Cardinals Ascend to No. 1; Two Skaters Earn Awards

December 08, 2009

CENTERVILLE, Mass. (Dec. 8, 2009) -- On the strength of an Eastern College Athletic Conference West Division sweep of Neumann University by a combined 13-0 score, the SUNY Plattsburgh women's hockey team saw center Stephanie Moberg receive player of the week and Mandy Mackrell, goaltender of the week honors from the conference, for the period ending Sunday.

A senior co-captain from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Northwood School), Moberg had a five-point weekend--including a team-best four goals--to surpass 100 for her career, becoming the sixth Cardinal to reach that milestone. She had two goals and an assist in Saturday's 6-0 win against the Knights, and followed up that performance with two goals on Sunday to finish off the Knights, 7-0. She added 11 shots on goal and a plus-8 rating. She now has 102 points on 41 goals and 61 assists in her 88-game career.

Mackrell, a junior from Cleveland, Ohio, posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time in her career, compiling 42 saves versus Neumann. She lowered her goals-against average from 1.99 to 1.20, which ranks second in the ECAC West. She also tops the league with a .943 save percentage and 1.000 winning percentage (5-0). She picks up the conference award for the second time in three weeks.

In addition, junior forward Brittany Meade (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) was recognized on the Honor Roll for player of the week consideration. She recorded the best two-game stretch of her career by leading the team with seven points on two goals (one for a power play) and five assists, to go along with four shots on goal and plus-8 rating. She is now tied for first on the team with eight assists and 11 points in only six games, both already career highs to go along with a personal-best three goals.

In other Cardinal hockey news, Plattsburgh has supplanted defending national champion Amherst (4-0-1) atop the NCAA Division III national rankings by USCHO.com. The Cardinals tallied 144 points, including 10 first-place votes, while the Lord Jeffs received 137 points and five first-place nods. This marks Plattsburgh's first No. 1 ranking since last Jan. 19. Amherst started the season at No. 1 for five weeks in a row before a 1-0-1 week against Trinity (Conn.) at home dropped the Lord Jeffs out of the top spot.

Plattsburgh heads into the New Year with a 7-0 overall and ECAC-West record, the first time in school history that the team is undefeated and untied going into the Christmas Break. The Cardinals are wrapping up the fall semester with final exams this week, and will be idle until Jan. 3-4 when they travel to Middlebury, Vt., for the annual Panther-Cardinal Classic. Part of the team's success so far this season has been its balance: 14 different players have accounted for the team's 37 goals, and all but two skaters have at least one point.

Click here for full ECAC-West release: www.ecacsports.com/dIII_hockey/womens_west/2009-10/releases/release_6

Click here for complete NCAA Division II pol: http://www.uscho.com/rankings/