PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The No. 2/2 nationally-ranked Elmira College women’s ice hockey team picked up a comfortable 5-1 victory over United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) foe Chatham University on Friday evening at the Alpha Ice Complex in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
It was a well-rounded night for the Soaring Eagles, as eight different skaters tallied points for the team, three of which posted two. EC finished the game with 49 shots on goal, the fourth most that it has recorded this season. Senior netminder Kelcey Crawford ’18 also played efficiently tonight, making 11 saves on the 12 shots that she faced. The lone goal allowed by Crawford was given up during a Cougar’s power-play opportunity.
It took the Purple and Gold just 4:15 to get on the board first, as freshman Tristen Tolan ’21 netted her third goal of the season. Fellow rookie Jess Adams ’21 was credited with the assist on the play, her second of the season.
The Tolan strike would stand as the only score of the first period, as Elmira took a 1-0 lead into the second. Freshman Devyn Gilman ’21 helped cushion EC’s lead with an unassisted goal at the 11:34 mark of the second period. The Gilman strike went down as the game-winner, as Chatman was unable to tie the score back up.
Senior Sarah Hughson ’18 helped grow the Soaring Eagles’ advantage to three goals with her team-leading eighth strike of the season at the 13:40 mark of the second period. On the tally, both Louisa Lippiatt Durnell ’18 and Shannon Strawinski ’19 made their first appearances on the score sheet, as they were given assists on the play.
Elmira maintained its attack at the start of the third period, picking up its fourth goal of the night just 2:35 into the third. Meghan Fonfara ’18 scored the goal for EC after receiving a pass from Tolan, her second point of the night.
Chatham drew the deficit back to three goals, 4-1, with the aforementioned power-play goal at the 4:30 mark of the final period. Despite this goal, Elmira continued to attack, retaking a four-goal lead, 5-1, just under two minutes later. Katie Granato ’19 was credited with the strike, while Hughson and Durnell received assists on the play.
The Soaring Eagles held on to this 5-1 lead for the remainder of the contest to improve to 8-0-0 overall and to 5-0-0 in conference play.
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Tim Crowley when asked to share his general thought about tonight’s win…
“I thought we played a bit sloppy to start, which is a credit to Chatham. As the game progressed, we adapted and played a bit better.”
Coach Crowley talks about the team’s morale after tonight’s game…
“We are happy about the win but, our approach needs to be better. We’d like to limit our turnovers and play a sixty-minute game.”
Coach Crowley shares his thoughts on the freshmen’s performances against the Cougars…
“I thought overall, they brought energy to the lineup today. Tristen Tolan was great for us coming off an injury from last week and her line with Jess Adams and Ari Smith ’18 was our most consistent throughout the night.”
News and Notes
Elmira improves to 8-0-0 overall and 5-0-0 inside UCHC play with the win.
The Soaring Eagles remain perfect in the all-time series against Chatham, improving to 31-0-0
The Cougars’ power-play goal is just the second by an EC opponent this season.
After allowing just one goal tonight, EC owns the top scoring defense in all of Division III, allowing just 0.75 goals per game to its opposition.
Elmira also ranks second in the country in scoring offense with 6.38 goals per game.
The Soaring Eagles’ 49 shots tonight are their fourth-highest total this season.
With a goal tonight, Gilman now ranks first in the country in points per game (1.50) by a freshman.
After tonight’s victory, Crawford remains one of just three goalies to have a perfect 1.000 win percentage, while also ranking tied for first in the country in save percentage (.967).
Durnell has posted at least one point in five consecutive games
Up Next
The No. 2/2-ranked Soaring Eagles will return to action tomorrow at for the second bout of their weekend double-header against Chatham. Puck-drop for the UCHC tilt is slated to take place at 2:30 p.m.
