PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State Cardinals skated to a 5-3 win over Wentworth on Saturday night, taking down the Leopards to advance to the Comfort Inn Complex Winter Classic Championship game tomorrow evening. Colin Callanan (Stony Point, N.Y./New York Apple Core), last year's MVP of the same tournament, tallied three points to lead the Cardinal offensive attack.

Brannon Butler (Toronto, Ontario/Boston Advantage) tallied his third career goal and second of the season for the game-winner, while his line-mate Kevin Weaver-Vitale (Toronto, Ontario/Markham) also picked up a score. Jack Ring (Hingham, Mass./Northeast Generals) recorded the game's opening goal and Riley Sutherland (Burlington, Ontario/St. Michael's Buzzers) sealed the win with an empty netter in the waning seconds. Jacob Hearne (Ennismore, Ontario/Toronto Jr. Canadiens) made 18 saves in net, earning his seventh win of the season.

The Cardinals held a big advantage on shots, out shooting the Leopards 36-21 on the evening. Neither team picked up a power play score, with Wentworth going 0-3 and Plattsburgh 0-1, but the Leopards scored shorthanded on the Cards lone power play of the day.

Plattsburgh State moves to 7-5-1 on the season and next takes on No. 15 University of New England in the Comfort Inn Complex Winter Classic Championship game set for a 5 p.m. puck drop on Sunday, Jan. 12. Wentworth falls to 4-8-2 with the loss and will match up with No. 10 Wilkes in the tournament consolation tomorrow, Jan. 12, at 1:30 p.m. In the first game of the winter classic, UNE defeated Wilkes 7-2.

The Plattsburgh State offense wasted little time getting the puck on the net and took an early lead with Ring's score at the 4:36 mark of the period. Spencer Bellina (Medina, Ohio/Chippewa Steel) started the Cardinal's in transition with an excellent pass up the ice and through the neutral zone to Jake Lanyi (North Salem, N.Y./Connecticut Jr. Rangers) who had a shot on net turned away by the Leopards netminder. Ring was right on the opposite side of the rebound, as he smashed a one-timer into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season and the Cardinal lead.

Shortly after, Plattsburgh went on the power play but after a Cardinal turnover, a shot from Alex Walicki found the back of the net for a short-handed score, tying the game at a goal apiece.

The Cards responded soon after, as Weaver-Vitale picked up his third goal of the season, knocking in a blocked Vlad Pshenichnikov (Moscow, Russia/Utica) on the doorstep to put Plattsburgh back up 2-1. Less than a minute later, Callanan picked up his second point of the game with fantastic score, putting the Cardinals up 3-1 at the 11:15 mark of play. The junior forward ripped a shot through the top shelf from the top of the slot, giving him his third goal of the season.

The 3-1 Cardinal lead held through the remainder of the first stanza, as Plattsburgh killed two penalties to hold the two-goal advantage. Early in the second period, however, Mighton Johnson got Wentworth back within a goal at the 1:03 mark of the period, making the score 3-2.

Butler notched the fourth Plattsburgh goal of the game a few minutes later at the 7:47 mark, as Callanan made a pass to Pshenichnikov near the goal line on the left side of the goaltender. Pshenichnikov then found Butler on the opposite side of the goal, just outside the crease and face-off circle, where the junior defenseman beat the Wentworth goalie with a strong one-timer stick side for the score.  

Wentworth wasted no time getting the goal back, as Nicholas Ramm, brother of Plattsburgh State forward Tyler Ramm (Westborough, Mass./Northeast Generals), tallied a goal to make the score 4-3. The Cardinals were able to make the one-goal lead stand as through the back half of the second period and well into the third, as the Leopard offense stalled, and the Plattsburgh offense was able to sustain consistent control of the puck in their offensive zone.

The final period saw the least number of shots on either side, as the Cardinal defense held the Leopards to just three shots over the final 20 minutes and the final minute-plus with Wentworth going on a six-on-five advantage with the empty net. Plattsburgh held strong through some close chances, finally breaking away to ice the game with an empty net goal from Sutherland with less than five seconds to go.

Jack McGovern made 31 saves between the pipes, taking the loss. Desmond Johnson tallied two assists for Wentworth, picking up the lone multi-point outing for the Leopards.