NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The newly minted No. 14 Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team picked up a decisive 5-0 victory over Middlebury College to open up action at the 24th-annual FirstLight Shootout on Friday afternoon at Norwich University's Kreitzberg Arena. The Cardinals are now unbeaten in their last six games.
 
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 14 in the DCU/USCHO.com Men's Division III Top-15 Poll.
 
Junior defenseman Cory Doney (Northfield Falls, Vt./Vermont Lumberjacks) paced the Cardinals with two goals, while sophomore forward Luk Jirousek (Whitehorse, Yukon/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) and senior defenseman Jacob Modry (Albany, N.Y./Merrimack College) each finished with a goal and an assist. First-year goaltender Eli Shiller (Toronto, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) backstopped Plattsburgh State to a 23-save shutout, his second shutout in as many games.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 6-1-2 overall with the victory and will face either No. 9 Norwich University or No. 12 Aurora University in the championship game tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. Middlebury falls to 0-3-0 overall with the loss and competes in the consolation game tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
Middlebury was assessed a five-minute major just 1:03 into the contest, and Plattsburgh State pounced on that opportunity with two power-play goals. Modry opened scoring at 1:38 of the first period. First-year forward Ryan Bonfield (Kemptville, Ontario/Brockville Braves) passed D-to-D to graduate student defenseman Matt Araujo (Brookhaven, N.Y./Boston Jr. Rangers), and Araujo took a shot that was saved. Modry was stationed along the right post and hammered in the rebound. Jirousek made it a 2-0 game with 3:39 elapsed in the first. Bonfield centered a pass to Jirousek in the slot, and Jirousek took a shot that got caught up in traffic before burying the rebound high blocker side. Modry also earned an assist on Jirousek's goal.
 
Doney added to the Cardinal advantage at the 11:51 mark of the first period. Sophomore forward Jake Lanyi (North Salem, N.Y./Connecticut Jr. Rangers) passed to junior forward Thomas Maia (Mississauga, Ontario/Nanaimo Clippers) to enter the offensive zone on the rush, and Maia passed down low to Doney on the left side of the slot. Doney then one-timed that pass into the back of the net high blocker side.
 
Junior forward Bennett Stockdale (Ottawa, Ontario/University of Alabama in Huntsville) put his name on the scoresheet at 11:49 of the second period, scoring high blocker side from the right circle after receiving a stretch pass from first-year defenseman Spencer Bellina (Medina, Ohio/Chippewa Steel). Jirousek also earned an assist on the play, and it marked the first collegiate point for Bellina.
 
Finally, with 13:48 gone in the third, Doney added his second goal of the game. Senior forward Brendan Young (Lefroy, Ontario/Blind River Beavers) skated around the back of the net before passing to Doney on the right point, and Doney used a wrist shot to score high glove side.
 
The Cardinals held a 34-23 edge in shots on goal and went 2-for-3 on the power play. The Panthers were scoreless in their three chances with the extra skater.

Middlebury's senior goaltender Adam Wisco made 29 saves in the loss.