Kelcey Crawford '18 turned in a remarkable performance for the No. 3/3 nationally-ranked EC women's ice hockey team over the weekend. The fourth-year netminder was crowned the Most Valuable Player at the 2017 UNO Classic Tournament, after leading the Purple and Gold to a pair of wins against top-10 opponents at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena in Plattsburgh, New York. In perhaps the busiest weekend of her career, Crawford turned away a combined 95 shots in wins over No. 6/6 Middlebury (4-1) and the reigning national champions, the No. 2/2 Plattsburgh State Cardinals (4-2).
In her first start against the sixth-ranked Panthers, the Purcellville, Virginia, native posted 33 saves on 34 shots. The only goal Crawford surrendered in the opening round of the UNO Classic was a 5-on-3 power-play tally in the second period. Despite allowing her first power-play goal of the year, she was the backbone for a penalty kill unit that held Middlebury scoreless on four of its five extra-skater chances on Saturday night.
The highlight of the weekend for the Soaring Eagles was a 4-2 triumph over their bitter rivals, the Cardinals of Plattsburgh State. The four-time defending NCAA Division III champs, who entered the tournament ranked second in the nation, had won seven in a row against Elmira dating back to the 2014-15 campaign. However, EC used a record-setting effort from Crawford to shock the Cards on their home ice. The senior goalie made an incredible 62 saves on Sunday night, including a game-high 23 in the second period and 22 in a third-period shutout.
Crawford broke the previous single-game saves record – held by Lisa Marshall '14 (56) – by six. She also surpassed Marshall (904) on the career saves chart, moving into fifth-place all-time with 957 career stops. On the national leaderboard, Crawford leads all Division III goalies in save percentage (.970) and is third in goals-against average (0.83).
The No. 3/3 nationally-ranked Soaring Eagles will look to continue their unbeaten streak this weekend, when EC heads to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a two-game set against Chatham University. The first of two UCHC contests is scheduled for Friday, December 1, at 7:00 p.m.
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