ECAC West Release
 
DANBURY, Conn. -- Five members of the fifth-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team have earned a spot on this year's ECAC West All-Conference Team, as announced by the league office this morning. Sophomore standouts Katie Granato '19 and Meg Lahey '19 were tabbed as ECAC West All-Conference Second Team honorees, while Louisa Lippiatt Durnell '18, Maddy Jerolman '19 and Kristin Chivers '19 received Honorable Mention accolades.
 
Granato is in the midst of a breakout season for the Purple and Gold, as the Naperville, Illinois, native heads into Saturday's conference title game with 27 points on 14 goals, both of which are team highs, and 13 assists. Of her 27 points, 18 were registered during league contests, as were 11 of the sophomore forward's 14 tallies. Granato's 14 goals are tied for sixth-most in the league, while her 27 points sit in a tie for 11th place on the league leaderboard. Additionally, three of her 27 points were registered on the penalty kill, making Granato the ECAC West's leader in short-handed points (2g, 1a).
 
Granato's scoring has come in bulk form over the course of the 2016-17 campaign. She has produced nine multi-point performances, including a trio of career-high three-point outings, and four multi-goal games. Her nine multi-point games are tied for the team lead, while her four contests with multiple goals lead all Elmira skaters.
 
Lahey, a second-year defenseman, also had a breakout season from an offensive perspective with 17 points on three goals and 14 assists, all of which are career highs and far exceed her freshman year totals of one goal, two assists and three points. The 14-point increase in production is the most by a second-year defenseman in Elmira's illustrious history.
 
Lahey's 17 points lead all Elmira blueliners and is tied for fourth-most in the ECAC West. Nearly half of those points occurred in an eight-game stretch during the heart of ECAC West play, as the Latham, New York, native produced eight points from January 13-29. Elmira went 7-0-1 during that time, earning a key win over Utica, as well as road victories against SUNY Cortland and William Smith.
 
A native of East Sussex, England, Lippiatt Durnell is having another fine season for the Soaring Eagles with 26 points on a career-high eight tallies and a team-leading 18 helpers. The junior forward, who is receiving the first all-conference nod of her collegiate career, has been exceptional on the power play this year, as she sits in a two-way tie for the conference lead in power play points with 13 (3g, 10a). She has totaled six multi-point games, including a career-high five-point performance in a 7-0 drubbing of Neumann on the road in the second game of the regular season.
 
Also with 26 points on the season was second-year winger Jerolman, who heads into the weekend with 11 goals and 15 assists. Her 26 points and 15 assists are both career highs for the Hamden, Connecticut, native. She is tied for the team lead in power-play goals with four, while her 10 power-play points (4g, 6a) are tied for sixth-most on the league leaderboard. Similar to her linemate, Granato, she has proven to have the ability to rack up points in a hurry, as Jerolman is tied for the team lead with nine multi-point games in which she totaled 18 points (8g, 10a).
 
Rounding out this season's award winners is second-year blueliner Chivers, who is making her second appearance on the ECAC West All-Conference Team after earning First Team accolades a season ago. The Antioch, Illinois, native is enjoying another solid season as a key member of Elmira's d-core with 13 points on three goals and 10 assists. Six of her season's 10 points were registered in a six-game span from January 13-24, which also saw Chivers record one of her two multi-point games of the season against SUNY Cortland.
 
Elmira's five all-conference selections will look to make history this Saturday, March 4, when the Soaring Eagles eye their eighth ECAC West Tournament Title in program history. EC will face top-seeded and top-ranked Plattsburgh State in the last-ever ECAC West Championship Game on the Cardinals' home ice at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena, located in Plattsburgh, New York. The puck is set to drop at 3:00 p.m.
 
ECAC West All-Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Melissa Sheeran – F, Jr., Plattsburgh State
Defensive Player of the Year: Maggie Salmon – G, Jr., William Smith College
Rookie of the Year: Jacquelin White – F, Fr., Oswego State
Coach of the Year: Kevin Houle – Plattsburgh State
 
ECAC Women's West All-Conference First Team
F: Melissa Sheeran – Jr., Plattsburgh State
F: Bek Lucas – Jr., Neumann University
F: Kayla Meneghin – Jr., Plattsburgh State
D: Erin Brand – Sr., Plattsburgh State
D: Megan Crandell – Jr., Plattsburgh State
G: Maggie Salmon – Jr., William Smith College
 
ECAC Women's West All-Conference Second Team
F: Jordan Ott – Sr., SUNY Potsdam
F: Katie Granato – So., Elmira College
F: Erin Gehen – Jr., Buffalo State College
D: Meg Lahey – So., Elmira College
D: Jane Pagano – Sr., Utica College
G: Camille Leonard – Sr., Plattsburgh State
 
ECAC Women's West All-Conference Honorable Mention*
F: Maddy Jerolman – So., Elmira College
F: Jordan Lipson – Sr., Plattsburgh State
F: Louisa Lippiatt Durnell – Jr., Elmira College
F: Gabby Schnepp – Sr., Utica College
D: Allison Ullrich – Sr., Oswego State
D: Kristin Chivers – So., Elmira College
D: Kayla Dion – So., Utica College
G: Kiera Goin – Sr., Utica College
 
ECAC Women's West All-Rookie Team
F: Jacquelin White – Oswego State
F: Natasha Steinle – Buffalo State College
F: Olivia Hirschey – Utica College
D: Hannah Kiraly – Plattsburgh State
D: Delphine Leonard – SUNY Potsdam
G: Alex Pfeiffer – SUNY Potsdam
 
*Additional players added due to ties