PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men’s hockey team travels to Amherst College Saturday for an NCAA Quarterfinal game at 7:30 p.m. The Cardinals are making their fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 20^th overall.
 
Fans who are unable to attend Saturday's game can follow along on the follow platforms:
Live Audio
Live Video
NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Game Program

Plattsburgh secured a spot in the tournament after receiving an automatic bid as the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Champion. The Cardinals defeated Oswego State, 3-2, last Saturday to claim their 21^st conference title.
 
Amherst will make its third tournament appearance after rallying from a two-goal deficit last Sunday to defeat Middlebury, 4-3, to win the NESCAC championship. The Lord Jeffs come into the weekend riding an 11-game unbeaten streak.
 
The Cardinals have 12 players with double-digits in scoring but only Kyle Kudroch and Nick Jensen have 20 or more points. Kudroch leads a balanced offense with 23 points and a team-high 14 assists. Jensen is the Cardinals’ only double-digit goal scorer with 10 goals. Jake Mooney leads all Plattsburgh rookies with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.
 
Amherst is led by Mike Moher with 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists, but the Jeffs are just as balanced on offense as the Cardinals are. Eleven players have scored at least five goals this season, while 15 have recorded at least 10 points.
 
Plattsburgh’s emphasis on team defense has paid off as the Cardinals are fourth in the country, allowing just 1.96 goals per game. There has been no room for error lately as the last seven Plattsburgh wins have been one-goal victories.
 
The Lord Jeffs average 3.89 goals per game while holding their opponents to just 1.69 goals. The Amherst defense has benefited from the outstanding play of senior goaltender Jonathan La Rose who ranks first in save percentage (.942), winning percentage (.925) and shutouts (5).
 
Mathieu Cadieux has been just as good for Plattsburgh down the stretch. The sophomore goalie out of Oshawa, Ontario has a .929 save percentage and 1.79 goals-against average. In his first season in the red and white, Cadieux was named First Team All-SUNYAC and also earned a spot on the SUNYAC All-Tournament last weekend.
 
Discipline has also been a key to the Cardinals’ success as they are only one of two Division III teams to serve fewer than 10.0 penalty minutes per game. Plattsburgh’s average of 7.9 is second only to Norwich (7.6). Plattsburgh also boasts the nation’s top penalty-kill unit, killing 92.3 percent of its penalties.
 
While the Amherst penalty kill is ninth in the country (.867), the power-play unit ranks fourth at 27.6 percent. Plattsburgh will need to stay out of the box as Amherst is 11-for-26 with a man-advantage in their last six home games.
 
The Cardinals and Lord Jeffs haven’t faced each other since they met in Plattsburgh on Dec. 31, 2002. Plattsburgh won that game by a score of 5-0 for its third victory over Amherst in as many years, having outscored the Jeffs by a combined 15-2 in those meetings.
 
The Jeffs and Cardinals were both undefeated on their home ice this year, with Plattsburgh posting a 12-0-1 record at the Stafford Ice Arena and the Lord Jeffs winning all 12 of their games in Orr Rink. The Cardinals are 7-3-3 on the road but will be looking to hand Amherst its first home loss since in more than a year (Feb. 26, 2011).
 
The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the NCAA Division III Final Four which will be held at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid March 16-17.