SUPERIOR, WIS.  – The Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team travels to Superior, Wisconsin this weekend on the hunt for its third national title at the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championships. This year’s tournament will be hosted at Wessman Arena by the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
 
Game Schedule
NCAA Semifinals – Friday, March 15
Plattsburgh vs. Middlebury – 3:30 p.m. CDT/4:30 p.m. EDT
Gustavus Adolphus vs. Elmira – 7 p.m. CDT/8 p.m. EDT
 
Saturday, March 16
NCAA Third-Place Game – 3:30 p.m. CDT/4:30 p.m. EDT
NCAA Championship Game – 7 p.m. CDT/8 p.m. EDT
 
Ticket Information
Tickets can be purchased by visiting the University of Wisconsin-Superior's website directly or by visiting ncaa.com. Ticket prices for adults are $20 for an all-session pass or $12 per day. Senior citizens (62 and older) and students will be admitted at a rate of $15 for an all-session pass or $10 per day. Tickets for children under 12 are $7 for an all-session pass or $4 per ticket for a daily pass. All tickets purchased online will be available at will-call at the Wessman Arena ticket window and all ticket purchases are final. For ticket questions and more information please contact the UW-Superior Athletic Department at (715) 395-4693.
 
Multimedia Links
All game coverage for the championships will be provided by the NCAA. Fans can follow live video and live stats for Friday's Semifinal games at the links below. New links will be posted for Saturday's games.

Plattsburgh/Middlebury Live Stats
Plattsburgh/Middlebury Live Video

Gustavus/Elmira Live Stats
Gustavus/Elmira Live Video
 
History in the Tournament
After finishing third in last year’s tournament, Plattsburgh State returns to the NCAA Championships for the second-straight season. The Cardinals are making their ninth appearance in the tournament and seventh trip to championship weekend. Plattsburgh State has won the title twice in program history (2007, 2008) and enters the weekend with a 12-7 record in the NCAA tournament.
 
Scouting the Cardinals
The Cardinals earned the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament by winning their third Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) West crown before defeating St. Norbert, 5-2, in the NCAA Quarterfinals to secure their place at the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championships.
 
As one of two undefeated teams in Superior, Plattsburgh State enters the weekend with a 26-0-2 record. The Cardinals have three players with 30 or more points and have outscored their opponents, 134-29. Plattsburgh State is led by senior forward Teal Gove with 27 goals and 21 assists for 48 points. Gove is the nation’s top scorer, averaging 1.71 points per game and she is tied with a Division III-leading nine power-play goals. Shannon Stewart joins Gove on one of the top lines in the nation and is second in team scoring with 38 points. Junior forward Jenny Kistner comes into the Friday’s game with 11 goals and 31 points.
 
While the Cardinals have had no trouble scoring goals, one can expect solid team defense throughout the weekend. The Plattsburgh State defense is the nation’s best, holding opponents to 1.04 goals per game. Tournament participants Elmira (1.07) and Gustavus Adolphus (1.14) are second and third, respectively, in scoring defense. Middlebury comes in ninth with a defense that has allowed 1.79 goals per game.
 
The Cardinals’ power play has been the best Division III has to offer for most of the season with Plattsburgh State converting 33 of its 106 attempts (31.1 percent). The Plattsburgh State penalty kill ranks fourth at 90.1 percent (82-for-91).
 
Two-time ECAC West Goalie of the Year Sydney Aveson begins the weekend with a 22-0-2 record and leads all Division III goalies with a 1.16 goals against average. She is third nationally with eight shutouts and has a .937 save percentage.
 
Familiar Foes
Plattsburgh State draws Middlebury in the NCAA semifinals Friday afternoon, marking the third time the two teams have met this season. The Cardinals defeated the Panthers, 3-2, early in the season at the Panther-Cardinal Classic behind a 29-save performance from Aveson. Plattsburgh picked up its second win over the Panthers in January, a 3-1 decision at the Stafford Ice Arena.
 
The history between the two teams has been well-documented. The Cardinals hold a slight edge in the all-time series with a 12-9-4 record. Last season’s NCAA quarterfinals pitted Plattsburgh State against Middlebury with the Cardinals emerging with a 4-2 win to advance to the NCAA Division III Championships.
 
The Panthers, who enter the semifinals with a 19-7-2 record, are coming off a dramatic 3-2 overtime win over Norwich in the quarterfinals. Middlebury trailed twice in last weekend’s game before Katie Sullivan tied the game last in the third to force overtime. Sullivan scored all three Panthers’ goals in the win, including the game-winning goal at 14:28 of overtime.
 
Middlebury is led by sophomore forward Hannah Bielawski with nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points. Sophomore Emily Fluke is second with 28 points while Katie Sullivan and Lauren Greer have contributed 25 and 20 points respectively.
 
Sophomore goaltender Annabelle Jones has posted an 11-3-2 record with 1.42 goals against average and .941 save percentage. Junior Laura Pinsent is the back-up goaltender with a 6-4-0 record and 2.35 goals against average.