Shannon Strawinski '19 almost single-handedly brought the No. 3/3 nationally-ranked Soaring Eagles back from a two-goal deficit to beat archnemesis Plattsburgh State by a 3-2 score in double-overtime on Friday night. The junior from Toms River, New Jersey, scored all three Elmira goals for her first-ever hat trick and just the third multi-goal game of her career in what will go down as one of the best individual performances in one of the greatest NCAA Tournament games ever played.
The Soaring Eagles entered the third period with their backs against the wall, down 2-0 to a No. 2/1-ranked Plattsburgh team that entered the weekend with a 24-0-1 record when scoring the first goal and a 20-0-1 record when leading after two periods. Strawinski sparked the come-from-behind victory by tallying her first goal at the 3:06 mark of the third period. Then with 4:07 remaining in regulation, she re-directed a Rachel Grampp '18 slap shot into the back of the net to level the score at 2-all, breathing new life into the Purple and Gold. Both the Soaring Eagles and Cardinals had numerous chances to win the national semifinal in overtime, but it took 35:10 before Strawinski beat Plattsburgh goalie Brooke Wolejko to the near post with a wrister from the right-wing side.
The natural hat trick earned Strawinski a spot on the 2018 NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team. She finished her junior campaign third on the team in points with a career-high 34 (13g-21a), more than her freshman and sophomore seasons combined.
