Plattsburgh State wins title No. 7, returning core intent on extending dynasty

Plattsburgh State won its seventh Division III national title, and the third in four years. (Ryan Coleman)

In the 2017-18 season, the Plattsburgh women’s hockey team reached the Frozen Four. Many programs would be thrilled to get that far, but it wasn’t good enough for the Cardinals. With a rich, successful history, the team had played in the championship game every season from 2014-17, winning the title in each of those seasons. To play and lose in the third-place game was not where the team hoped to be.

The message for the 2018-19 season was clear. “Going into the season, we come up with a hashtag,” said senior goaltender Kassi Abbott. “Ours was ‘The Revenge Tour.’ ”

The coaches and players got what they hoped for, not only returning to the championship game, but also getting to square off again against Hamline University, the same program that defeated Plattsburgh in the third-place game the year prior.

The result was different this time, as Plattsburgh posted only the second shutout in the history of the NCAA Division 3 championship game and won, 4-0.

“Everyone was there for each other. That was a thing that helped us,” said freshman defender Hannah Rose (Chaumont, N.Y.). “The team was rooting for the team. Our coaches didn’t get down on us or make us more nervous; they stayed calm and knew we could do it, and they helped us get through it.”

The expectations for the season were set very early. According to Abbott, the expectation every year is for the team to be in the final four. While there was some uncertainty because there were a lot of freshmen and only five seniors, the bar was set.

Despite not being on the team the previous year, Rose said the freshmen could tell right away how much this season meant to the rest of the team.

“We had a chip on our shoulder,” she said. “You could tell from the seniors, from all the upperclassmen, that we wanted to get it all back. You get excited. You feel a part of something that is regaining momentum. It was amazing to be a part of.”

The attitude was evident early in the season as the team won its first five games. All five games were shutouts and the combined score was 26-0.

Rose said those games sent a message to the rest of the women’s Division 3 teams and gave the team plenty of momentum to carry forward with.

“It showed our opponents we were ready, but it kept us confident moving forward,” she said. “When you play so well, the love of the game comes into play and you have fun. I personally think it moved us forward in the best direction.”

Going into the holiday break, Plattsburgh was 10-1, with the lone loss coming in the Panther/Cardinal Classic opening game against No. 5 Adrian, 1-0. The team bounced back the following night, however, with a 4-1 victory over top-ranked Elmira.

Plattsburgh closed out the 2018 portion of the season with a 5-0 victory over Trinity for a benchmark win, Abbott said.

“I remember going home after that game and saying to my parents, ‘I think we’re going to win it,’ ” she said. “This team is something special. I’ve never played on a team that can go out and just have fun. Some teams get frustrated sometimes, but we all just had fun this year. There was no pressure on anyone. We’re here for the same reasons.”

The team returned from break to play another pair of tournament games against Adrian and Elmira, this time beating the former and losing to the latter. From there, however, the dominance was on. Plattsburgh won its final 12 games of the regular season, scoring at least five goals in nine of its games and winning by an average of more than five goals a game.

Abbott and Rose both said part of the key to success this season was the chemistry the team had, allowing for trust and open communication.

“When I make a mistake, and I cover up a puck or play it to my defense, maybe I could’ve done the opposite,” Abbott said. “When the period ends, I can say, ‘Hey, Hanna, should I have done this? What could I have done better?’ They do the same thing for me: ‘Can you see the shot? Could I have done this better?’ … It’s communication and keeping things positive.”

Plattsburgh defeated Oswego and Cortland to repeat as the only Northeast Women’s Hockey League Tournament champion.

In the first round of the NCAA tournament, the team played its first overtime game of the season but came out victorious over Endicott, 3-2. Plattsburgh then defeated sixth-ranked Williams in the quarterfinals, 5-3.

While the program had been in the final four before, the nine freshmen did not know what to expect for the Frozen Four in Mendota Heights, Minn. The team had a goal, however, and made sure to not let the moment overwhelm it.

“Traveling and getting out there, you’re thinking about it, but it’s not until you get to the banquets or first step foot in the locker room a little bit of nerves kick in,” said Rose. “But when you get on the ice, you’re focused. I’ve never felt like that, so prepared. You could tell we were supposed to be there, and we were ready to play.”

“Wednesday we had a pretty long travel day,” Abbott added. “(We) said, ‘We’re not going all the way out here not to get the trophy.’ That was the one thing that was different. We knew we weren’t going to lose. We played like it was any other game. People don’t like that saying, but we did. We played the national championship like we were planning to play the next game. The train never stopped.”

Plattsburgh defeated Adrian for the second time in the season, 4-1, to advance to the finals and revenge time against Hamline.

The championship was the seventh in program history, the most in Division 3 history. It was the third time Abbott had won the championship, although it was her first as a starter, and it was Rose’s first championship victory.

“You start throwing your gloves and find anyone in the pile to start screaming and yelling with,” said Rose, talking about what it was like when the final buzzer sounded. “I’ll admit, my emotions were up, and I teared up. I was amazed. I couldn’t be more proud of us.”

The celebration didn’t last too long, however, as the focus already has moved on to next season and going for championship No. 8.

“We’re in postseason training five days a week,” said Rose. “Everyone is focused, and we know what we have to do. We’re excited to get back on the ice and start over again next year.”