Cortland to Travel to Plymouth State for NCAA Men's Hockey First Round Saturday

Posted: Mar 04, 2024

Cortland Sports Information Department

The Cortland men's ice hockey team has earned a spot in the 13-team NCAA Division III tournament and will travel to Plymouth State University in New Hampshire for the opening round on Saturday, March 9, at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors (65+), college students with a valid ID, and children under 18. There will be no advanced ticket sales - admission will be available when the doors open at 5:40 p.m., and fans will not be permitted to leave or reenter the facility once admitted.

Cortland (18-8-2) is making its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. The Red Dragons earned an NCAA automatic bid after winning the SUNYAC tournament championship game this past Saturday at Plattsburgh, 3-2 in overtime. Cortland's 18 wins are one shy of tying the school record set during a 19-9 campaign in 1992-93.

The Red Dragons are led by 10th-year head coach Joe Cardarelli. Over the past three seasons from 2021-24, Cardarelli has guided the Red Dragons to three straight SUNYAC playoff appearances and a combined record of 49-27-5.

Plymouth State (23-2-2) earned an NCAA automatic berth after defeating Fitchburg State, 3-0, in the finals of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament. The Panthers won their fifth straight MASCAC crown and will be making their seventh NCAA appearance. Plymouth State's 23 wins this year matches the school record set during a 23-4-1 campaign last year.

The winner of Saturday's game will travel to Utica University (23-2-3) for the national quarterfinals on Saturday, March 16. The national semifinals and finals will be held on March 21 and 23 at Trinity College's Koeppel Community Center in Hartford, Conn.

Cortland is 5-2 all-time versus Plymouth State. The last time the teams met was in a two-game series in 2009 at the Tilton School in New Hampshire, with Plymouth State winning both games, 4-3 in overtime and 5-4. The previous year, Cortland swept the Panthers, 8-4 and 4-1, in Cortland, and the Red Dragons also won twice at home in 1998 and once at the Potsdam Invitational in 1995.