March 5, 2006
Courtesy: Neumann College Sports Information with assistance from Mary Zupan -
Senior Lauren Voran led Neumann defensively with 30 saves, keeping the Knights who were out shot 34-14, in what would eventually be their last game of the season. Voran was supported by her defensive counterparts, senior Kim Porcelli, sophomore's Mary Zupan and Kaitlin Hein and freshmen Jessica Bryan, Vicki Scott and Laura Sutherland in a very defensive game for the Knights this evening. "We were forced to play more of a defensive game because of the amount of penalties we were given," said Head Coach, Phillip Bateman. The Knights were called for 12 violations in which they accumulated 24 minutes in the in the penalty box. This allowed the Cardinals to capitalize on multiple power play advantages, scoring three power play goals which supported the Cardinals even strength game winner scored at 2:36 into the second period.
In evening opened with a scoreless first period. However in the first minutes of the second period, the first-seeded Plattsburgh Cardinals showcased a renewed energy. The Cardinals scored two quick goals in the first five minutes of play, which caught the Knights off guard, but did not diminish their confidence. After that point, the Knights refocused and managed to keep the Cardinals at bay until the final four minutes of the period, when at the 16:48 mark Plattsburgh scored their third of the night, which put the tournament hosts up 3-0 going into the break.
The third and final period of play offered the Knights one last glimmer of hope as they scored one for the good guys 11 minutes into the period, and held the Cardinals scoreless until the final seconds of play. Sophomore Samantha May, scored the first and only goal for Neumann from behind the net. May's shot ricocheted off the goalies skate and bounced in, preventing the Cardinals from a much desired shut-out. However, before the sound of the final buzzer sounded Plattsburgh was able to break through the exhausted Neumann defense one last time, making it 4-1 Cardinals.
Even without a conference championship title the Knights have much to celebrate at the conclusion of the 2005-2006 season. Senior captain, Lindsay Parson's leaves Neumann as the Knights all-time points' leader and the very first athlete to reach 100 career points in women's ice hockey. Captain Lauren Voran earned ECAC West Goalie of the Year honors in her senior year of play, while Bianca DeSantis was named to the All-Rookie team in her first year as a Knight. Parson, DeSantis, Voran, Carly Fitzsimmons, Samantha May, Carolyn Fauteux , Jenelle Marier, Robyn Armstrong, and Jessica Lister have all end the season ranked in the top 100 nationally and as a team the Knights spent the last four weeks of the season ranked in the top 15 nationally. Rounding out the outstanding triumph of the year is that of the season record. The 2005-2006 Knights' 12-10- 2, 6- 5- 1 ECAC West record, ties the 2003-2004 season for the best record in program history, not bad for a team that started the season just 2-4-1.
