As the winter months and cold weather look to pass, the Women’s Ice Hockey team hopes to keep skating into the early days of March. It’s been a good year for the Red Dragons, sitting at 16-7-4 overall, but the record doesn’t fully display the grit of this team. Alongside the four draws, five of the seven Red Dragon losses have been by one goal; thus, showing this team is ultra-competitive and a difficult group to put away. (Photo Credit: Cortland Athletics)
From January 3rd to February 14th, Cortland would not drop a single match, picking up ten wins and three draws. In their final homestand of the season, they would face Buffalo State and William Smith. The Red Dragons would handle business at home, posting a 2-0 record that Valentine’s weekend.
The following weekend, the Red Dragons ended their season on a road trip that would serve as a wake-up call right before the postseason. On this trip, Cortland would fall to (#12/14) Plattsburgh and suffer a 0-1 loss to Potsdam as well. An 8-4-2 conference record secured Cortland a third seed in the SUNYAC tournament, where they hosted Potsdam. Only four days after their initial loss, the Red Dragons would serve Potsdam a cold slice of revenge, winning in controlling fashion 4-1. Senior forward Fanny Aneborn, Linkoping Sweeden, would post a hat trick to help secure the victory. Sophomore forward Grace Karkas, Duluth, Minnesota, also chipped in with a security goal in the third period.
On the final day in February, Cortland traveled to Oswego to face the two-seeded Lakers on their home ice in the semifinal round. After the first two periods, Cortland would sit on a 2-0 lead heading into the third. Genevieve Sbrocca, a freshman forward from Fort Worth, Texas, scored the opening goal in the first. Fanny Anneborn would tack on the second goal in the second period of the match, but Oswego did not go down without a fight. With about 10 minutes left in the third period, the Lakers would score, making it 2-1. With continued pressure for the last stretch of the game, Cortland was able to hang onto the lead with the help of goalie Eline Gilodes. A freshman coming all the way from La Sulce, France, she was more than ready for the high-pressure situation. Eline would make 24 saves in the win against Oswego, including two major saves during a late 3rd period power play for the Lakers. The final score was 2-1 with Cortland advancing to the finals.
On March 7th at 3 pm on the campus of SUNY Plattsburgh, the Red Dragons will face the Cardinals in the championship round. Cortland has lost the last two matchups to Plattsburgh, including a 4-3 loss. However, I would not be surprised to see the Red Dragons pull off an upset this weekend, given how much familiarity they will have with the Cardinals. A win for Cortland would propel them into the first round of the National tournament, while a loss would mark the end of a great season and playoff run.