PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team will begin its quest for a national title Saturday against St. Norbert in the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Quarterfinals at the Stafford Ice Arena. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. and the puck drops at 4 p.m. for the final home game of the 2012-13 season.
 
Ticket Information
Tickets are $6 general admission and $3 for college students with valid ID. The first 300 Plattsburgh State students who present a current ID will be admitted for free. Ticket sales will begin at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Field House Box Office.
 
Multimedia Links
Saturday’s NCAA Quarterfinal matchup will be available through a number of outlets at the links provided below:
 
Live Stats
Live Video – Courtesy of Northeast Sports Network
Live Audio – Courtesy of WIRY 1340 AM
 
Road To The Tournament
After 13 weeks atop the USCHO.com Division III poll, the Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team is poised to make its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and ninth overall. Plattsburgh State owns an 11-7 record all-time in the tournament and will be meeting St. Norbert for the first time.
 
The Cardinals finished the regular season with a 15-0-1 record in the ECAC West to secure the top seed in the conference tournament and serve as the host for ECAC West Championships. Plattsburgh State skated to a 5-0 win against Neumann in the ECAC West Semifinals before rallying twice to defeat Elmira, 4-2, in the finals to claim the Cardinals’ third ECAC West title.
 
Plattsburgh State enters the NCAA Tournament with a 25-0-2 record and is led by senior forward Teal Gove. Gove is the driving force of the Cardinals’ offense, setting career-highs in all offensive categories with 25 goals, 21 assists, nine power-play goals and five game-winning tallies. Sophomore Shannon Stewart continues to evolve into one of Plattsburgh’s leader with 20 goals and 37 points while junior Jenny Kistner is third on the team with 31 points.
 
Goaltender Sydney Aveson anchors the Plattsburgh defense with a 1.12 goals-against average that is good for second in Division III. A two-time ECAC West Goalie of the Year, Aveson is eighth with a .939 save percentage, second with eight shutouts and enters the weekend with a 21-0-2 record.
 
Outscoring their opponents 129-27 this season, the Cardinals boast the nation’s top offense (4.78 goals per game) and defense (1.00 goals per game). Plattsburgh State also brings to the table the deadliest power-play unit in Division III, converting 31.4 percent of its chances (32-for-102). Meanwhile, the Plattsburgh penalty-kill ranks fifth at 89.9 percent (80-for-89).
 
Scouting the Green Knights
If you’re looking for a team on a roll, look no further than St. Norbert. The Green Knights, who are in their third season, enter Saturday’s game winning 13 of their last 14 games, including the last nine straight. Trailing 2-0 in the NCHA O’Brien Cup Playoffs Championship against UW-River Falls, St. Norbert rallied for a dramatic 3-2 overtime win to earn the program’s first berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament. St. Norbert enters the weekend ranked eighth in the latest USCHO.com Division III poll with an 18-9-2 record overall.
 
Junior forward Henriette Ostergaard leads the Green Knights with 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points. Junior Karissa Anderson, who scored the overtime game-winner against River Falls, has 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points. Juniors Zoe Kurth and Andrea Senne add 20 and 18 points, respectively.
 
Junior goaltender Kaley Gibson is 17-8-2 with a 2.16 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. She is backed up by Katie Aluia with a 1-1-0 with a 4.20 goals-against average and a .788 save percentage.
 
St. Norbert’s offense ranks 10^th nationally, averaging 3.31 goals per game while the Green Knights’ defense has allowed 2.34 goals per game. The NCHA Champions are 21-for-116 (18.1 percent) on the power play this season and 107-for-128 (83.6 percent) on the penalty kill.