Courtesy Plattsburgh Sports Information
PLATTSBURGH – The top-ranked Plattsburgh State women’s ice hockey team pumped in three third-period goals to pull away for a 4-0 win against No. 7 Middlebury College in a non-conference game at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena on Wednesday. Plattsburgh State moves to 20-1 on the season, while Middlebury goes to 12-6-2. Plattsburgh State’s and Middlebury’s rankings are according to the latest U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III national poll.
Plattsburgh State seniors Jordan Lipson (Davis, Calif./Pomfret School) and Katelyn Turk (Mississauga, Ontario/Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins) and freshmen Meghan Kraus (Fort Lewis, Wash./Northern Cyclones) and Sarah Wolf (Fairport, N.Y./Boston Shamrocks Elite U-19) all scored. Senior Melissa Ames (Rochester, N.Y./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U-19) and sophomores Muna Fadel (Belle River, Ontario/Southwest Jr. Wildcats) and Karen Hudson (Sykesville, Md./Washington Pride) each assisted. Sophomore Ashley Songin (Springville, N.Y./Nichols School) was 10-of-13 on faceoffs and seniorCamille Leonard (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Jr. Hornets) logged a 17-save shutout for her fourth clean sheet of the season.
Leonard notched her 67th career win and her 27th career shutout. She needs just two victories to tie Sydney Aveson ’14 for the program’s career mark.
Middlebury junior Elizabeth Wulf was 12-of-20 on faceoffs and classmate Julia Neuberger stopped 32 shots.
The teams skated to a scoreless tie during a combined 14-shot first period. Middlebury, which had three power-play chances in the opening stanza, was unable to register a shot on net with the player advantage. Kraus had the hosts’ best chance at 11:25 when her close-in quick shot on the left post was stuffed by Neuberger’s right pad. Middlebury senior Kelly Sherman then scooted up ice on a short breakaway but her wrister was swatted away by Leonard. Leonard then kicked away junior Maddie Winslow’s bid just before the break.
The Cardinals registered the game’s first goal during a 16-shot second period. Turk potted the game’s opening goal at 16:00 when her shot sneaked through Neuberger’s legs before caroming off of a Panther defender’s skate and into the net. Plattsburgh State senior Julia Duquette (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons U-19) saw her shot with 2:01 left flutter through traffic but Neuberger punched away the bid. Middlebury’s best chance in the period came at 3:10 when an errant Cardinal defensive-zone pass into the front of the net went to Panther freshman Lizzie Sheline, who corralled the loose puck before snapping a shot into Leonard’s chest.
Plattsburgh State opened the third period by killing off a 5-on-3, allowing just two shots in the process. The Cardinals then churned out three goals in a 4:08 span on the back side of the final stanza. Lipson potted an unassisted tally at 12:58 when her left circle shot clanged off of the left post and in. Wolf scored 2:21 later when she took Fadel’s end board pass and flicked home the puck to the right side. Kraus rounded out the scoring at 17:06 when she picked off a pass in the neutral zone before skating in on a breakaway and backhanding a shot into the left side. Middlebury got one final power-play chance in the last minute, but could not muster any shots.
Plattsburgh State closes its regular-season home slate with two games against No. 4 Elmira College, beginning with a Saturday 3 p.m. contest. The Cardinals and Soaring Eagles are tied for first in the ECAC Women’s West standings.