2023 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament First Round

Norwich (19-6-2) at Plattsburgh State (20-5-2)

Saturday, March 11, 2023 • 7 p.m. • Plattsburgh, N.Y. • Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena

Live Stats • Live Video • Live Audio (1340 AM WIRY)

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The fifth-ranked Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team looks to continue its championship run on Saturday, March 11, as the Cardinals host longtime rival and ninth-ranked Norwich University at 7 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
 
TICKET PRICING: Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children ages 12 and under. The Field House Box Office will be open for day-of ticket sales beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES: In one of the Cardinals' longest series in program history, Norwich holds a 35-24-7 lead in the all-time series and is 7-2-1 in their last 10 matchups. Saturday marks the rubber game for the 2022-23 season, as Plattsburgh State defeated Norwich, 3-1, in the championship game of the FirstLight Shootout on Nov. 26 before the Cadets exacted revenge with a 2-1 victory on Dec. 6. Notably, this is the same matchup from the last time the Cardinals hosted an NCAA Division III Tournament game on March 12, 2011.
 
ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State (20-5-2) is seeking its third national championship and enters Saturday's contest on a four-game winning streak. The Cardinals earned the State University of New York Athletic Conference's (SUNYAC's) automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, as they captured their 24th conference title in program history with a 2-1 victory over Oswego State in the SUNYAC Tournament championship game last Saturday. The Cardinals have shown to have one of the top offenses in the SUNYAC all season, ranking second in goals per game (3.73), and they have the SUNYAC's top penalty-kill unit at .890. On the power play, Plattsburgh State is .179. Junior forward Bennett Stockdale (Ottawa, Ontario/University of Alabama in Huntsville) is tied for third in the conference in goals scored this season (14), and senior defenseman Jacob Modry (Albany, N.Y./Merrimack College) is tied for second in the conference for assists on the season (19). In goal for the Cardinals, first-year student Eli Shiller leads the conference in save percentage (.942) and goals-against average (1.37). Shiller's save percentage and goals-against average both rank third in all of Division III.
 
Three players for the Cardinals rank in the top five in the conference in plus-minus rating this season; Modry, junior forward Carson Gallagher (Courtice, Ontario/Sacred Heart University) and sophomore forward Paul Bryer (Clarkston, Mich./Islanders Hockey Club) all are +19 on the ice. Head coach Steve Moffat is in his fourth year behind the bench for Plattsburgh State and has posted a 45-27-8 record with the Cardinals and a 77-70-13 record overall for his career including his three years at Castleton University. Plattsburgh State has never missed the SUNYAC Tournament under Moffat, while this marks the team's first NCAA Tournament appearance under his guidance.
 
ABOUT THE CADETS: Norwich (19-6-2) is seeking its fifth national championship and claimed the field's final at-large Pool 'C' berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Cadets' run in the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Tournament ended in the semifinal round, as they lost, 4-0, to Babson College. Norwich boasts a balanced offense, with eight student-athletes tying for the team lead in goals scored with eight: sophomore forward Clark Kerner, first-year forward Johnny Johnson, senior forward Philip Elgstam and sophomore forward Alex Lewis. Kerner and junior defenseman Joe Nagle both are tied for the team lead with 19 points, while Nagle's rating of +32 is nearly double the second-highest rating on the team. Norwich has been efficient on the power play this year, scoring at a 22.4 percent clip, in addition to be a disciplined team with an average of just 5.9 penalty minutes per game. On the penalty kill, the Cadets are .901 on the season. Senior goaltender Drennen Atherton, like Shiller, is one of Division III's top goaltenders, ranking fourth nationally in save percentage (.943) and sixth in goals-against average (1.50).

Head coach Cam Ellsworth is in his fifth season behind the Cadet bench, and he sports an 85-20-12 career record guiding Norwich.

WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of this game will visit No. 4 Endicott College in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 18, at 7 p.m.