PINE VALLEY, N.Y. — The fourth-seeded Elmira College men’s ice hockey team is moving onto the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) semifinal round, following a 6-0 shutout win over fifth-seeded Chatham University in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night. The Soaring Eagles (8-4-1) awaits its opponent, which will be determined after tomorrow’s final quarterfinal game between second-seeded Stevenson University and sixth-seeded Neumann University. For Chatham (5-8-0), it marked the end of its season.
Eight skaters logged points for the Soaring Eagles, five of which finished with two or more. Leading the charge was a trio of skaters, Ryan Reifler ’24 (2g-1a), Jordan Gonzalez ’24 (1g-2a) and Shawn Kennedy ’24 (1g-2a), all of whom produced three points. One of Reifler’s goals was scored on the power play, while Gonzalez’s tally went into the books as the game-winner.
Marty Kapoian ’22 (1g-1a) and Jake Russo ’23 (1g-1a) finished with two points apiece. Single-point scorers included Mitch Haight ’24 (0g-1a), Jared Smith ’24 (0g-1a) and Chance Gorman ’24 (0g-1a).
In net, Chris Janzen ’21 amassed 31 saves in 60 minutes to secure the shutout win. He made double-digit saves in each of the three periods, including an 11-save effort in the third to preserve the win.
In the first period, neither team had many quality scoring chances, but EC cashed in on the best opportunity with 4.5 seconds left on the clock. Gonzalez tallied the game-opening goal on a low-lining shot from the slot, following passes from Russo and Kapoian. The tally from Gonzalez swung momentum in EC’s favor heading into the first intermission.
EC scored twice in a 2:14 span in the second stanza to push its lead to 3-0.
After intercepting a pass at the blue line, Kennedy carried the puck into the offensive zone with a 3-on-2 man advantage. Kennedy found Kapoian on the left dot, where he beat Chatham’s Ricardo Gonzalez glove-side for the goal at 2:53.
Elmira’s third goal was set up by Gonzalez, who snapped a long outlet pass from behind the EC cage to Reifler in the neutral zone. Reifler gained the zone, before dumping it to Kennedy in the slot. From there, Kennedy routinely buried a shot from close range to put the Purple and Gold on top, 3-0, at 5:07.
The third period saw Elmira score a trio of goals to seal the win. Reifler potted back-to-back goals at 5:29 and 7:56, the second of which was on the power play.
The first of two goals started with a pass from Smith that connected with Haight in the slot. Haight fired a shot but it caromed off of the right pipe. Reifler followed up on the rebound and punched it in for the goal.
Reifler’s power-play goal was scored in a similar fashion, as he collected a loose puck in front of the goal and snuck it past the Chatham netminder for the tally. Gorman and Gonzalez picked up assists on the goal.
EC’s final goal of the game came from the blade of Russo at 14:37. Following an offensive-zone faceoff win, Kennedy dished the puck to Russo in the right slot, and from there the second-year forward whipped the puck over the shoulder of Gonzalez for his fifth tally of the game.
News and Notes
- Elmira advanced to the UCHC semifinals.
- Elmira is 6-0-1 when scoring first this season.
- Elmira outshot Chatham 41-31.
- EC was 1-for-7 on the power play.
- Chatham was 0-for-6 on the power play.
- Reifler is on a seven game point streak.
- Reifler has scored two goals in back-to-back games.
- Gonzalez’s three points were a season high.
- Janzen improved to 6-4-1 on the year.
- Janzen made 30-plus saves for the third time this season.
- Haight recorded the first point of his collegiate career.
Up Next
Elmira will play in the UCHC semifinals on Friday, April 2. The Soaring Eagles are awaiting their opponent. EC will travel to face either top-seeded Utica College or third-seeded Wilkes University, depending on who wins tomorrow’s final quarterfinal round game between second-seeded Stevenson and sixth-seeded Neumann.
