PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. —The Plattsburgh State Cardinals' bid for a fifth straight win came up just short Saturday night, as Amherst College captured the Comfort Inn Complex Winter Classic Championship with a 3–2 victory at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.

The Cardinals entered play on a four-game win streak and were fresh off Friday night's 3–1 victory over Wesleyan to earn their spot in the title game, battling the Mammoths in a tightly contested matchup. Amherst advanced to the championship following a 3–2 overtime win against Suffolk on Friday.

Amherst opened the scoring midway through the first period on a power-play goal by Josh Burke, giving the Mammoths an early edge. Plattsburgh State answered in the second period, as sophomore Quinn Tavares (Mississauga, Ontario) converted on the power play just over three minutes in to knot the game at one apiece. Burke struck again just over a minute later on another man-advantage opportunity, pushing Amherst back in front, but the Cardinals responded once more when Gabriel Filion (Montreal, Quebec) tied the game with a power-play tally at 13:28 of the second. The game remained deadlocked heading into the third.

Early in the third period, Amherst regained the lead on another power-play marker from John Small just over five minutes in, and the Cardinals were unable to equalize the rest of the way. Plattsburgh outshot the Mammoths in the final frame but couldn't get another by Amherst netminder Vincent Lamberti, who finished with 16 saves to secure the championship. First-year goaltender Brady Spry (Belleville, Ontario) turned aside 28 shots for the Cardinals in the loss.

With the result, Plattsburgh State drops to 7–5 on the season. The Cardinals will return to action on Tuesday at 7 p.m., traveling to Norwich University for a nonconference matchup. Spry, along with first-year forward Gabriel Filion and defender Mike English (Hague, N.Y.), earned All-Tournament Team honors for their performances during the Comfort Inn Complex Winter Classic.