The SUNY Plattsburgh women’s hockey team hosted SUNY Potsdam Wednesday and shut the Bears out 7-0 after the Cardinals’ first loss of the season.
Plattsburgh State’s (9-1) 2-1 loss to No. 8 Middlebury College (4-2) in the Panther/Cardinal Classic last Sunday marked the Cards first loss of the season but also the end of SUNY Plattsburgh’s NCAA record-setting 26-game win streak that started earlier this year Jan. 12 in a 6-0 win over Buffalo State.
Head coach Kevin Houle said the streak wasn’t on the team’s mind much, but he’s glad they set a record.
“I didn’t give it much thought,” Houle said. “Until people started talking about it, I had no idea the winning streak was at that point. You know, you just go out there and play every day and play hard and hopefully win some hockey games. Obviously, it was a great streak. Sooner or later it was going to come to an end.”
Freshman goaltender Lila Nease played in both games in the Classic. In 94 minutes, Nease recorded 36 saves and a .973 save percentage. For her performance in the net, Nease was awarded Rookie of the Week by the NEWHL.
Wednesday’s game was a rematch from earlier this season when the Bears hosted the Cards in a 2-1 overtime win for Plattsburgh State Nov. 13.
SUNY Plattsburgh didn’t have trouble scoring in the second matchup of the season as the team scored seven goals.
Junior forward Abby Brush said it was important for the team to pull off the win after its first loss of the season.
“Coming off the loss, I think we all knew what we had to do,” Brush said. “We all knew we had to come out and prove a point that we still should be ranked No. 1, so we all had to put the puck in the net.”
Brush netted two goals for the night, alongside five other scorers for the Cards. Sophomore goaltender Ashley Davis also recorded 14 saves in the shutout.
Houle said the difference this time around was the team’s aggressiveness.
“We were able to get to their goalie early, and that was the key to the game,” Houle said. “[Potsdam goaltender Kayla McCabe] played exceptional last time we played her, so we wanted to make sure she didn’t get that kind of confidence and hopefully come out of the first period with a couple of goals.”
Brush said she’s ready to put the Middlebury loss after the win against Potsdam.
“I think we honestly just came out with fire in our hearts and really wanted to put the puck in the net,” Brush said. “I think we did that really welland executed our game plan. Now I think we’re ready to bounce back and just continue with the season.”
Plattsburgh State continues league play tonight against SUNY Cortland away at 7 p.m.
