College Hockey Stats Box Score

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Freshman forward Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Pens Elite) scored her first career hat trick, as the No. 3/3 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team defeated SUNY Potsdam 8-0 in Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) action on Friday night at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
 
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 3 in both the USCHO.com Women's Division III Top-10 Poll and the D3hockey.com Women's Top-10 Poll.
 
Katonka buried three of the six shots she put on goal, scoring once in the first period and twice to close out scoring in the third period. Her goals were her second, third and fourth of the season. Junior forward Courtney Moriarty (Estero, Fla./Northfield Mount Hermon) had an outstanding performance as well, posting one goal and three assists. Junior defenseman Maci Hoskins (Oklahoma City, Okla./Northwood School) and freshman defenseman Erin McArdle (Macomb, Mich./Detroit Belle Tire) both provided three assists, while senior forward Melissa Sheeran (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Millbrook School) scored twice and added an assist.
 
The Cardinals spent chunks of time in their offensive zone, finishing with a 53-22 edge in shots on goal. Plattsburgh State finished 1-for-2 on the power play, while the penalty-kill unit did its job in holding Potsdam to an 0-for-3 performance with the extra attacker.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 7-2-0 overall (5-0-0 NEWHL), while Potsdam drops to 5-3-1 overall (1-3-1 NEWHL). The two teams will wrap up the weekend series tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Potsdam's Maxcy Ice Arena.
 
Moriarty opened scoring 3:59 into the game, as the Cardinals won an offensive-zone face-off before sophomore forward Meghan Kraus (Bellingham, Wash./Northern Cyclones) and Hoskins got the puck to Moriarty. Moriarty went top shelf to hand the Cardinals the early 1-0 lead. With time running out in the first, Katonka scored on the power play, blasting a one-timer from the left face-off circle. Sophomore defenseman Hannah Kiraly (Glendale, Ariz./Northern Cyclones) and Moriarty earned assists on the play.
 
Sheeran scored 1:37 into the second period on an assist by freshman forward Abby Brush (Mount Prospect, Ill./Chicago Young Americans), while junior forward Mackenzie Millen (Anchorage, Alaska/North American Hockey Academy) counted on passes by Moriarty and McArdle to score on an odd-man rush with 5:04 gone in the period. Sheeran weaved through several Bears in the Cardinals' offensive zone on a penalty kill before scoring a shorthanded goal from the right side of the slot with 13:10 elapsed in the second period to stake Plattsburgh State to a 5-0 lead. Hoskins and senior defenseman Lizzy Viola (Williamsville, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) each earned assists on the goal.
 
Plattsburgh State's final three goals came in a span of less than a minute and a half. Millen buried the first one 4:37 into the third period on assists by Moriarty and McArdle, while Katonka found the back of the net on assists from McArdle and Kiraly 59 seconds later. Just 25 seconds after that, Katonka completed the hat trick, with Sheeran and Hoskins providing the assists. Sheeran's was her NCAA Division III-leading 15th assist of the season.
 
Junior goaltender Kassi Abbott (North Billerica, Mass./Boston Shamrocks Elite) earned her fourth shutout of the year for the Cardinals to remain tied for first in Division III in the statistical category, making 22 saves. Sophomore goaltender Alexa Pfeiffer shouldered the loss for Potsdam, turning aside 31 shots in 40 minutes of work.