PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After missing out on the national semifinals for the first time in 10 years last season, Coach Kevin Houle and the Plattsburgh State women’s ice hockey team are hungry to make a deep postseason run and fight for their NCAA Division III record eighth national championship and first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship.
“With a strong group of upperclassmen and a promising first-year class, we are optimistic and looking forward to the upcoming season,” Coach Houle said about the 2024-25 season.
With Houle at the helm, a run at a national championship is always possible and is often expected, as his program has won the national tournament seven times. The 22nd-year coach carries a 497-62-27 record going into the season, good for a .871 winning percentage over 20 years of coaching. With his 500th win this season, he will join Middlebury’s Bill Mandigo and Gustavus Adolphus’ Mike Carroll as the lone 500-win club members in the history of Division III women’s ice hockey. Last year, the team’s decade-long streak of conference titles and national semifinal appearances was snapped, as the team will now look to start a new streak in 2024-25.
With four of the team’s All-SUNYAC selections gone, the team will lean heavily on their returning All-SUNYAC honorees as well as a mix of returning and new players. Senior Mattie Norton (Glen Carbon, Ill.) will serve as the team captain this season and will be counted to lead the Plattsburgh defensive unit in 2024-25. Assistant captains fifth-year Ciara Wall (Somerville, Mass./New Hampshire) and senior Bridget Orr (Excelsior, Minn./North American Hockey Academy) will be counted on to lead the forward group into 2024-25.
Goaltenders
Plattsburgh State will have a new primary goaltender in 2024-25, as Lila Nease departed to graduation last season after appearing in 43 games over her final two years. Chloe Lewis (Monson, Mass./Northwood School) started four games last season, appearing in five overall, making 100 total saves and allowing just four goals for a .86 goals-against average. She is the lone returner to the group of netminders, as first-years Maddy Stetson (Wasilla, Alaska/Little Caesars) and Ava Varecka (West Falls, N.Y./Nichols School) will join Lewis for the upcoming year.
Defenders
Norton will step in to lead the Cardinals blueline unit in 2024-25, as the two-time all-conference honoree will look to replace the production of last year’s captain Kendall Wasik, who earned First Team All-America honors. Norton was effective in multiple facets for the Cards, scoring seven goals, picking up nine assists, and also posting a plus-minus mark of +14.
The returning group of defenders is deep for Plattsburgh in 2024-25, as SUNYAC All-Rookie selection Adriana Urban (Monroe, N.J./Hoosac School) is back for her sophomore campaign, along with juniors Taya Balfour (Moorestown, N.J./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) and Su-An Cho (Madison, Ala./Florida Alliance), as well as sophomore Maeghan Forsyth (Billings, Mont./Notre Dame Hounds). Balfour appeared in all 28 games last year, while Forsyth appeared in 26, and Cho in 12.
The Cardinals have two new blueliners this year, as Marina McCann (Bear, Del./St. Louis Blues) and Seoyoung Yoo (Yongin, Republic of Korea/Ontario Hockey Academy) fill out a strong group for the 2024-25 season.
Forwards
With the graduation of First Team All-American Julia Masotta and All-SUNYAC selection Ivy Boric, the Cardinals will have some new contributors looking to step up and fill the void left from their graduate students last year.
As usual, Plattsburgh will not be without experience this year, as assistant captains Wall and Orr will be the leadership group for the forward group along with graduate student Mae Olshansky (Las Vegas, Nev./North American Hockey Academy). Wall is the team’s top returning scorer after posting 10 goals and 16 assists last year, as she will be one of the team’s top offensive options for 2024-25. The team should also receive some good contributions from Orr, who had eight goals and eight assists last year, and Olshansky who has 62 career points.
Other returners include juniors Ella Fesette (Plattsburgh, N.Y./RIT), Emma McLean (Burlington, Mass/Pomfret School), and Molly Riggi (Farmingdale, N.J./New Jersey Titans), as well as sophomores Sydnee Francis (Canton, N.Y./Nepean Jr. Wildcats), Emily Kasprzak (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite), and Ava Mattaliano (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Belle Tire).
Several newcomers will see a lot of time on the ice this year for the Cardinals as they look to put out a formidable and deep offensive unit. The first-years in the forward group this year are Kate Conlon (New Hudson, Mich./Little Caesars), Emma Holmes (Winthrop, Mass./Worcester Academy), Julia Holmes (Winthrop, Mass./Worcester Academy), Tessa Morris (Grand Island, N.Y./Rome Girl’s Hockey), Ashley O’Hara (Chittenango, N.Y./Syracuse Valley Eagles), Ella Procyk (Stratford, Conn./Lovell Academy), and Kayson Ruegge (Edmond, Okla./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers).
Schedule
The Cardinals tune-up for the regular season on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27 with two exhibitions at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena, taking on the Ottawa Jr. 67s and Trinity (Conn.) before opening their season on Nov. 2 against Norwich in their home rink. The Cardinals then embark on a string of five straight SUNYAC road games, beginning with a SUNYAC Championship rematch on Nov. 8 at Cortland. The team next heads to Potsdam on Nov. 15 and follows that up with a trip to Oswego on Nov. 16. A date with the Canton Kangaroos concludes the road trip on Nov. 22, as the team returns home the following day for a home game against Buffalo State on Nov. 23.
The Cardinals host the Cardinal/Panther Classic in 2024, as the team will play St. Norbert in the tournament’s opening game at 3 p.m. on Nov. 30, followed by Middlebury taking on Endicott at 6 p.m. The consolation game is set for Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. with the championship game to follow at 5 p.m. The team then concludes the 2024 end of their schedule by hosting Morrisville in a SUNYAC semifinal rematch on Dec. 6.
Plattsburgh State opens up the 2025 portion of its schedule at the Norwich East-West Hockey Classic where they play Nazareth in the tournament’s opening game. The team will then either play Amherst or Norwich in the consolation or championship game, set for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. respectively. The Cards return home to take on Oswego State in conference play for two-weekend games, occurring on Jan 10 and Jan. 11. The team next heads to Morrisville for games on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18, and then Buffalo State on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25 for four straight conference road games. Plattsburgh State then heads to Vermont, as they take on Middlebury in road action on Jan. 28.
The Cards finally return home on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, hosting Cortland for two important SUNYAC games, and then take on Potsdam on Feb. 7 at home and Feb. 8 on the road. The conference schedule wraps on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15, as Canton comes to Plattsburgh for two league games. Plattsburgh State will then finish its regular season on the road, as they head to Williams on Feb. 22.
The top four teams in the final regular-season conference standings will qualify for the SUNYAC Tournament, with the semifinals set for Mar. 1 and the championship set for Mar. 8.
