2016-17 ECAC Women's West Awards and All-Conference Selections
 
DANBURY, Conn. – Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey junior Melissa Sheeran (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Millbrook School) was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Women's West Player of the Year and head coach Kevin Houle secured Coach of the Year honors as announced by the league on Tuesday. Sheeran and Houle were among eight members of the Cardinal women's ice hockey team to grab all-league recognitions this season. Sheeran earned her first Player of the Year accolade, while Houle collects his seventh conference coaching award.
 
Joining Sheeran as an all-conference First Team pick was senior Erin Brand (Long Beach, N.Y./Syracuse) and juniors Megan Crandell (Fullerton, Calif./Saint Norbert) and Kayla Meneghin (Clifton, N.J./The Gunnery). Senior goalie Camille Leonard (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Jr. Hornets) landed on the Second Team, classmate Jordan Lipson (Davis, Calif./Pomfret School) was an Honorable Mention pick and freshman Hannah Kiraly (Newport Beach, Calif./Northern Cyclones) was tabbed for the All-Rookie team. The Cardinals have four of the six First Team selections, including both defensive spots.
 
Sheeran becomes the 10th player in program to earn the conference's Player of the Year honor. She leads the ECAC Women's West in goals (28), game-winning goals (9) and power-play goals (7), while sitting second in total points (40). Sheeran has logged six multi-goal games this season, including four-goal outings against Chatham University and SUNY Cortland. Her breakout game came against Chatham on Jan. 14 when she tied the program's single-game points (7) and goals (4) records. Sheeran's 10-game point streak from Nov. 6 to Dec. 3 included 16 points on 12 goals and four assists. Sheeran was twice named ECAC Women's West Player of the Week (Nov. 28 and Jan. 16), while landing on the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week once (Nov. 30). She was also lauded as the Panther/Cardinal Classic's most outstanding player back in November. Sheeran finds herself first in school history in career game-winning goals (22), fifth in career goals (73) and ninth in career points (130). The 2016 NCAA All-Tournament MVP has a career that includes a 2016 American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) First Team All-America pick, a 2016 ECAC Women's West First Team All-Conference pick and a 2015 All-Rookie Team selection.
 
Houle secured his seventh Coach of the Year award after guiding the Cardinals to a 16-1-1 league record and the program's ninth regular-season title. Plattsburgh State lost to No. 9 Oswego State on Nov. 20 and then clicked off its still ongoing 19-game unbeaten streak. The Cardinals have beaten seven nationally-ranked opponents in that stretch, four of which have come on the road. Houle, now in his 14th year as head coach, has guided the program to at least 20 overall wins in each of his seasons while collecting five national championships and six ECAC Women's West Championship titles. A six-time AHCA Coach of the Year recipient, Houle is 340-44-23 (.864) in his coaching career. He is third in Division III women's ice hockey career coaching wins and eighth across all NCAA divisions.
 
Brand is on the First Team for the second straight season. She is tied for the league lead in defense points (23) while sitting second in goals (8) and tied for second in assists (15). Brand has six multi-point games this season, including three-point performances at William Smith College on Nov. 6 and at Cortland on Jan. 27. She most recently deposited two power-play goals against nationally-regarded Utica College in the tournament semifinal. Defensively, Brand has helped anchor a Cardinal blue line that leads the nation in fewest goals allowed per game (1.08), while ranking second on the penalty kill (.931). Brand, who was also named to last year's NCAA All-Tournament Team, has 63 career points on 14 goals and 49 assists in 81 games.
 
Crandell earns her first all-conference honor in her initial campaign with the Cardinals. A transfer from Division III counterpart Saint Norbert College, Crandell has played all 26 of Plattsburgh State's games this season. She is tied with Brand for the league lead in defense points (23) while sitting fourth in overall assists (20). Crandell has six multi-point games this season, including a career-best four points on one goal and three assists against Utica on Jan. 21. She chipped in a goal and two helpers against No. 4 Elmira College on Feb. 11 before dishing two assists against Utica in the semifinal contest. In two seasons at Saint Norbert, Crandell was a 2015 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) all-conference pick and a second team All-American. She has 54 career points on nine goals and 45 assists in 78 games.
 
Meneghin is first in the league in both points (41) and assists (24), is tied for first in short-handed goals (2), is fourth in total goals (17) and is tied for sixth in power-play points (10). Meneghin has at least one point in 21 of 26 games this season, including 12 multi-point outings. She opened the year on a seven-game point streak that included six goals and six assists. Meneghin provided five points on three goals and two assists against Chatham on Jan. 14 and then contributed seven total points in a two-game series at Cortland on Jan. 27-28. A two-time AHCA All-American and last year's ECAC Women's West Player of the Year, Meneghin is third in program history in career short-handed goals (9), is fourth in career assists (80), is fifth in career points (143) and is eighth in both goals (63) and power-play goals (15).
 
Leonard leads the league in both wins (21) and winning percentage (.955), is second in goals-against average (1.05) and is third in both save percentage (.946) and minutes played (1,258:26). In 22 appearances this season, Leonard allowed one goal or fewer, including six shutouts. She blanked three nationally-ranked opponents and registered seven 20-save outings. On Feb. 17, Leonard turned in a 25-save shutout at Buffalo State to set the Division III women's ice hockey career wins record, passing former teammate Sydney Aveson '14. Leonard has program career records in wins (71), winning percentage (.947), GAA (0.96) and save percentage (.949), while standing second in shutouts (29) and third in saves (1,307). Leonard's long list of career accolades already includes a 2016 AHCA All-America First Team selection, two NCAA All-Tournament Team selections, two ECAC Women's West All-Tournament Team selections, two Academic All-Conference awards, while garnering ECAC Women's West co-Goalie of the Year honors as a junior and honorable mention honors as a sophomore.
 
Lipson is tied for second in the league in short-handed points (2), is tied for fourth in power-play goals (5), is tied for sixth in both overall points (29) and power-play points (10) and is ninth in assists (16). She has seven multi-point games this season and recorded six total points in a two-game series against Oswego State on Nov. 19-20. Lipson would later bury two goals, including the overtime game winner, against Adrian College on Jan. 7. She then buried a power-play goal and a short-handed goal against Elmira on Feb. 12. Just five days later, Lipson became the 14th player in program history to reach 100 career points. She currently sits tied for sixth in school history in career power-play goals (17). An ECAC Women's West Academic All-Conference honoree as a junior, this is Lipson's first all-league recognition.
 
Kiraly is now the fifth current Cardinal to have been chosen for the All-Rookie Team in their career, joining Meneghin, Sheeran, senior Julia Duquette (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons U-19) and sophomore Courtney Moriarty (Estero, Fla./Northfield Mount Hermon). Kiraly is third in the league in freshman points (17), is tied for fourth in defense points, is tied for sixth in power-play points (10) and is tied for 10th in overall assists (15).  She has five multi-point games, including a two-assist outing against Utica on Jan. 21. Kiraly also scored and dished an assist at Cortland on Jan. 28. Kiraly is one of four Cardinal blue liners to have appeared in all 26 of Plattsburgh State's games this season.
 
Plattsburgh State, which stands at 24-1-1 overall, will host second-seeded and No. 5 Elmira this Saturday at 3 p.m. in the ECAC Women's West Championship final contest. The Cardinals have advanced to the title game in each year of their existence, a streak that now reaches 16 seasons. Saturday will be the 12th time that Plattsburgh State and Elmira will meet for the crown.