ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The nationally-ranked Elmira College women’s ice hockey team swept all three United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) North Division weekly awards for the first time this season, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Sophomore forward Mary McCafferty ’22 was named UCHC Player of the Week for the first time as a Soaring Eagle. First-year forward Kelly Matthews ’23 received Rookie of the Week honors, while junior Elizabeth Hanson ’21 was crowned the Goalie of the Week.
McCafferty logged her first multi-point game of the season on Friday, November 29, when the Soaring Eagles defeated Lake Forest, 3-0, in the opening round of the Lake Forest Invite. The Wall Township, New Jersey, native netted the game-winning goal in the second period, before dishing out a long assist that led to EC’s last goal in the final 14 seconds of the contest.
In the second period of the win over the Foresters, Matthews posted her first collegiate point with a goal that extended Elmira’s lead to 2-0. After a shot from the slot was saved, the rookie from Abington, Massachusetts, was positioned perfectly on the backside of the crease to finish the play before the goalie could slide to the post.
Spurring the Soaring Eagles to the win from the other end of the ice was Hanson, who improved to 3-0-0 with her third shutout in as many starts. The Stoughton, Massachusetts, product made a single-game career-high 31 saves and held the Foresters without a goal on two power-play opportunities. With the win, Hanson finished the weekend as the only qualified goalie in the country with a flawless 0.00 goals-against average and 1.000 save percentage. She’s also tied for first nationally in shutouts.
Ranked No. 8 in the latest edition of the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) national poll, Elmira wraps up the 2019 portion of the schedule this weekend with two non-conference bouts. The first on Saturday, December 7, will pit the Purple and Gold against the Amherst Mammoths at 3:00 p.m. inside the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena.
