#2 Plattsburgh State Roars Back Against the Ephs, 5-1

Plattsburgh, NY - The Ephs (9-6/5-5 NESCAC) failed to hold on to a tenuous 1-0 lead against #2-ranked Plattsburgh State (15-2/10-0 NEWHL) on Friday afternoon. Williams couldn't keep pace with the Cardinals once they started to score. 

There were signs of life early, as Avery Dunn raced along the near side and ripped home her first goal of the season at the 8:21 mark. Delaney Szlezyngier and Sophia Hoppe were credited with assists. Immediately after, a shot by Plattsburgh trickled through the legs of Chloe Heiting, but the Ephs snatched it at the goal line.Eph head coach Meghan Gillis reflected on the early stages of the game, saying, "We had confidence, stuck to our systems, and played pretty consistently." 

Just 30 seconds after the goal, Jill Parsons was called for tripping, giving the Cardinals an opportunity to tie the game. The penalty kill team stayed disciplined, getting back to equal strength for the rest of the period. Gillis specifically mentioned,"Stay[ing] out of the penalty box" was important to maintaining the lead.

Heiting recorded 2 stick saves en route to 13 saves in the first 20 minutes of action. Maddie Zack and Paige Galle had key blocks to keep the Plattsburgh State offense in check as the Cardinals controlled the offensive zone throughout the latter stages of the period. 

Midway through the second period, Dunn and Galle were called for penalties within 2 minutes of each other, giving the Cardinals a 5 on 3 opportunity for 1:11. Maddie Tix headlined the defense throughout this precarious situation, taking the puck all the way to behind the opposing net to kill time. 

Robin Kitazono of Williams tried to power a second goal through during a power play situation, but the puck was covered up by Ashley Davis. The ensuing face-off was won by Plattsburgh State, and Taylor Whitney turned on the accelerator, scoring a shorthanded goal to knot the game at 1-1. Ivy Boric got the assist as the Cardinals executed the give-and-go to perfection.

Riley Calhoun scored the second goal of her young career on a backhand from the left side with 1:32 left in the second. The pass came from a battle behind the net as Szlezyngier was knocked to the ice.

Overall, the Cardinals dominated the second period, attempting 17 shots on net as opposed to Williams' 3.

The Cardinals continued their momentum to open the third, as Galle and Zack headed to the penalty box. On this 5 on 3 opportunity, Mae Olshansky scored her 8th goal of the season on a scrum in front of Heiting. 

CC Wallin couldn't recover quick enough from Annie Katonka and Krauseneck's slick passing to defend Erin McArdle's booming shot to the back of the net, putting the Cardinals up 4-1. Kaitlin Drew-Mead added on a power play goal with 4:32 remaining in the game. 

The Cardinals averaged 44.3 shots a game heading into the Friday contest, and they managed 50 shots against Williams. The Ephs thad 20 shots.  Ashley Davis saved 19 of those shots for a 95% save percentage, while Chloe Heiting saved 45 of 50 shots for a 90% save percentage. The Ephs' head coach sang her praises saying, "Chloe played amazing and made some key saves, obviously faced a lot of shots today." She also was proud of the seniors for staying focused even though their senior weekend was postponed. 

Next the Ephs are scheduled to host Connecticut College at 3:30 PM on January 30th in Lansing Chapman Rink.