Manhattanville put an end to the longest active unbeaten streak in college hockey Saturday with a 4-3 win over Plattsburgh. Amanda Nonis led the way for the Valiants with a hat trick against the defending D-III women’s champion.
The Cardinals had not lost in an NCAA women’s record 35 consecutive game — the last loss coming on March 18, 2006 against Middlebury in the NCAA Championship. The Valiants had been 0-6-3 against the perennial national power entering the day.
Nonis’ first goal, a puck off the back of goalie Danielle Beattie, gave the Valiants a 2-1 lead at the game’s midway mark. The nation’s top scorer Danielle Blanchard tied the game for Plattsburgh before the end of the period, but Nonis scored again midway through the third to give Manhattanville the lead again –this time on a pass from Dani Poupart. Poupart, at the point, faked a shot and fed Nonis in the slot for the 3-2 lead.
Nonis netted a critical insurance goal and completed the hat trick when she buried a pass from Poupart at the point for the 4-2 lead, while Plattsburgh’s Megan DiJulio was serving a five minute major and game misconduct. Down 4-2, Plattsburgh scored a power play goal to put the Cardinals within one goal with five minutes to play, but could not net the equalizer.
Sophia Kokkonis receiving her fourth start of the season, made some big saves on Blanchard and the rest of the Cardinals to record her third win of the season. She finished with 23 saves.
Plattsburgh outshot Manhattanville 15-4 in the first period but only had a 1-0 lead to show for it. Shay Bywater put the Cardinals on the board in the first period when she tapped in a rebound from Blanchard. Manhattanville struck back four minutes into the second period when Danielle Nagymarosi put the puck past Beattie to tie the game 1-1, setting the stage for Nonis’ heroics.
Plattsburgh defeated Manhattanville 2-1 in a rematch the next day.
