the loss for Adrian, while Norwich goaltender Alexa Berg stopped 26 of 28 shots for the win.
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The Middlebury Panthers have crowned the 2021 Cardinal/Panther Classic champions. It would be the finals of the 2021 Cardinal/Panther Classic and it would be a battle of top ten teams as the #2 Middlebury Panthers and the #9 Endicott Gulls would faceoff. It would be a matchup of two evenly matched teams as it would take till the start of the second period for the opening goal of the game from the Gulls just 17 seconds into the period from Quin Healy. That is where the game would stay till the 1:09 mark of the third period when the Panthers would get an equalizer from Cat Appleyard. The Panthers would stay on the gas and take the 2-1 lead on the Madie Ledt goal at the 10:01 mark and that is where the game would finish. In the winning effort, the Panthers go to 5-0 and be crowned the 2021 Cardinal/Panther Classic Champion while the Endicott Gulls fall to 7-2 on the season. Gallery.

Elmira's Eliza Beaudin (25) with the game-winner in overtime over the shoulder and just under the bar for the score. It would be a battle of top 5 and former conference foes in the third-place game of the Cardinal/Panther Classic as the #1 Plattsburgh State Cardinals host the #5 Elmira Soaring Eagles. It would take to almost the end of the first period before we had our first goal when the Cardinals would light the lamp with 1:08 left on the Lilly Stumm goal. In an odd turn of events, the Soaring Eagles would answer back quickly just 1:08 into the second period on the Mary McCafferty goal to tie the game at one. The Cardinals would keep the hammer down and get the lead back with 4:48 left in the period on the Ivy Boric powerplay goal to make it a 2-1 Cardinals leads. Although their lead would be short-lived again as the Soaring Eagles tie the game at two with 1:05 left on the Holly Riva goal. The Soaring Eagles would get a quick hitter on the shorthand just 1:10 into the period on Mary McCafferty's shorthanded goal and second of the night to make it 3-2 Eagles. Although the Cardinals would keep up the fight and tie the game at three on the Nicole Unsworth goal at 7:54 of the third period. The game would remain tied and the teams would head to the overtime period and in the overtime, Eliza Beaudin would send the Cardinal faithful home unhappy as she would score with 1:49 left and give the Elmira Soaring Eagles the 4-3. In the winning effort, the Soaring Eagles go to 8-1 while the Plattsburgh State Cardinals fall to 6-2 on the season. Gallery.

The Middlebury Panthers on the scramble play in front of the night for the goal. It would be the second semi-finals game of the Cardinal/Panther Classic and would feature a battle of top 5 teams as the #2 Middlebury Panthers would faceoff with longtime foe the #5 Elmira Soaring Eagles. It would be a matchup between a couple of very evenly matched foes as all the scoring would come in the second period of the game. The Eagles would get the opening goal of the game at the 9:37 mark of the period on the powerplay from Mary McCafferty. Although the Panthers would have an answer coming as they would score at the 15:56 mark on the Kylie Quinlan goal to make it 1-1. Forty seconds later the Panthers would get the lead on the Madie Ledt goal for the 2-1 lead. From there the defenses would step up on both sides and the Panthers would hold on for the 2-1 victory. In the winning effort, the Panthers go to 4-0 on the season as Sophia Meragaes would make 29 saves and head to the finals against the Endicott Gulls. While the Soaring Eagles suffer their first loss of the season behind a 32 save night by Leonie Kuehberger. Gallery.

Endicott's Samantha Fantasia (19) puts the puck in the back of the net for the breakaway game-winner in overtime. It would be the opening of the Cardinal/Panther Classic as the #1 Plattsburgh State Cardinals would play host to the #9 Endicott Gulls, The game would start off good for the home Cardinals as they would get the opening goal of the game at the 10:59 mark of the first period from Emma Killeen for the 1-0 lead. Although the Gulls would have answered back about 90 seconds later as Quin Healy would tie the game up at 1. That is where the game would stay till the 9:28 mark of the second period when the Cardinals would regain the lead at 2-1 on the Sierra Benjamin goal at the 9:28 mark of the second period. Just 40 seconds later the Cardinals would strike again to take the two-goal lead on the Sara Krauseneck goal. Although that would not keep the Gulls from fighting back at they would answer back three minutes later on the powerplay on the Kaylee Liberty goal to make it 3-2. The Gulls would keep fighting and eventually get the equalizer halfway through the third period on Quin Healy's second goal of the night to make it 3-3. That is where the game would stay as they enter the overtime period until Samatha Fantasia would come down on the breakaway and score for the Gulls with 35 seconds left and get the 4-3 Gulls win and ending the Cardinals 44 game home winning streak. In the losing, effort Ashley Davis would make 14 saves as the Cardinals fall to 6-1 on the season. As the Gulls Michaela O'Brien would make 56 saves as they advance to the finals of the Cardinal/Panther Classic and get the winner of the Middlebury and Elmira game. Gallery.

Plattsburgh State's Annie Katonka (47) with the backhander just outside the crease for one of her two goals on the night. It would be the second game of a weekend doubleheader for the #1 Plattsburgh State Cardinals as they were hosting the Morrisville State Mustangs in NEWHL action. The Cardinals would waste little time getting on the board 49 seconds into the game on a backhander from Annie Katonka for the 1-0 lead. The Cardinals would expand their lead to 2-0 on a powerplay goal by Kaitlin Drew-Mead at the 7:58 mark of the period. That might be where the scoring stopped in the first period but the Cardinals would explode for four goals in the second period from Mattie Norton, Tatem Cheney, Nicole Unsworth, and Mae Olshansky and take a huge 6-0 lead into the third period. In the third period the Cardinals would not let off the gas as they would score three more times this time from Sara Krausneck, Annie Katonka (2nd of the night), and Mae Olshansky (second of the night) and they would secure the 9-0 win. In the winning effort, Lilla Nease would make 20 saves for their first career shutout as the Cardinals would go to 5-0 on the season. Next, up for the Cardinals, they will be hosting the Cardinal/Panther Classic over the Thanksgiving weekend along with Middlebury, Endicott, and Elmira. Gallery.