Press-Republican

Sports

Related Photos

  • Gabe Dickens

    images_sizedimage_066231047

  • Gabe Dickens

    images_sizedimage_066231050

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
March 7, 2010

Cardinals fall in ECAC West final

Elmira beats Plattsburgh State in conference final for third straight year

By COURTNEY LEWIS

DID YOU KNOW?


You can look back over the last 70 years at some of the area athletes and personalities who made headlines in area sports. Flashback will revive memories of great local athletes and outstanding team successes.

PLATTSBURGH — Elmira did something Sunday that no one else had done all season — beat Plattsburgh State at Stafford Ice Arena.

Afterward, the Soaring Eagles did something familiar — skated off with the ECAC West championship trophy.

Lauryn DePaul recorded a hat trick as the second-seeded Soaring Eagles won the conference title game 4-2 to claim their third consecutive championship.

Elmira (22-4-1) secured the ECAC West's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs, while Plattsburgh State has to wait for one of two at-large berths. The seven-team field will be announced at 10 a.m. today at www.NCAA.com.

Plattsburgh State (23-2-2), which had its 18-game unbeaten streak snapped, still boasts the best record in Division III.

"You never know how things go," Plattsburgh State coach Kevin Houle said. "I would hope we're playing and I would hope we'd be at home, based on our season. But we don't know what the NCAA will decide."

Sunday's game was the eighth meeting between the two rivals in the conference final. Elmira has won seven.

The Cardinals were 13-0-1 at Stafford before Sunday, and the Soaring Eagles lost a pair of 1-goal games there in November.

"Every time we come in here, we go for blood, I guess you could say," DePaul said. "We want to beat them by as many goals as we can every single time we come in here. And especially coming up short in the beginning of the year, that pushed us harder."

DePaul's third goal was a one-timer 6:40 into the second period that gave the Soaring Eagles a 3-1 lead. It was the first of three goals in just over a minute.

Plattsburgh State's Megan DiJulio brought the puck around the right side of the net and wrapped it in at 7:05, and 50 seconds later, after the puck got tangled in a defenseman's skates, Melanie Henshaw put it in for a 4-2 score.

The top-seeded Cardinals gained some momentum with back-to-back power plays and pressured for the rest of the period. Plattsburgh State finished the second with a 16-5 shot advantage.

"It was a little crazy there," Elmira coach Greg Fargo said. "The momentum swings were huge. It really felt like after we scored to go up two, we were on our heels for a long time.

"And I thought we were lucky as hell to get (our) next goal. They were taking it to us."

Elmira's Lauren Sullivan turned away 30 shots and made the All-ECAC West Tournament team. DePaul was named Most Outstanding Player.

DePaul picked the top corner from the slot to put Elmira on the board 4:21 into the game. DiJulio tied it, but with less than a minute left in the first, DePaul jumped on a loose puck and blasted a point-blank shot past Mandy Mackrell.

Elmira went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Plattsburgh State didn't connect in five chances.

"I think you could look at the special teams as being a big part of it," Houle said. "You know, they scored and we didn't.

"But I think they wanted it a little bit more. I think they showed that in the first period. They were making their breaks, and I don't think we did a good enough job making our breaks."

DiJulio and Stephanie Moberg represented Plattsburgh State on the All-Tournament team. Mackrell finished with 14 saves.

—

Elmira 4, Plattsburgh State 2

Elmira220—4

Plattsburgh State110—2

First period- 1, E DePaul (Ritzel), 4:21. 2, PS, DiJulio (Bowler, Moon), 9:27. 3, E DePaul (Steele-Norton, Colehour), 19:16 (pp).

Second period- 4, E DePaul (Walker, Steele-Norton), 6:40 (pp). 5, PS, DiJulio (Bowler), 7:05. 6, E Henshaw, 7:55.

Shots on goal:

Elmira954—18

Plattsburgh State8168—32

Goaltenders (shots-saves): Sullivan, E 32-30. Mackrell, PS, 18-14.

Power plays (goals-opportunities): Elmira 2-5; Plattsburgh State 0-5.

Attendance: 663.

All-ECAC West Tournament Team

MOP- Lauryn DePaul

F- Stephanie Moberg, Plattsburgh State

F- Megan DiJulio, Plattsburgh State

F- Jill DeBus, Elmira

D- Jamie Kivi, Elmira

D- Madison Johnston, Elmira

G- Lauren Sullivan, Elmira

E-mail Courtney Lewis:
clewis@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local Sports