MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The No. 4 Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team defeated No. 5 Middlebury on Sunday evening, capturing their first Cardinal/Panther Classic since 2016 winning 3-1 over the Panthers. Lilla Nease (Lake Forest, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) was named the Cardinal/Panther Classic MVP after making 37 saves for the win in the championship game.
 
Plattsburgh State is ranked No. 4 in the USCHO.com Division III Top-15 Poll, while Middlebury is No. 5. 
 
The Cardinals clinched their first Cardinal/Panther Classic win since 2016 when they won their fifth straight championship. Before that, Plattsburgh won from 2006-2008, as they have nine total championships in 18 total tournaments, winning half the trophies in the tournament's history.
 
Nease was the tournament's MVP, and Zsofia Pazmandi (Kaposvar, Hungary/Ontario Hockey Academy) joined her on the All-Tournament squad with a three-goal weekend. Middlebury's Sophia Will and Brit Nawrocki were also named the All-Tournament team, as well as Endicott's Mackenzie Graham and UW-Eau Claire's Sophie Rausch. 
 
In the win Sunday, Julia Masotta (Tewksbury, Mass./Norwich) notched the first goal to give Plattsburgh the lead in the third period, while Emily Kasprzak (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) scored the eventual game-winner a few minutes later. Pazmandi tallied the final score with an empty netter just before the final buzzer to seal the Plattsburgh win.
 
Middlebury won the shot battle handily, outshooting the Cardinals 38-17 on the evening. Each team went scoreless on the power play, as Nease and the Plattsburgh defense showed their prowess with five penalty kills to hold the Panthers 0-5 on the advantage. The Cards had two power play opportunities and went scoreless on each, putting up just two shots on goal. 
 
Plattsburgh State moves to 6-0-1 on the season and will have a huge conference matchup with Cortland set for Friday, Dec. 1 at 3 p.m. in the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. Middlebury picks up their first loss of the season, falling to 4-1, with a huge two-game set at second-ranked Amherst this weekend. 
 
The first two periods of play were action-packed, but neither team was able to break through on the scoreboard, leaving the game scoreless after 40 minutes of action. Nease was the key to keeping the game scoreless, as Middlebury had several more opportunities than Plattsburgh over the first two periods, but Nease stood tall to make several key saves. Over that time, Plattsburgh had three penalty kills, as they did not allow the advantage opportunities for Middlebury to produce any goals. 
 
In the third period, Nease continued to play excellent, stopping several shots and helping to kill another Panther power play to keep the game scoreless. Finally, the Cardinals broke through on the scoreboard with just over seven minutes to play as Ivy Boric (Newport Beach, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) played a pass to Masotta in the slot surrounded by a couple of Panther defenders. The puck remained loose for a moment, but Masotta gained control in the left face-off circle and went bar-down stick side to give Plattsburgh the 1-0 lead at the 12:44 mark. 
 
Plattsburgh added to their lead just under three minutes later as Ava Mattaliano (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Belle Tire) passed to Kasprzak skating into the slot, as the first-year forward skated around one defender and finished blocker side for the score. 
 
Down two goals, the Panthers pulled their goalie, leading them to a 6-5 opportunity in their offensive zone, where Kate Flynn scored at the 18:02 mark to make it a one-goal game. 
 
Plattsburgh and Nease continued their strong defensive stand to hold the lead, pushing through a late power play opportunity for the Middlebury, where Pazmandi eventually put in a loose puck for an empty net goal with less than a second left to seal the win. 
 
For the Panthers, Will took the loss in goal making 14 saves, while Britt Nawrocki and Cat Appleyard each had assists.