PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State women's hockey team opened up their quest to defend their 2014 NCAA Division III Women's National Championship with a rematch of last year's title game against Norwich. Plattsburgh State punched its second straight ticket to the national finals by defeating the Cadets 5-2 at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
 
The Cardinals got on the board first with an Alyssa Parke power play goal 2:42 into the game. The goal was setup by Bridget Balisy who cycled the puck to Giovanna Sense. Senese then slung the puck back to the top to Parke who was camped in the top of the slot. The 2015 first-team All-American then ripped a slap shot clean through the Norwich and past Cadet goaltender Celeste Robert.
 
Plattsburgh State was not done as they tallied four-straight goals on Norwich with two in the first and two in the second.
 
Kayla Meneghin would score her first of two on the day, a short-handed marker 12:14 into the first period. The freshman from Clifton, N.J. joined an odd man rush with Jordan Lipson. Lipson slid the puck cross ice setting up Meneghin who lifted over Robert shoulder short-side.
 
It was a bit of a strange time in the Stafford Ice Arena as the goal light went on but play continued for several seconds. At the next whistle the officials came together to talk it over before rewarding the Cardinals with the goal.
 
The second period was more of the same as Plattsburgh State came out with another quick strike just 36 seconds in. 
 
Parke sent another blast towards the net from her point position. The puck careened off the boards to the right of the net, bouncing right to Melissa Sheeran who tapped it in before Robert could slide over in time. 
 
Junior Bridget Balisy would make it 4-0 Cardinals when she sniped one past Robert on a beautiful pass from Lipson.
 
This would mark the end of Robert's night as she was lifted for Laurie King.
 
Again, Lipson setup her teammate on a 2-1 rush sliding one across the slot to Balisy who finished it off with her 19 goal of the season.
 
However, the Cadets would not go down quietly, especially senior forward Kaycie Anderson.
 
Anderson would score a 5-3 power play goal to get Norwich on the goal. She collected the puck off of several rebounds before finally being able to beat Cardinals goaltender Camille Leonard.
 
The Maple Plain, Minn., native would strike again in the beginning of the third period to make it 4-2 and give the Cadets a little momentum headed down the final stretch.
 
But it would not be enough as Plattsburgh State would weather Anderson's - and the Cadets - offensive attack before salting the game away with Meneghin's second of the game provided by the empty net with just 12 seconds left.
 
Cardinals' goaltender Leonard finished the evening with 22 saves on 24 shots. Robert picked up the loss after allowing the first four goals. King would make all nine saves she faced in 31:17 minutes of action.
 
With the win Plattsburgh State moves to 25-2-2 on the season and will appear in its second-straight NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey National Championship Saturday night at 7 p.m. against the Elmira College Soaring Eagles. It will be the fifth time these two teams have meet in the 2014-15 season.
 
 Norwich falls to the Cardinals for the second-straight time this season. They will play UW-River Falls in the third-place game on Saturday at 3:30.


 
ELMIRA VS UW-RIVER FALLS
 
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Elmira battled in the second semifinal Friday night as the Soaring Eagles defeated the Falcons 3-2.With the win Elmira (26-2-1) advanced to the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey National Championship game.
 
UW-River Falls (25-4-1) got on the board first, lighting the lamp twice in the opening 14:06 to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
 
Sam Greeley got her fourth of the season with a blast from the point. The Falcons and Soaring Eagles were skating 4-on-4 when a faceoff in the Elmira defensive zone took place. Dani Sibley for UW-River Falls would win the drawback to Greeley to set her up for the slap shot that would be Soaring Eagles' goalie Kyle Nelson.
 
Sibley would then call her own number making it 2-0 UW-River Falls. The sophomore would receive a pass right on top of the crease from Carly Moran tapping the puck five-hole.
 
The second period would go back and forth as each team looked for the next goal.
 
It wasn't till Ashton Hogan buried her Division III leading 32 goal right as the buzzer sounded to end the period to cut the UW-River Falls lead in half, 2-1.
 
Hogan was the recipient of a loose puck that was just sitting on top the crease beating Falcons' goaltender Angie Hall over her left shoulder. UW-River Falls failed to corral the puck for the clear out of harm's way.
 
The Soaring Eagles would carry the momentum of the Hogan goal into the third period as they would score twice in the final stanza to capture a 3-2 victory. 
 
Erin Weston would tie the game up at 2-2 when she finally got the puck past Hall on the rebound after the Falcon's goalie made two saves.
 
Elmira would capture its first lead and the game-winner with just 9:38 left in the game. Cassidy Delainey would muscle one into the net in the midst of a scrum.
 
Nelson made 21 saves on 23 shots for the Soaring Eagles as she shutout the Falcons for the final 45:56 of the game. Hall featured more action making 34 saves on 37 saves.