Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's ice hockey team travels to Plattsburgh State this weekend for the most anticipated regular season series of the year. The No. 2 Soaring Eagles and the No. 1 Cardinals square-off on Saturday, January 31st and Sunday, February 1st with both games scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.
Battle of the UnbeatensFor the fifth consecutive season, EC and Plattsburgh State will open their weekend series unbeaten in ECAC West Conference play. Three of the previous four times the two teams met under these circumstances brought a weekend split. The only time that one team won both games was in 2012-13 when Plattsburgh swept the two-game series played at the Murray Athletic Center. That season, however, was Elmira's national championship season.
As Nos. 1 & 2Plattsburgh State and Elmira enter this weekend as the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the nation, respectively, according to the USCHO Poll. The Soaring Eagles and Cardinals have both ranked in the top-5 nationally in 14 of the previous 30 regular season games, but this is the first time in the series history that the two teams will be ranked first and second in the national poll during a regular season matchup. EC and Plattsburgh have squared-off as Nos. 1 and 2 in the USCHO Poll on two other occasions, but both of those meetings were during postseason play.
Nine Straight for RyanAshley Ryan '15 has been a steady contributor all season for the Soaring Eagles and is currently riding-high on a nine-game point streak. During her nine-game run, Ryan has accumulated 25 points on eight goals and 17 assists.
A Look at the CardinalsPlattsburgh leads the nation in scoring offense, scoring defense, and scoring margin, reaching those levels by outscoring opponents 48-5 during their current eight-game win streak. Freshman Kayla Meneghin leads the Cardinals with 32 points on 16 goals and 16 assists, 26 of those points coming in ECAC West play. Plattsburgh has also received 26 points from Shannon Stewart, 23 from Melissa Sheeran, and 20 from Giovanna Senese.
