Elmira, NY – The Elmira College Women's Hockey team travels to Brunswick, ME to take part in an NCAA Tournament First Round contest against host Bowdoin College Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Sidney J. Watson Arena. Below is everything needed to get ready for the action.
Last Time Out
Elmira defeated Utica 5-0 in the ECAC West Semifinal and fell 4-2 to Plattsburgh in the Championship game but earned one of three at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament.
Where We Sit
EC is currently 21-5-1 overall and making its first NCAA Tournament trip since the 2009-10 season.
NCAA Program Tournament Bracket Ticket Information
Elmira College in the NCAA Tournament
Elmira College will be making its ninth trip to the NCAA tournament in its 12th year as a program.
The Elmira College Women's Hockey program won back-to-back national championships in its first two seasons as a program (2001-02, 2002-03).
Elmira has made it to the national championship game four times in its previous 11 year history and is 2-2 in title games. The Soaring Eagles are 11-6 all-time in the NCAA tournament.
Great Goaltending
Lauren Sullivan '13 has been one of the top goaltenders in the country this season as her 1.23 goals against average is the second best in Division III. She is tied for the national lead in shutouts with nine, despite playing in just 17 contests. Sullivan also boasts a .932 save percentage playing over 1,000 minutes between the pipes for EC this season.
Freshman Phenom
Olivia Nystrom '16 was named to the ECAC West All-Rookie Team. She led the conference in freshman scoring averaging 0.93 points a game and finishing with four goals, nine assists and 13 points in conference play.
All-Conference Selections
Defenseman
Brooke Wilgosh '15 was named to the ECAC Women's West All-Conference First Team, while
Ashley Ryan '15,
Ashton Hogan '15 and
Madison Johnston '13 earned spots on the conference's Second Team.
Mary-Kate Gellerman '13 received Honorable Mention accolades.
How They Got Here
Elmira earned an at-large bid to the tournament as the runner-up in the ECAC West Tournament. The Soaring Eagles (21-5-1) fell to Plattsburgh 4-2 in the championship game on Sunday.
An automatic qualifier as champions of the NESCAC, the Polar Bears (21-4-2) won their first conference championship since 2004 with a 2-1 win over Middlebury on Sunday.
Scouting the Polar Bears
Bowdoin (21-4-2, 12-3-1 NESCAC) enters the NCAA Tournament on a seven game winning streak with their last loss coming on February 2nd.
The Polar Bears have three scorers who have tallied 25 or more points this season. Freshman Rachel Kennedy (16G, 14A, 30P), senior Kayte Holtz (13G, 15A, 28P) and sophomore Chelsea MacNeil (13G, 12A, 25P) lead the attack for Bowdoin.
Starting goaltender Kayla Lessard has a .949 save percentage and 1.25 goals against average playing in 20 contests this season. She has shut out opponents five different times throughout the year.
Comparing Common Opponents
Elmira and Bowdoin have not met this season but have played six common opponents throughout the year. Both teams have played Amherst, Hamilton, Middlebury, Norwich, Plattsburgh and Williams. The Soaring Eagles are 3-3-1 in common opponent contests while the Polar Bears are 8-2-2.
Both squads feature ties against Norwich and losses to Plattsburgh. Bowdoin went 2-1 against Middlebury, while EC went 0-2 including a 4-3 overtime loss early in the season. The two teams have both defeated Amherst, Hamilton and Williams.
Last Meeting
The last time the Soaring Eagles and Polar Bears met was December 2nd, 2006 when Elmira won 5-4 in overtime.
Looking Ahead
The winner of Saturday's first round game will advance to the national semifinals on March 15th against the winner of Wisconsin-River Falls and Gustavus Adolphus. The Division III semifinals and championship will be hosted by Wisconsin-Superior.
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