February 9, 2011
Playoff implications for Cards, Middlebury
COURTNEY LEWIS
Press-Republican Plattsburgh Press Republican Wed Feb 09, 2011, 02:23 AM EST
Kevin Houle said Tuesday he hopes his Plattsburgh State Cardinals have the same kind of energy tonight that they showed the last time they played Middlebury.
Then, smiling, he added that he hopes the Panthers have the same type of game they had last time, too.
But he's not really expecting that.
Plattsburgh State beat Middlebury 5-0 Jan. 3 at Stafford Ice Arena in a game that was atypical for the two powerhouses. It was the largest margin of victory by either team in 19 meetings. They're more accustomed to squeakers — three of the previous four games went to overtime.
The Cardinals (15-2-3) visit Middlebury's Kenyon Arena tonight for their last nonconference women's hockey game of the regular season.
They expect the Panthers to have the shutout in the back of their minds.
"I think they'll definitely remember that," Plattsburgh State goaltender Mandy Mackrell said. "So it will give them motivation. I think it's going to be a really good game. It's going to be a close one."
Both teams come into this contest on seven-game unbeaten streaks. The fifth-ranked Panthers (15-3-1) have won all seven of those, while the Cardinals have a pair of ties.
Besides Plattsburgh State, the only teams that have beaten Middlebury are Amherst and Elmira.
Because both teams are in the East Region, the winner will get a boost in the NCAA Regional Rankings, which help determine the Division III tournament field.
"Certainly there's a lot at stake," Houle said. "Middlebury's been on a roll, I think, since (the January game), especially as of late. So it's a big game certainly for end-of-the-year seedings and that type of thing."
Julia Ireland and Grace Waters each have 17 points for Middlebury. Lexi Bloom, who is 12-2-1 in net, leads Division III with a .956 save percentage.
Both teams started their backup goalies last time — it was the consolation game of the Cardinal/Panther Classic — but Bloom took over in the second period.
Houle said Mackrell should be in goal for No. 3 Plattsburgh State tonight, and the senior netminder is glad to get a chance to face the Panthers.
"I definitely love to play them because they're just a good team," Mackrell said. "They're not dirty. They like to play hockey just like we do."
The game will be the Cardinals' last against a top-5 team until the postseason. After today, they have four ECAC West games left.
"We've talked about it's important that we play well going into the playoffs," Houle said. "And obviously our goal is to come up with five wins and head into the playoffs on a positive note."
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