Box Score
 
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After battling to a 3-3 tie on Saturday, the top-ranked Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team rebounded Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 shutout against Utica College in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) West Division game at the Stafford Ice Arena.
 
With the Cardinals down a skater, Jenny Kistner gave Plattsburgh the lead on a short-handed goal with 37 seconds left in the opening period. Chelsea VanGlahn came away from a battle along the boards with the puck and found Kistner, who skated in all alone and roofed a shot over the glove of Utica goaltender Marissa Hotaling.
 
One second after a Plattsburgh power play expired, Teal Gove swatted a rebound out of the air and into the back of the net to make it 2-0 at 5:58 of the second period. Shannon Stewart picked up an assist with the initial shot on the play.
 
Later in the same period, Bridget Balisy avoided a Utica defender and put the Cardinals up by three with a high shot from in close at 17:27. Allison Era and Ali Vakos provided the set up for Balisy’s third of the year.
 
Plattsburgh outshot Utica, 28-15, including a 16-3 margin in the second period. The Cardinals went 0-for-3 on the power play while the Pioneers finished 0-for-2.
 
Sydney Aveson recorded 15 saves to earn her fifth shutout. Hotaling made 25 stops for Utica in the loss.
 
Sunday’s victory pushed the Cardinals’ record to 20-0-2 overall and 12-0-1 in the ECAC West to put Plattsburgh in sole possession of first place in the conference standings. Utica drops to 10-7-2 on the year and 8-4-2 in the league.
 
Gove was also honored in a pregame ceremony as the lone graduating senior on this year’s Plattsburgh State women’s squad. She is sixth all-time with 123 career points.
 
The Cardinals will now hit the road for the final three games of the regular season with Potsdam up next on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m.