PITTSTON, Pa. — The nationally-ranked Elmira College women’s ice hockey team completed its weekend sweep of United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) foe King’s College (Pa.) with a one-sided 11-0 road victory on Sunday afternoon at the Revolution Ice Centre. Sixteen different Soaring Eagles logged at least one point in the rout, 11 of whom posted multi-point outings, as the Purple and Gold turned in their most impressive offensive weekend in recent memory.
While No. 3/5 EC fell short of Saturday’s new program-record of 82 shots with 70 on Sunday, the 11 goals scored are the most by the Soaring Eagles since tallying 12 in a 12-0 blowout of Chatham University on January 20, 2012. In addition, the 20 goals compiled by Elmira in the two-game sweep of the Monarchs are the most since that same weekend in January of 2012, when the Soaring Eagles scored 22 times in a sweep of the Cougars.
Leading the charge with three points apiece on Sunday were Tristen Tolan ’21 (2g-1a), Devyn Gilman ’21 (3a), Shannon Strawinski ’19 (2g-1a), Ari Smith ’18 (1g-2a), Meg Lahey ’19 (3a) and Katie Granato ’19 (1g-2a). For Tolan, Gilman, Smith and Strawinski, the three points represent new career highs, while Lahey tied her previous single-game best.
It was a special outing for the Class of 2021, as all six freshmen played an integral role in the victory. Tolan and Jess Adams ’21 each netted the first goals of their young collegiate careers, while Sydney Harris ’21 earned her first points with a pair of assists. Gilman and Emma Crocker ’21 (2a) both established new season highs for points and Elizabeth Hanson ’21 needed just three saves to receive her first victory in her first start between the pipes.
Rachel Grampp ’18 opened the scoring onslaught for Elmira at the 12:02 mark of the opening period by firing a hard slap shot past the Monarchs’ starting goalie, Emma Zeveney. Tolan doubled EC’s advantage less than five minutes later after finishing a play on which fellow freshmen Adams and Gilman were credited with assists.
Although the Soaring Eagles only scored twice on 28 shots in the first period, the floodgates opened early in the second stanza. In a span of 1:39, Tolan, Strawinski and Meghan Fonfara ’18 each netted one goal to more than double the advantage in a blink of an eye. Sarah Hughson ’18, the nation’s leader in both goals and power-play goals per game, continued her red-hot start to the 2017-18 season by depositing her fifth power-play goal of the year to make it a 6-0 EC lead. The period ended with the Soaring Eagles boasting an 8-0 cushion, thanks to scores from Maddie Evangelous ’19 and Strawinski’s second of the game at the 8:18 and 14:10 marks, respectively.
King’s was still unable to defend Elmira’s high-powered offense in the third period. A mere 27 seconds into the frame, Lahey stole the puck from an attacking Monarch on a two-on-two rush and set Granato up one-on-one with a King’s defender with an outlet pass. Granato finished the play by skating passed the defender and burying the puck top shelf on a backhanded shot. Smith and Adams padded the impressive lead with their first goals of the season, with the latter off the stick of Adams coming on the power play with 3:41 remaining in regulation.
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Time Crowley when asked about the efforts of Elmira’s six freshmen in the win over King’s…
“It was nice to see a couple of our freshmen get their first goals this weekend and contribute on the score sheet. It always helps when it happens early in the year. Lizzie was solid as well today. She’s someone the coaching staff and team are confident in.”
News and Notes
Elmira improves to 3-0-0 overall and 2-0-0 inside UCHC play with the win.
The Soaring Eagles lead the all-time series against King’s 2-0-0.
Eleven goals mark a new season high and are the most scored by EC since a 12-0 win over Chatham on January 20, 2012.
The 20 combined goals in the back-to-back games against the Monarchs are the most since scoring 22 on the Cougars that same weekend in January of 2012.
EC won consecutive games in shutout fashion for the first time since sweeping No. 9 Oswego State on February 21 (6-0) and 22 (4-0), 2015.
The three shots on goal allowed are the fewest for the Elmira defense since December 4, 2004, when the Purple and Gold limited Castleton to just three shots on goal.
Elmira is one of three teams in all of Division III that has yet to surrender a power-play goal, joining Buffalo State and Endicott.
The Soaring Eagles have scored multiple power-play goals in all three games to start the 2017-18 campaign and rank second in the nation in power-play percentage (39.1).
EC leads the country in both scoring offense with 8.00 goals per game and scoring defense by allowing a mere 0.33 goals per game.
Hughson is tied for the Division III lead in power-play goals (5) and is first in power-play goals per game (1.67).
Hughson also paces the nation in goals per game (2.00).
Four Soaring Eagles – Tolan, Gilman, Smith and Strawinski – posted career highs with three points.
Rookies Tolan and Adams scored their first-ever goals donning the Purple and Gold, while Harris earned her first two points.
Hanson is the first Elmira freshman to win her debut in goal since teammate Kelcey Crawford ’18 did so in a 6-0 shutout of Manhattanville on November 2, 2014.
Up Next
The No. 3/5-ranked Soaring Eagles will make their 2017-18 home debut on Friday, November 17, when Elmira welcomes Stevenson University for the first of a two-game UCHC set. The opening puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from the Murray Athletic Center in Pine Valley, New York.
