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January 7, 2010

Mackrell answer in goal

By COURTNEY LEWIS



Plattsburgh State's November series with Elmira proved the Cardinals were still strong despite losing a highly accomplished senior class and gave them a head start in the ECAC West race.

It also answered the goaltending question.

Neither junior Mandy Mackrell or sophomore Anne Loewen had established themselves as the solo starter by the season opener, and the coaches went into the Elmira weekend with the idea that Mackrell would start the first game, and they'd go from there.

Mackrell stopped 26 shots for a 3-2 win the first night, and then backstopped the Cardinals to a 4-3 overtime victory.

"Elmira was my big weekend," Mackrell said. "As soon as I played that first game, and our whole team played really well, I felt like that was my weekend, that was our team's weekend to really come out and show everybody what we can do."

Going into this weekend's series at Utica, Mackrell has been in the net all but two games. Loewen has started once since the Elmira series. Jen Smith, who transferred in for this season, is no longer with the team.

Mackrell is 6-1 and ranks in the top 10 in Division III with a 1.28 GAA and .941 save percentage.

"The thing about her is she can let in a soft goal ... but she's mentally tough," Plattsburgh State coach Kevin Houle said. "She can come back from that. And that's the key in goaltending — that you don't get down and you don't get frustrated.

"She has played well in every game that she's played, and kind of the bigger the moment, the better she plays."

Mackrell's smooth transition into the starting job has continued a cycle. Plattsburgh State's last two goalies — Danielle Beattie and Bre Doyle — had to wait until their junior years and then took over for an accomplished predecessor and quickly had their own success.

"And it's all by luck," Houle said with a laugh. "We've been fortunate. We've recruited goalies that we've thought can play, and I guess you just never know until they play.

"I do think there's something to be said for not being thrown into the fire, having the chance to learn and watch ... and see a lot of shots in practice."

Mackrell's not so sure two years on the bench benefitted her. "I hate sitting," she said. "No matter what, I want to play."

Now that she has been playing almost every game, Mackrell said she has learned just how focused she has to be every night.

"I've really just played confident," she said. "I feel like I've got a great team in front of me, so I'm not nervous on the ice or anything. I've just kept my head up and really worried about the team more than anything."

Tonight Mackrell and the second-ranked Cardinals (8-1, 7-0 ECAC West) will face a Utica team that is unbeaten in its last six. The Pioneers (7-4-1, 4-2-1 ECAC West) were swept by Elmira and gave up a point to Chatham but then beat Neumann to start their current four-game winning streak.

Juniors Lynny Gonzales and Darcy Hier lead Utica with 12 points, and Jill Doherty has been in net for all seven wins.

Last season, the Pioneers came into Stafford Ice Arena the first weekend of conference play and recorded their first-ever win over the Cardinals.

"They have a great goaltender. She's tough to beat," Houle said. "And they're always tough to play, whether we play them at home or away. So we gotta be ready to play.

"They'll be ready for us, and they'll be looking to steal a point or two."

E-mail Courtney Lewis at: clewis@pressrepublican.com

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