MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Coming off a 3–1 loss to No. 1 Wisconsin-River Falls in the opening game of the Cardinal/Panther Classic, the Plattsburgh State Cardinals looked to bounce back on Sunday as they squared off against host Middlebury in the tournament's consolation matchup.

The Panthers struck first at the seven-minute mark of the opening period, with Caroline Thomas to give Middlebury a 1–0 lead heading into the first intermission. Plattsburgh responded quickly to open the second period. Just 56 seconds in, sophomore Kayson Ruegge (Edmond, Okla.) buried a feed from senior Molly Riggi (Farmingdale, N.J.) and first-year Zoe Puc (West Palm Beach, Fla.) to pull the Cardinals even at 1–1. The goal marked Ruegge's third of the season and provided an early spark for Plattsburgh to start the middle frame.

The momentum was short-lived, however, as Middlebury regained control midway through the period. Liv Fernandez broke the tie to put the Panthers back in front, and Middlebury continued to dictate play the rest of the way.

Holding a one-goal edge entering the third, the Panthers pushed the game out of reach with a four-goal final period, including two more tallies from Thomas to complete her hat trick. 

In net for the Cardinals, junior Chloe Lewis (Monson, Mass.) turned aside 15 shots before giving way late in the third period to back-up goaltender sophomore Maddy Stetson (Wasilla, Alaska), who finished out the final 9:41 of action. Middlebury's Sophia Will backstopped the Panthers with a 25-save performance to secure the win.

With the loss, Plattsburgh drops to 5–3 on the season. The Cardinals will return home to Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena on December 6 to host Williams at 3 p.m.