Cards make it three of a kind Plattsburgh State outskates Panthers in finals

Author: Caroline Moninger

The mantra for the women's hockey team in the 2005-2006 season was "make every day count." The mantra for the team on Saturday night was "make every second count."
The enduring image from Middlebury's 2-1 loss to the Plattsburgh State Cardinals in the NCAA championship game will be the final 24 seconds. Trailing by a score of 2-1 with 1:11 remaining, Coach Bill Mandigo pulled goalie Lani Wright '10 for an extra skater.
With 24 seconds left, Emily McNamara '07, the smallest player on the ice, stood in front of her empty net to block a point-blank Cardinal shot that would have put the game out of reach. With two seconds remaining, various Panthers dove in front of their own net in order to once again keep the Cardinals from scoring an empty netter. By this time, there was no longer any hope of winning the game. There was only a refusal to quit, regardless of the time left on the clock or the inevitable outcome.
This is what will resonate with Middlebury women's hockey fans and players when reminiscing about the championship game, not the final score.
The final score, however, was not in Middlebury's favor. In a press conference the day before Saturday's game, Mandigo addressed the level of talent on the Cardinal squad, observing that many of them could be playing at the Division I level if they so chose.
He was not joking.
In a rematch of last year's title game - which the Panthers won by a score of 3-1 - the talent-laden Cardinals came out firing. In their smaller arena, they packed it in tightly in their defensive zone and tried to take advantage of quick odd-man rushes up the ice offensively.
This approach paid off exactly 19 minutes into the first period when Cardinal Lindsay Brown skated in on a two-on-one advantage. Brown kept the puck for herself and slid it past the outstretched right pad of Wright to give Plattsburgh a 1-0 lead.
In the two previous match-ups between these two teams this year - both of which Plattsburgh won - the Cardinals notched the first goal as well.
Plattsburgh extended its lead to 2-0 at the 6:38 mark of the second period as Danielle Blanchard made a few nifty moves along the right wing before feeding a backhand pass to a wide-open Shay Bywater, who buried the puck.
In this penalty-filled second period, Middlebury cut the lead in half 10:20 later with a power-play goal by captain Shannon Sylvester '07. Almost immediately after the Cardinals killed off a 5-on-3 power play, the Panthers went up a skater once again. This time, they would not be denied as Sylvester gathered a pass in the slot and slid it through the five hole of goalie Bree Doyle.
The shift in momentum was clear, with the Panthers continuing to press for the remainder of the second frame and most of the third. This pressure provided the Panthers with a number of excellent scoring chances, particularly in the final minute of the game. Unfortunately for Middlebury, Doyle would not be foiled again.
The Panthers scored with greater ease in the semifinal game the night before against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers, a 5-1 victory for the Panthers.
Karen Levin '08 opened the scoring 13:12 into the first period with a power play goal off a pretty cross-ice feed from Annmarie Cellino '09. Ellen Sargent '07 extended the Panther lead to 2-0 a mere 1:11 into the second frame.
Sargent was selected by Mandigo as the Panthers' representative to address all four teams at a banquet on Thursday night. She stressed the importance of role players on all championship teams. Everyone has a role and one player's role is no less essential than any other's.
She viewed herself as a role player, she continued, and in such a team-oriented program, she had not only accepted but also come to embrace her role.
Sargent left no doubts this weekend about the essential role that she played on this team as she was named to the All-Tournament Team. She was joined by Shannon Tarrant '07, who was also named First-Team All-American earlier in the week. NESCAC Player of the Year Abby Kurtz-Phelan '07 also earned First-Team All-American honors.
Following Sargent's example, the Panthers unleashed a scoring barrage to open the third period. Molly Vitt '09 and Kurtz-Phelan scored two quick goals. Pointer Katy Lankey spoiled Wright's bid for a shutout late in the game with a shorthanded goal to bring the score to 4-1. Sylvester closed out the scoring with an empty netter with 55 seconds left.
Even with all of these wonderful moments to take away from the weekend, the lasting memory for this team will be those final 24 seconds.
"Obviously we were disappointed by the final score against Plattsburgh," said Erika Nakamura '09. "Each player wanted to win that championship for everyone else on the team, especially for the seniors. But the loss will motivate us for next season starting right now."
There is no better lesson that a group of seniors could impart on its teammates - refuse to give up, no matter the obstacle.