Plattsburgh finishes 202223 as national semifinalists

BY COLLIN BOLEBRUCH Sports Editor

After extending its NEWHL championship streak and taking down the reigning national champions in the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals, the Plattsburgh Cardinals women’s hockey team returned from Amherst, Massachusettes last weekend with its second consecutive finish as national semifinalists.

The Cards fell 2-3 in five periods to the Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties from St. Peter, Minnesota.

The game was a rematch of last year’s semifinal game, when Plattsburgh lost 1-5 to Gustavus Adolphus.

“We just had to match their intensity. We talked about that all week. We know they’re a good team, a physical team. We knew we had to stand up to that, and I thought we did from the drop of the puck,” Head Coach Kevin Houle said. “The girls executed, [it was] a great game. There was nothing else that could have been done.”

This year, the Gusties advanced to the NCAA Championship and beat the Amherst Mammoths

2-1 in triple overtime.

Forwards Julia Masotta and Ivy Boric scored goals, assisted by forward Sara Krauseneck and defenseman Kendall Wasik. Boric, Masotta and Krauseneck all recorded a plus minus of plus-two and Wasik had seven blocks.

In almost 90 minutes, goalie Ashley Davis tallied a career-high 44 saves, good for the second-most for a Cardinal in a single game ever.

Gustavus Adolphus succeeded on one of four power play opportunities and Plattsburgh failed to capitalize on its two.

Masotta got the first score of the game at the 3:31 mark after receiving a Krauseneck pass on the left, putting the puck in from the circle. Seven minutes later, the Golden Gusties responded with a missed shot followed by a rebound that snuck past Davis.

Boric scored the lone goal of the second period. Wasik blocked a Gustavus Adolphus shot and deflected the puck to Boric, who put it in on the right side.

Coming off an 11-9 win thanks to a late comeback last week in their first home game of the season against SUNY Canton, Emma McLaughlin said the team played very well working together and came together at the right time to seal the victory. McLaughlin also stated the team must continue to maximize their effort and work as a team on attack in order to keep being successful.

After scoring a team high five goals in the epic victory, Lindsay Guzzetta said the win against Canton was great for the team’s confidence, but there is always room to improve on the little aspects of the game that will tighten their performances overall.

The women’s team took a tough 5-18 loss this week to Union College. Guzzetta set a program career record in goals scored with 59 and draw controls with 89 in the loss to Union. Head Coach

Kelly Wall spoke briefly about how important mental toughness is when it comes to these games and how important it is to be able to work through adversity in game situations, stating that the loss to Union was “a bit frustrating, but every game is a learning curve”.

Wall also said physicality will be a focal point for the team heading into their conference season, admitting that Union is a tough team and that is why they were scheduled for a non conference matchup to show the team the level of play that they are preparing for.

The men’s team has hit a skid as of late, losing its last four games, including a tough 4-16 loss to Hartwick College. However, behind Head Coach Darry Thornton, the team is never lacking in confidence and dedication.

Logan Jones, who scored the team’s first goal, said although this was a tough loss, the team is going to keep the same mindset every game win or lose and continue to practice hard and not panic.

Jones said the offense from their new coach is going to take some time, but he believes everything will come together. John Eiseman, his teammate, said the team came out hot and has to do a better job not slowing down and making sure to apply that extra ten percent of effort and execution on both sides of the field.