POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam women's hockey team (9-14-1, 7-10-1 NEWHL) heads to second ranked Plattsburgh State (22-2-1, 17-0-1) tomorrow night for the NEWHL Semifinals. The fourth-seeded Bears will face the top-seeded Cardinals at 7 p.m.
 
After a slow start to the season, second year head coach Greg Haney and first year assistant Michael Kuruc have guided their Bears to a second half turn around with help from the leadership of graduate student captain Alexis Clark (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons), senior assistant captain Ellie Cleary (Buffalo, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) and graduate student assistant captain Allie Banas (Buffalo, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons). A 5-1 stretch in league play beginning in late January allowed the program to clinch its fourth playoff berth in five seasons and seventh since the program was restarted in 2008.
 
Junior forward Kaylee Merrill (Wasilla, Alaska/Anchorage North Stars) leads the Bears offensively with 16 goals and six assists for 22 points. Merrill has caught fire down the stretch, registering half of her points in just the last seven games. She ranks fourth in the NEWHL in goals scored this season. Junior forward Emily DellaNeve (Buffalo, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) has contributed a personal best 13 points on five goals and eight assists. Cleary has also generated plenty of offense with two goals and nine assists for 11 points despite spending much of her time on defense. Senior forward Stephanie Dunlap (Bath, Mich./Meijer U19 AAA) has five goals and five assists. A big boost to the offense came in January when junior transfer Megan Teachout (Auburn, N.Y./Oswego State) joined the lineup. The 2020 NEWHL Rookie of the Year has five goals and five assists in just eight games and has been a big part of Potsdam's surge. Senior forward Makenzie Martin (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam High School) (1-8-9) and freshman forward Sara Barrett (Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles)n (3-6-9) have totaled nine points each. Freshmen forwards Karley Green (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam Ice Storm) (5-3-8) and Lyvia Chambers (Buffalo, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles) have been a solid source of offense as well, combining for 16 points. Graduate student forward Emily Burke (San Jose, Calif./San Jose Jr. Sharks) (2-1-3) and sophomore forward Lexi Warner (Little, Mass./North Shore Vipers) have helped the Bears at both ends of the ice.

Defensively, a good mix of veterans and newcomers have kept the Bears in games. Cleary, Banas, sophomore Alex Quinn (Potsdam, N.Y./St. Lawrence Steel) and senior Abigail Lyon (Winthrop, N.Y./Lake Placid Rockets) have performed well. Junior Taylor Swamp (Akwesasne, N.Y./St. Lawrence Steel), sophomore Rebecca Holmes (Lawtons, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) and freshman Megan Sheehan (Akron, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) have solidified a solid core of defenders.
 
In goal, sophomore Ellie Zurfluh (Aravada, Colo./Team Colorado) has played skillfully in her first collegiate season. The 6-foot-2 goaltender has a 7-9-1 record with a .902 save percentage and a 3.39 goals-against-average. Freshman Hannah Barrett (Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles) has played ably as well this season. She's posted a 2-5 mark with a 4.71 G.A.A. and a .847 save percentage.
 
The Cardinal juggernaut enters the contest averaging 5.8 goals-per-game and limiting opponents to just 1.4. As they have to all but one conference foe this season, they have taken all three meetings from Potsdam. Plattsburgh is led by multiple scoring threats. Annie Katonka (29-20-49) and Kara Krauseneck (17-32-49) each have a team and NEWHL-leading 49 points. Ivy Boric has 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points and Nicole Unsworth has 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points. Erin McArdle and Mattie Norton each have four goals and 22 helpers for 26 points. Mae Olshansky (14-8-22), Kaitlin Drew-Mead (10-12-22) and Sierra Benjamin (3-17-20) also have at least 20 points apiece. The Cardinals have three talented goaltenders to choose from. Ashley Davis has seen most of the playing time and has a record of 9-1-1 with a G.A.A. of 1.45 and a .930 save percentage. Chloe Beaubien is 9-0 with a .930 save percentage and a 1.43 G.A.A. Lilla Nease is 4-1 with a .951 save percentage and a 0.92 G.A.A.
 
Tickets for the contest are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-12 and free for students attending NEWHL schools with school ID. Plattsburgh will also be streaming the contest at https://gocardinalsports.com/sports/2017/10/3/womens-ice-hockey-video-stream.aspx.