Box Score
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – An uneasy feeling settled into the Stafford Ice Arena as the Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team found itself down by two at the end of the second period, but a pair of goals in the third period allowed the Cardinals to escape with a 3-3 tie against Utica in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) West game Saturday night.
The Cardinals jumped on the Pioneers early when Teal Gove found the back of the net with just 18 seconds off the clock. Shannon Stewart added an assist on Gove’s 18
th tally of the year. Utica erased Plattsburgh advantage at the 8:39 mark of the first period, tying it up on a goal by Brittany Dellechiaie from Carmen Johnson.
Utica opened the second period on the power play and Mary Fusco converted the opportunity with a shot from the point that beat Sydney Aveson, giving the Pioneers a 2-1 lead at 1:38.
Two minutes and 20 seconds later, Louise Steele-Norton’s shot went through the five-hole of Aveson, putting Utica up 3-1.
The Plattsburgh offense started to wake up late in the middle period, outshooting Utica 10-3 but Pioneers’ goaltender Jennifer Hamel was able to weather the storm and maintain the lead.
Plattsburgh failed to score on a 5-on-3 power play early in the third period but the Cardinals began to claw their way back at 7:53 of the third when Chelsea VanGlahn scored from her knees in the slot to bring the home team within one.
Momentum continued to shift in favor of the Cardinals when Stewart buried a loose puck at 15:23 to knot it at 3-all. Gove picked up an assist on the game-tying goal.
The Pioneers held a 4-2 edge in shots on goal in overtime, but Plattsburgh kept the Utica off the board to remain undefeated with a record of 19-0-2 overall and 11-0-1 in conference play.
Utica drops to 10-6-2 on the year and 8-3-2 against league opponents.
Aveson, who was named the 2013 Chartwells Fan Favorite in a pregame cermony, recorded 16 saves for Plattsburgh. Utica’s Hamel stopped 30 shots in the tie.
The Cardinals wrap up the weekend series on Senior Day tomorrow at the Stafford Ice Arena, hosting Utica at 3 p.m.
