PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — No. 9 Plattsburgh State returned home looking to rebound from its toughest weekend of the season, but despite a dominant shot margin and a strong third-period push, the Cardinals fell short in a 2–1 loss to Williams College on Saturday afternoon at Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.

Facing an Ephs squad receiving national ranking votes, the Cardinals carried play early, outshooting Williams 10–4 in the opening frame. However, Williams capitalized on its chances in the second period to build a lead Plattsburgh could not fully erase.

The Ephs struck first four minutes into the second period, when Annie Gallagher finished off a rush to put Williams ahead 1–0. Gallagher doubled the lead on the power play ten minutes later, burying her second of the afternoon to make it 2–0.

Plattsburgh continued to generate pressure, piling up 30 shots through two periods, but Williams goaltender Erin Pye stood tall, turning aside every look and keeping the Cardinals off the board until the final frame.

The Cardinals finally broke through seven minutes into the third on the power play, when sophomore Tessa Morris (Grand Island, N.Y.) centered a puck that first-year Zoe Puc (West Palm Beach, Fla.) buried in front for her first collegiate goal. Junior Adriana Urban (Monroe, N.J.) picked up the secondary assist on the play, which cut the deficit to 2–1 and injected life into the Cardinals.

Plattsburgh continued to surge, outshooting Williams 16–1 in the period and 40–16 for the game, but Pye continued her standout performance, finishing with 39 saves to secure the win for the Ephs.

The loss sends Plattsburgh into its semester break at 5–4–0 following a demanding non-conference stretch. The Cardinals now have a couple weeks off before returning to action on January 6 at the Norwich East-West Hockey Classic. Plattsburgh opens the winter portion of its schedule against Elmira at 6 p.m., the same Elmira program that eliminated the Cardinals in last season's NCAA First Round.