PINE VALLEY, N.Y. — The No. 2/2-ranked Elmira College women’s ice hockey team bounced back from yesterday’s defeat in a big way this afternoon by earning a 2-0 victory over non-conference foe Amherst College at the Murray Athletic Center. In the bout, senior netminder Kelcey Crawford ’18 became just the fifth Soaring Eagle to record 1,000 career saves, as she has 1,031 in her illustrious career.
For the second consecutive game, the Soaring Eagles and the Mammoths battled to a scoreless first period. Crawford made eight saves in the first, with two on back-to-back shots from right in front of the crease before Elmira reached the six-minute mark.
Despite the 0-0 score, EC did have a couple of solid chances to find the back of the net. The first came off of the stick of Emma Crocker ’21, who had a breakaway attempt at the 1:17 mark that she was able to beat the defender, but her shot would just deflect off the pipe. The Purple and Gold’s next solid chance came at the 10:30 mark, when Katie Granato ’19 had a one-on-one attack that she was just unable to put it on net.
The action really picked up in the second period, as both teams combined for 24 shots on goal. Despite the extra pressure, Crawford was again fantastic, making 14 saves in the period. A couple of Crawford’s stops were especially challenging, as she made two saves from point-blank range to keep the score tied at 0-0.
On the other end of the ice, Granato had another breakaway attempt that was almost identical to the one she had in the first. Granato glided down the right side of the ice and beat the lone defender, but the result was the same, as her shot went just wide of the net. Amherst’s starting goalie, Bailey Plaman, was just as effective as Crawford, making 10 saves in the second to keep the score at 0-0 heading in the final period.
The Soaring Eagles finally got on the board in the third period with a goal from Crocker. The score was created by a chance right in front of the Mammoths’ net, as Maddy Jerolman ’19 took the first crack. Off of that shot, Crocker was able to get a pair of attempts in before she buried it past Plaman at the 7:39 mark of the third to put EC up 1-0. Louisa Lippiatt Durnell ’18 was also credited with an assist on the goal, her ninth of the season.
After two missed opportunities in the first two periods, Granato was finally able to get a goal against Amherst, as she beat Plaman at the 9:26 mark of the third to give the Soaring Eagles a 2-0 advantage. The Granato tally came when she stole the puck from a Mammoths’ defender, when she then drove straight towards the net and fired the puck past Plaman on her stick side.
For the third consecutive period, Crawford was outstanding, as she made 10 more saves in the final 20 minutes to complete the game with 32. Crawford’s shutout is the third of the year and the 15th of her career, which ranks fifth in EC history.
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Tim Crowley talks about his message to the team after yesterday’s setback…
“Yesterday we did not have a full 60-minute effort. Today we wanted to have everybody going and make sure everyone brought forth an effort on every shift. Yesterday we got outworked. So today we learned from that experience and applied it to the game.”
Coach Crowley talks about Kelcey Crawford’s performance in the win …
“It seems like a constant theme every weekend, that Kelcey is one of our better players in the game. Today she proved again how important she is to us not only getting wins, but also calming us down when we need a whistle. She was really good for us today.”
Coach Crowley shares his thoughts about the team’s individual efforts in the contest…
“I thought that Katie Granato was our best player today. She created a lot of offense with speed in the neutral zone and if it wasn’t for a couple of unfortunate bounces she would have had a multi-goal game. I credit Maddy Jerolman for stepping up after I switched her line today. She needs to be one of our better players if we are going to be successful.”
Coach Crowley talks about continuing the team’s tough non-conference schedule…
“This weekend, we demonstrated that we still have a lot of work to do to get to the point where we want to be in March. The month of January is not going to be easy for us; we travel to Norwich to play in the North-West Hockey Classic. We play Adrian the first day and Norwich or Plattsburgh State in the second game. This weekend was a good weekend for us, as we were able to play a good hockey team. Looking at our first half of the season, we are happy with the results even if we could have been a little better.”
News and Notes
With the win, Elmira improves to 10-1-0 overall on the year.
EC is now 3-1-0 in games at the Murray Athletic Center this year.
The Soaring Eagles’ shutout is their fourth of the season.
Crawford’s 32 saves are the second most that she has recorded in her senior campaign.
Crawford became just the fifth Soaring Eagle in program history to post 1,000 career saves, as she has 1,031 in her time donning the Purple and Gold.
Crawford also rose to fifth in program history with 15 career shutouts.
With the shutout, Crawford now has three this season, which is tied for fifth-most in the country.
Granato now has 11 goals on the year, which is tied with Sarah Hughson ’18 for the team lead.
Granato’s 1.00 goals per game are tied for fifth in Division III.
Crocker’s goal is her fifth of the season, which leads all EC freshman.
The Durnell assist is her ninth of the year, which is tied for third on Elmira.
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to action on Sunday, January 7, when they head to Northfield, Vermont, for the East-West Hockey Classic, hosted by Norwich. Elmira opens the tournament with a 5:00 p.m. showdown against No. 4/4-ranked Adrian College on Sunday.
