Cardinals migrate south for spring

BY MIKAI BRUCE Sports Writer

This past week, both the baseball and softball teams at SUNY Plattsburgh traveled to South Carolina to participate in a week-long slate of games. Each team had differing levels of success on their trips, but both succeeded when it came to team chemistry.

Softball had a positive trip on the field, going 4-2 during their time at the Ripken Experience tournament, and it boosted morale and team chemistry.

“This trip was worthwhile because it was a learning experience and a good start to the season. It was also positive because we won the majority of our games. I think that it brought the team closer together by spending so much time together,” senior pitcher Kristina Maggiacomo wrote in a text.

Road trips force a team to spend plenty of time together and the time spent at the tournament can help build friendships, which in turn can improve the cohesiveness of the team. Winning also boosts morale. For softball to get off to such a hot start to their season, it bodes well for its future.

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The baseball team didn’t do as well as the softball team during the Ripken Experience tournament, recording a record of 3-5 on their trip, but there were still plenty of positives from their trip.

“Besides being on the field, we were around each other 24/7, which definitely increased our chemistry as a whole. Not only was the trip beneficial towards physically prepping us, but it definitely made our team bond much stronger,” graduate student pitcher Sean Malamud said.

The baseball team found itself improving its chemistry as a result of this trip. Having a bonding experience like this makes the trying times of the season easier to handle.

The goal, however, is to win and this team, including their coach, set high expectations for themselves.

“Overall disappointing trip. Played good in spurts. Veit had a great pitching performance vs Worcester State. Nick Cergol played well including hitting a walk off homer vs Albertus Magnus,” Head Coach Sam Quinn-Loeb said.

Disappointment can be the result of high standards and the standard

“It was quite the battle, we knew it was going to be a dogfight all night long,” Moffat said. “Our team gave it everything they had, we just came up a little bit short.”

Plattsburgh’s first NCAA Championship game in six years was this season’s third matchup with Norwich after splitting the first two games. The tooth-and-nail affair was in the cards, as during the regular season, neither matchup saw more than four combined goals.

WHKY postseason

SCHEDULE

Krauseneck, F 5

Julia Masotta, F 4`

Holly Schmelzer, F 4

PLUS-MINUS #

Julia Masotta, F +7

Sierra Benjamin, D +6

Sara Krauseneck, F +6

SAVE PERCENTAGE #

Ashley Davis, G 0.965

“You have to fight for every inch out there and you have to take advantage of your chances. We didn’t capitalize on a couple that we should have,” Moffat said. “That’s the game. You’re going to get a bounce, you’re going to get a break, you’re going to miss a shot, somebody’s going to make a shot. That’s just what happened tonight. That game seriously could have been played all night.”

The Cardinals first met the Cadets in the FirstLight Shootout Championship at Norwich Nov. 26, 2022. The annual mid-season tournament broke up a stretch of Plattsburgh’s conference games. After beating the Middlebury Panthers in the first round 5-0, the Cardinals beat the Cadets 3-1 in the final.

The shining star of Plattsburgh’s effort was rookie Shiller. In just his third and fourth career collegiate son. Playing 107 games over his Cardinal career, Araujo rose to the status of leader in the locker room, inevitably being named captain before this season.

Quinn-Loeb has for this team is high because of its postseason trip last season.

“We had our up and downs in the tournament but we definitely came together as a team and came back to Plattsburgh as a much better team,” junior pitcher Tyler Kohn said.

Both teams had some highs on the field. The softball team won their game against University of Maine-Farmington March 15 with a staggering final score of 16-3, which included five players scoring multiple runs. The baseball team beat Albertus Magnus 8-7 in crunch time thanks to a clutch walk-off home run from Nick Cergol.

The baseball team’s season continues this weekend with three games against SUNY Oneonta, while the softball team’s season continues March 29 in Saratoga against Skidmore College. The baseball team will look to bounce back from its performance last week for conference play and the softball team will look to ride the momentum it built during its road trip.

“Ever since my freshman year, this has been what we’ve been trying to build. It’s nice to see it all the way through,” Araujo said. “Me and Mitch[ell Hale] and a couple of the older guys have done a good job leaving our mark for these guys, so they can pick right up where we left off next year.” starts, he allowed one goal between both games and an overall 0.971 save percentage. His success wasn’t a fluke— he saw the next three starts, finishing out the first half of the season.

The last two wins of his career were the team’s most important in years. Plattsburgh beat Oswego in the Marano Ice Arena for the first time since 2018 and it happened on the conference’s biggest stage. The Cardinals achieved both its first SUNYAC Championship appearance and win under Moffat this season.

The Cardinals split the responsibility in the net between Shiller and sophomore Jacob Hearne, but Shiller remained the primary goaltender with almost 500 more game minutes than Hearne. Plattsburgh’s goaltending saw a significant boost from last season, going from Anthony Del Tufo’s 0.891 and Hearne’s 0.890 save percentage to Shiller’s 0.946 and Hearne’s 0.920. Shiller’s save percentage and 1.38 goals against average set Plattsburgh single-season records and Hearne was undefeated in nine starts.

Moffat said he found it difficult to tell Hearne he wouldn’t start in the playoffs despite his winning play, but thought it would be better to ride the hot hand and use Shiller, who won six games in the calendar year up to that point. Shiller was awarded SUNYAC Tournament MVP. Plattsburgh’s young goalie duo was crucial to its success, but the road was paved by its upperclassmen.

With the loss to Norwich, Plattsburgh says goodbye to multiple senior players. The veterans’ contributions over years previous and experience in the locker room have helped to lift Plattsburgh out of the middling seasons it experi- enced just before the pandemic.

This year, all three captains were members of the senior class— Matt Araujo, Hale and Ryan Hogg. Other members of the class include Kyle Alaverdy, Jacob Modry, Adam Tretowicz and Brendan Young. Modry was named to the 2022-23 CCM/AHCA All-American third team. All were able to capture the elusive conference championship in their senior seasons.

“Coming in here as a freshman, it’s pretty scary. You don’t really know what to expect, but everyone opens up with open arms,” Hale said. “This group this year is pretty special.”

The win was especially sweet for graduate student Araujo. The defenseman from Long Island is the team’s longest tenured player and the last player remaining to have been coached by former Head Coach Bob Emery. Emery was Plattsburgh’s longest-tenured coach, winning 624 games. Under Emery, the Cardinals won two national championships and 16 SUNYAC titles, but the team recorded just 26 wins over Emery’s last two seasons before his retirement.

Moffat, who was Emery’s assistant coach for 16 seasons, took over as head coach in 2019. In Moffat’s first season, Araujo and the Cardinals had its worst season since 1976-77 going 10-14-3. Plattsburgh has improved its record year-byyear since then.

Araujo graduated in 2022, but used his extra year of eligibility to return to the team for another sea-

RECREATIONAL &

The Lakers have been a thorn in the Cards’ side over recent seasons. The teams matched up three times in the regular season, with Oswego holding a 2-1 edge over Plattsburgh.

Oswego took the win in Plattsburgh’s conference opener 5-1 at home Nov. 4, 2022. The loss was the Cardinals’ first of the season and remained its largest deficit in a loss all year. The Lakers doubled down, beating the Cardinals again in the Comfort Inn Complex Winter Classic by a score of 1-2 in Plattsburgh Jan. 7.

Plattsburgh hosted Oswego Jan. 20 to a different tune. The visiting Lakers were handily beaten, as the Cardinals snatched the 6-1 win. The dominant victory set precedent for Plattsburgh’s SUNYAC Championship

For departing players like Araujo, the championship win will be their favorite game to look back on in retirement. For underclassmen like Shiller, the title will set high expectations for the rest of their careers. A disappointing end to the season doesn’t overshadow what the team accomplished. In 2022-23, the Plattsburgh Cardinals redefined the team and set a bar for success.

“We play a simple game, we play a hard game, we play an effective game and the guys have that chip on their shoulder,” Araujo said. “They’ll be able to start out running next year.”

4-5 p.m.

Tuesday, March 27 & Thursday March 30: Open women's basketball at Memorial Hall

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Six minutes into the third period, Krauseneck was sent to the penalty box for a two-minute tripping penalty. In the Gusties third power play attempt, it was able to put the puck in between the legs of Davis while the Cards were a man down. The score tied the game at 2-2.

In the 86th minute, Golden Gustie first-year Lily Mortenson scored the game-winning goal. A Gustie set the puck up for her in the left circle, and Mortenson took the shot from the center, extending the puck just beyond Davis’ left hand and into the goal.

“I mean, what can you say?

It was an unbelievable game, an unbelievable effort by both teams. I couldn’t be more proud of our team’s effort all year long and certainly tonight,” Houle said. “We gave it everything we had. It came down to the bounce of the puck.”

Plattsburgh’s semifinal appearance was the consequence of three consecutive playoff wins, including two in the SUNYAC Tournament and the preceding NCAA Championship quarterfinal game.

Benjamin credited the team’s depth this season and Krauseneck highlighted the team’s fight all season. For this season’s success, Houle was nominated for the CCM/American Hockey Coaches Association NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Coach of the Year Award.

The Cardinals’ playoff run began Feb. 25 with a dominant 7-1 home win against the Canton Kangaroos and one of the SUNYAC’s best goalies in Sirena Alvarez. The first round victory concluded a four-game season series sweep against the ‘Roos. Plattsburgh displayed its depth versus Canton, as all seven Cardinal goals came from different players.

A week later, March 4, Plattsburgh hosted the Cortland Red Dragons for the second con-

Lax

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Eiseman also said it is important to keep the confidence level up. He is looking forward to the conference games and continuing to battle.

Thornton said getting adjusted and acquainted at Plattsburgh has been great and the support from other coaches and staff has been phenomenal in shaping him to do his job and be a mentor to players. Having head coaching jobs at other colleges such as Marian University in Wisconsin and St. Mary’s College in Newburgh, New York, Thornton says the experience he obtained under his belt helped in his role at Plattsburgh. Overall, Thornton said this is the first institution where he truly sees himself lasting a while.

He wants to make sure he leaves his thumbprint here as he has at his other career stops. Jones said the team chemistry has been much better with the coaching change and Thornton has relied on knowledge of the secutive season in the Cardinals’ tenth straight conference championship win. The Cards’ 2-0 win was thanks in part to Davis, who recorded her first playoff shutout since 2020, also against Cortland.

Winning the SUNYAC punched the Cardinals an automatic ticket to the NCAA Championship. Plattsburgh hosted its third consecutive playoff game March 11 against the Middlebury Panthers, the team that won the national championship last season. The Panthers were a tall task for a quarterfinal game, but the Cardinals weren’t phased, winning 4-2.

Middlebury was undefeated during the 2021-22 season, completing its run hosting and winning the national championship. This year, the Panthers found trouble against topranked opponents during the regular season, finishing with a 17-8-3 record. To advance to the quarterfinal round, Middlebury beat the Suffolk Rams 4-0 at home.

Krauseneck, Boric and forwards Nicole Unsworth and Emma McLean all found the back of the net, with help from forward Holly Schmelzer and Masotta, who had two assists each.

Defensemen Mattie Norton and Taya Balfour both put in good minutes on the ice, logging a plus minus of plus-three. Wasik tallied six blocks and Davis found success in her third consecutive playoff start, saving 28 of 30 shots.

The Cards didn’t hesitate, opening the game with a score in under two minutes. First-year McLean scored the second goal of her collegiate career after Schmelzer found the needle in a haystack, knocking the puck away from a congested right side of the net to forward Riley Calhoun in the slot, who got the puck to McLean on an uncontested left side of the net.

Eight minutes later, the Panthers had a score of its own on the power play. Halfway through the second period, Krauseneck did it herself, steal- ing the puck on the Cardinals side of the ice and took it the distance, dangling the puck in front of Middlebury’s goalie before scoring.

Boric ended the second period with the game-winning goal. Masotta got the puck to Krauseneck, who distributed it to Boric for the sealing score. Middlebury scored again, but an Unsworth open-netter buried the Panthers to strip their title as champions.

Plattsburgh finished its season 26-3 overall and 17-1 in conference games. During this year’s slate of games, the Cardinals beat the No. 9 Norwich Cadets

5-4, the No. 4 and No. 8 Elmira Soaring Eagles 7-0 and 3-2, the No. 15 Oswego Lakers 3-2, the No. 3 Adrian Bulldogs 1-0 and the No. 7 Middlebury Panthers

2-1. In 19 seasons as head coach, Kevin Houle has yet to finish a season with under 20 wins.

The Cardinals’ loss ends an 18-game win streak including the playoffs. During this stretch, the Cards notched three playoff wins, four wins against ranked opponents and 11 of the season’s 17 conference wins.

The streak was sparked by Plattsburgh’s first-ever loss in the NEWHL. Since joining the conference in 2017, the Cardinals hadn’t lost a regular season or postseason game to another NEWHL team. Cortland shut out Plattsburgh 1-0 Dec. 2.

During the Cards’ 18-game stretch, it beat the Red Dragons

3-1 Feb. 3 and again the next day for insurance 2-1. After Cortland beat Oswego 2-1 en route to the NEWHL Championship, Plattsburgh sealed the deal, silenced any doubt and tightened its grip on the conference.

Plattsburgh’s February games against Cortland saw Davis in the net for just the second and her sophomore season, seeing 1119:59 minutes of action and recording a 0.949 save percentage and 0.91 goals against average. She won all 19 of her starts, allowing just 17 goals.

After returning from the team’s canceled season, Davis lost her grip on the starting role. She saw starts in November and most of January, but then-junior Chloe Beaubien got the look as the season progressed. Beaubien started all four of Plattsburgh’s playoff games, but was pulled during the semifinal against Gustavus Adolphus for Davis. Beaubien ended the season with 13 minutes more than Davis in the net.

Davis didn’t play a game during the first half of the 2022-23 season. Senior Lilla Nease saw most of the season’s action, recording 1146:55 minutes. Nease was on a nine-game win streak and allowed 12 goals during that span when her status as top goalie was revoked.

Going forward, into the most important stretch of the season, Davis was the primary goalie. Davis’ first start of the season was a 5-0 shutout against the Potsdam Bears, saving 14 shots.

Davis helped win both Cortland games and then four more conference games, including the NEWHL playoffs, and then an NCAA Championship game.

Davis wasn’t the season’s top goalie, and her 544:36 minutes in the goal was her lowest since her first season, but she got the starts when it mattered the most. Her nine goals allowed in nine games, eight straight wins and three shutouts propelled the Cardinals into the NCAA Championship semifinals. Davis stood on her head against Gustavus Adolphus.

As a graduate student in her fifth year of play, Davis spent her college eligibility and can- ture are captains Krauseneck, Schmelzer and Benjamin, graduate student Unsworth and senior Beaubien.

Krauseneck and Benjamin were both named 2022-23 American Hockey Coaches Association All-Americans to finish their careers.

Benjamin, named to the First Team East finished the year with a plus minus of plus-28, a team-leading 25 assists and 30 points overall. She was fourth in the country in assists per game with 0.96. Her 87 career points are the 4th most in program history for a defenseman.

“We gave it our all,” Benjamin said. “It just didn’t bounce our way.”

Krauseneck, on Second Team East, was the Cardinals’ captain and top-scorer, recording 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 total points. Her eight power play goals were good for third nationally and her eight game-winning goals led the country. Krauseneck’s 138 career points is the 11th most in Cardinals history.

“A lot of emotions, we’re proud of how everyone played,” Krauseneck said. “It’s unfortunate we didn’t come out on top, but I can say we gave it our all.” game of lacrosse offensively and defensively, making an immediate impact for ev eryone on the field. Jones says their goal clears have been better in order to get their offense going and that Thornton makes sure that there are multiples at every position from top to bottom.

The Cardinals, saying goodbye to all three captains and arguably its top two players, now look to its younger players to fill now-open roles. The welloiled machine that is Plattsburgh does not know what an “off year” is. Just as Krauseneck stepped up when Annie Katonka left and Benjamin did the same for Erin McArdle, Plattsburgh will look to its deep roster in an attempt to capture its 11th straight conference title and semifinal appearance.

Thornton said this rough stretch begins with him.

The team, despite the re cord, has done an amazing job buying into the bigger picture of the season and understanding that every thing is going to take time, including learning what it takes to consistently play at a high level against tough competition.

Thornton believes that the team is better than its record and he has to do a better job in preparing, keeping the momentum throughout the game, and adjustments.

Thornton calls his playstyle “60 minutes of hell.”

Thornton said he wants to build that type of relentless energy on the team in order to wear teams down and knows it is a work in progress. At the end of the day, Thornton wants the team to keep steadily im- proving and for everyone to know that it is not at their full potential. Losses such as the one to Hartwick are to be used as a springboard for growth heading into the New Paltz game next week. It is not about how you start, but how you finish. As a former lacrosse player, Thornton said he doesn’t want to relive his experienc- es through his players and having fun is most important. Thornton also emphasized that the score doesn’t matter in these games, but rather it is the people on the sidelines and family that is most important.

“You go down a highway in life and you want to look out the front windshield.

Your past does not define you so you don’t want to look out the rear view mirror,” Thornton said. “Life ain’t perfect, sometimes you have to get off that offramp and deal with some personal stuff or some stuff that’s really bothering you. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, you have to deal with life itself, but when you get back on that highway in life you keep moving forward”. Both Cardinals teams are going to continue to stay ready, be confident and fight for each other as the season continues to unfold.