Behind a goal and two assists from Melissa Sheeran and 17 saves from Camille Leonard, Plattsburgh State defeated Wisconsin-River Falls, 5-1, to capture its third consecutive NCAA championship and fifth overall.
Plattsburgh joined Middlebury College as the only programs to win three consecutive national championships.
Despite the final score, it didn’t start well for Plattsburgh, as Wis.-River Falls struck first on a goal at 10:39 by Carly Moran off a rebound of a shot from star forward Chloe Kinsel, who finished fourth in the nation in scoring.
However, penalties proved costly as less than three minutes later, Jordon Lipson tied the game at 13:13 off on shot from in front off a feed from Sheeran.
The Cardinals took a lead they would never relinquish with 1:51 left in the first. Kayla Meneghin cycled the puck down low to Giovanna Senese, who circled around the net and found Sheeran unmarked in front of the net for the easy tally.
Though it was close after one, Plattsburgh put the game away in the second, scoring twice more and outshooting Wis.-River Falls 13-7. Plattsburgh made it a two-goal game at 12:20. Karen Hudson sent a blind to Ashley Songin at the left post, and she pushed it.
Senese then added another late goal with 1:23 left in the second off a feed from Sheeran, who found her in the crease with a pass that Senese backhanded in.
Plattsburgh finished off the scoring at 6:05 of the third when Katelyn Turk posted just her second goal of the season. After the puck was deflected in the air just outside the crease, Turk chipped at it several times, eventually getting it past the goal line.
The Cardinals close out the year with a 29-1-0 record, their best record in program history.
UW-River Falls, after coming in third place a season ago, finished its season with a 23-6-2 record.
