The games are getting more and more intense, as every team is hoping to peak at the right time.
In the women’s Division III ranks, it appears top-ranked Plattsburgh is on a mission.
The Cardinals remained undefeated (20-0-0) in knocking off No. 2 Elmira by scores of 4-2 Saturday and 7-1 Sunday. On Saturday, Melissa Sheeran scored twice and Camille Leonard made 31 saves for the win. Shannon Strawinski and Sarah Hughson scored for Elmira. Sunday, Sheeran rang up two goals and two assists and Courtney Moriarty tallied a hat trick as Leonard moved to 18-0-0 with a 22-save effort.
No. 3 Adrian took four points against St. Norbert, blanking the Green Knights Friday, 2-0, behind Jade Walsh’s 14 saves. Saturday, Kylie Gazzolo tied the game for SNC at 16:12 of the third period before Kaylyn Schroka’s power-play goal at 3:51 of extra time gave the Bulldogs the 3-2 win. Walsh made 20 saves and Leigh Grall stopped 24 for St. Norbert.
Look for No. 4 St. Thomas to fall in Monday’s USCHO.com Division III Women’s Poll, as the Tommies lost both ends of a home-and-home series with St. Benedict. Friday, Angel Hillstrom made 37 saves in a 3-2 win that also saw Elli Marvin score two goals. Mackenzie Torpy made 15 saves for St. Thomas. On Saturday, the Blazers’ Brigette Miller posted two goals and two assists and Hillstrom was again unbelievable, turning aside 48 shots. Hannah Burns scored two for St. Thomas.
Fifth-ranked Lake Forest sat idle over the weekend.
No. 6 Amherst outscored Williams 9-1, winning 5-0 Friday and 4-1 Saturday. In the opener, Sabrina Dobbins made 34 saves and five different players scored. Dobbins recorded a 30-save outing Saturday, while Alex Toupal popped two goals.
Middlebury went into the weekend ranked seventh and came out of the weekend with two wins over Hamilton. The Panthers won 1-0 Friday as Katherine Jackson netted the lone goal and Julia Neuburger stopped all 11 shots she faced. Sam Walther made 22 saves for Hamilton. Neuburger stopped all 20 Saturday in a 2-0 win and Elizabeth Wulf and Kelly Sherman scored. Walther again finished with 22 saves.
Eighth-ranked Wisconsin-River Falls fell Saturday night, 3-1, to Wisconsin-Superior. Mikayla Goodin scored twice for Superior and Sky Brown kicked out 33 shots. Angie Hall made just 13 stops for River Falls.
Holy Cross soundly defeated No. 9 Castleton, 4-1, Saturday night. Maeve Reilly scored twice and Tessie Salatas stopped 20 shots for Holy Cross. Jess Cameron made 26 saves for Castleton and Aimee Briand scored the lone goal.
No. 10 Norwich won both of its games last weekend, downing Plymouth State 4-2 Friday and Massachusetts-Boston 1-0 Saturday on a Celeste Robert 24-save shutout. Rachel Myette stopped 40 for PSU, only allowing a first-period goal to Sarah Schwenzfeier. On Friday, four different players found the back of the net for the Cadets and Laurie King made 14 saves.
Expect some movement in Monday’s poll, for sure. My guess is that Adrian and Elmira flip flop, St. Thomas drops to No. 6, Lake Forest to 4, Amherst to 5, then Middlebury still 7, Norwich 8, River Falls 9 and Castleton coming in at No. 10.
