POTSDAM, N.Y.-The second ranked Plattsburgh State Cardinals (4-0, 3-0 NEWHL) defeated the SUNY Potsdam women’s hockey team (3-3-1, 2-2-1 NEWHL) 5-0 on Friday night. Bears junior goalie Alexa Pfeiffer (Sylvania, Ohio/Little Caesar’s) made 31 saves.
Plattsburgh controlled the play in the first period, outshooting Potsdam 17-4. Sophomore forward Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Pens Elite) tipped a shot from the point past Pfeiffer to open the scoring at 9:34. Nearly seven minutes later, sophomore forward Kaitlin Drew-Mead (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) scored a similar goal to make it 2-0. The teams headed into the intermission with the score unchanged.
Thanks in part to three power plays in the second period, Potsdam fired 15 shots on Cardinals senior goalie Kassi Abbott (Medford, Mass./Boston Shamrocks Elite). However, the goaltender stopped each one and Plattsburgh added another goal. At 7:59, freshman forward Sara Krauseneck (Saginaw, Mich./Northern Cyclones) finished a two-on-one with a wrist shot that made it 3-0.
The third period saw plenty of penalties and back-and-forth play, but two Plattsburgh goals in a 1:24 span put the game away. Sophomore forward Abby Brush (Mount Prospect, Ill./Chicago Young Americans) poked home a shot in the slot to make it 4-0 at 12:11. At 13:35, freshman defenseman Hanna Rose (Chaumont, N.Y./Northwood School) scored a power-play goal on a high shot from the left point to close the scoring at 5-0.
Abbott made 27 saves and still hasn’t allowed a goal this season. Plattsburgh outshot Potsdam 36-27 and was 1-for-4 on the man advantage. The Bears were 0-for-7.
The two teams go at it again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in Plattsburgh.
