ECAC West Preview Video | Game Notes

Elmira, NY -- On Saturday, March 8th, the Elmira College men's ice hockey team will be competing for their 10th ECAC West title in program history when the Soaring Eagles travel to take on top-seeded Utica College.  A win for Elmira would give them the most ECAC West titles of any current or previous ECAC West affiliated institution.  

For the Elmira men, it is their first appearance in an ECAC West Championship game since the 2010-11 season, when the Soaring Eagles skated away with their ninth conference title in program history.  However, Saturday's game will have a different feel as the second-seeded Soaring Eagles will be playing in their first ECAC West title game away from the Murray Athletic Center since the 2005-06 season, when coincidentally, Elmira defeated Utica, 3-2. 

"We are happy to be back in the final and we are here to win the final" said Head Coach Aaron Saul '98.  "Winning [the ECAC West title] two out of four years is pretty special and I know that our seniors know what is on the line."

Elmira's last ECAC West Championship title in 2011 still plays in the minds of several players on this year's squad, including the 2011 ECAC West Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, Jesper Strale '14.  Strale, who scored the game-winning goal in Elmira's previous ECAC West title game, registered two assists in Elmira's win over Hobart College in this year's conference semifinals.  He has certainly been a key performer as of late for the Purple and Gold as he enters this weekend's game riding high on a five-game point streak. 

Saturday's championship game marks the fourth meeting between the Pioneers and the Soaring Eagles this season, with Utica holding the slight edge in the season series, 2-1.  Each of the previous three games has been decided by a single goal, one of which went into overtime. 

"It's going to be a tight game" Saul stated. "The three regular season games were really tough and could have gone either way.  We know what is on the line, we know that we have to stay out of the box and play our type of hockey."

Keep an eye on second-year skater Brian Depp '16 to make a big impact on the offensive end of things as he is coming off a career night against Hobart College in the ECAC West Semifinals.  In the Hobart game, Depp tallied three goals to record his first career hat trick.  Depp has also been a key player in the three tilts against Utica this season, totaling five points in the three games on two goals and three assists. 

For Utica, Saturday's title game is their first championship appearance since the 2005-06 season as the Pioneers have fallen in eight of their last nine ECAC West playoff games.  Wins have not come easy for Utica in the ECAC West playoffs as last weekend's semifinal win over Manhattanville snapped an eight game losing streak in the conference tournament, a streak that originated with a loss to Elmira in the 2005-06 championship game. 

The Pioneers will be in search of their first ECAC West title in program history this Saturday.  Utica has made the conference tournament finals three times in college history, this season being the third, after the Pioneers reached the finals in back-to-back seasons in 2004-05 and 2005-06.  In those two previous appearances, Utica was outscored 6-3.  

Saturday's ECAC West Championship game is slated for 8:30 p.m. at the Utica Memorial Auditorium in Utica, NY. 

Ticket Information
Admission for Saturday's game is $8 for adults and $4 for students with student ID.  Online ticket sales will begin Friday, March 7 at the Ticketmaster website (http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/259).