Score: No. 2 Elmira College 3 – No. 3 Middlebury College 1
Records: Elmira (6-1-0), Middlebury (2-1-0)
Location: Chip Kenyon '85 Arena – Middlebury, VT
 
Middlebury, VT -- Year-in and year-out, the Panther-Cardinal Classic features the nation's top teams and the 2015 installment of the tournament is no different, as the second-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team squared-off with third-ranked Middlebury College at Chip Kenyon '85 Arena in Middlebury, VT. EC trailed by one goal midway through the second period but the Soaring Eagles scored three unanswered, including a two-goal third period, to claim an early-season 3-1 victory over the Panthers. Today's victory marks Elmira's second win over a nationally ranked team this season.
 
Middlebury took a 1-0 lead on an Elizabeth Wulf power-play goal with 3:22 remaining in the first period. The Panthers carried their one-goal advantage into the first intermission, as well as a 5-4 lead in shots on goal.
 
Elmira took a protocol violation penalty to open the second period, giving Middlebury its second power-play chance of the evening. Thankfully, EC's penalty killers were up to the challenge this time around and denied the Panthers of another man-up goal.
 
Still trailing by one, Elmira forced a holding penalty on Middlebury's Shanna Hickman at the 12:22 mark. It only took 26 seconds for the EC power-play unit to find the back of the net, as Maddie Evangelous '19 scored to even today's contest at 1-1, her third goal in Elmira's last four games. Third-year forward Anna Tude '17 was credited with an assist on the game-tying goal, which held up through the end of the second period.
 
The opening three minutes of the third period saw a pair of penalties assessed; one to Middlebury and the other to Elmira. Neither team was able to score on their 35-second power-play chances, as the game remained deadlocked at 1-1.
 
EC's Kristin Chivers '19 picked up a tripping penalty 7:36 into the third period, putting the Panthers on the power play for fifth time. Middlebury had a handful of quality chances with the extra skater but Elmira's Kelcey Crawford '18 proved to be too much between the pipes, as she made a handful of game-changing saves to kill the Panther power play and keep the score even at one apiece.
 
Midway through the third, Elmira would settle back into the game as puck possession seemed to even out a bit. Then, at the 11:27 mark, rookie Maddy Jerolman '19 produced the biggest goal of her young collegiate career to give the Purple and Gold their first lead of the game at 2-1.
 
Jerolman's goal was setup by fellow classmate Chivers, who after jousting for the puck along the left side boards, found Louisa Lippiat Durnell '18 in the neutral zone. From there, Durnell carried the puck into Middlebury's zone along the left side before dishing it Jerolman in the slot. With the puck at her stick, Jerolman quickly snapped a wrist shot, beating Middlebury's Marisa Dreher glove-side for the score.
 
EC's goal seemed to give the Soaring Eagles an extra bit of jump from there on out but the momentum looked like it was going to shift again, as Phoebe Piku '16 was called for a slashing penalty at the 12:18 mark. Elmira's penalty killers, along with Crawford, stopped the Panther power play for a fifth time to maintain its 2-1 lead.
 
With the Middlebury power play ending, Piku was released from the penalty box just as the Purple and Gold started a counter rush. On the rush, Piku found herself with the puck on the ride side faceoff circle with classmate Olivia Nystrom '16 making her way into the slot. Piku made a swift spin move and rifled a pass into the slot, where Nystrom one-timed it past Dreher to give the Soaring Eagles a two-goal cushion at 3-1.
 
In a last-ditch effort, Middlebury pulled Dreher with almost three and a half minutes to play, opting for a 6-on-5 session to close out the game. Although Middlebury camped out in Elmira's defensive zone for the majority of that time, EC was able to keep the Panthers off the scoreboard and secure its sixth win of the year.
 
In Their Own Words…
Coach Dean Jackson '03 on how his team played this afternoon…
"Middlebury is never an easy place to play. The ice is Olympics size. The dimensions are not what we are used to, so we were a bit out of our element early on. Obviously playing the No. 3 team in the nation, along with the tradition and rivalry we have with them, we knew it was going to be a tough game. We started slow, they took it to us, and had a lot of momentum in the first half of the game until we scored our first goal. Once that happened, we got a lot of momentum out of it and got better as the game went on."
 
Coach Jackson's thoughts on the play of Kelcey Crawford…
"She played a tremendous game. She kept us in it and gave us a chance to win the hockey game. I think the shot total wasn't overly high but the quality of chances they had was higher than we would have liked. But Kelcey made some real high quality saves under pressure and in traffic. She really played a fantastic game."
 
Coach Jackson on his team's ability to score timely goals…
"The first seven games have had a pretty consistent theme, which is momentum shifts are significant for us. We haven't really dominated games. It has been a seesaw battle with whoever we play but we have certainly shown that we can score when we have the opportunity. I think we have done a fantastic jobs cashing in on those chances."
 
Coach Jackson on the importance of today's win…
"We know how it all plays out and how important these early season games are. They have such an impact down the line, so we know it was an important win. We just won a big game on the road in a difficult environment, so it was an important one as well for team morale."
 
Turning Point
Middlebury went on the power play three times in the third period and held an 11-to-8 advantage in shots. Having scored one power-play goal already, the Panthers were in prime position to turn today's game around. However, EC's penalty kill unit, along with the play of Crawford, stopped Middlebury on all three chances. Additionally, Crawford made 11 of her game's 18 saves in the third period to preserve the Elmira victory.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outshot Middlebury 20-to-19.
• Elmira went 1-for-3 on power-play chances while the Panthers were 1-for-6.
• EC was called for six penalties for 12 minutes while Middlebury served six minutes of penalty time on three violations.
• Evangelous, Jerolman, and Nystrom scored goals.
• Jerolman's third period tally went down as the game-winner.
• Tude, Lippiat Durnell, Chivers, and Piku were credited with assists.
• Crawford made 18 saves en route to her fourth win of the year.

 
News and Notes

• Elmira has two wins against national ranked opponents this year (#4 Norwich; #3 Middlebury).
• EC has scored a power-play goal in six straight contests, tallying eight man-up goals during that time.
• Elmira's defense has held its opponents to under 20 shots on goal for a second straight game and for the fourth time this year.
• The Soaring Eagles are 2-0-1 against Middlebury since last year.
• Elmira rallies from a one-goal deficit for a second straight game.
• 11 different Soaring Eagles have scored at least one goal this season.
• 16 different Elmira skaters have logged at least one point this year.
• Middlebury suffers its first defeat of the 2015-16 season.
• Crawford improves to 4-0-1 on the year.
• Chivers extends her consecutive point streak to three games.

 
Up Next
Elmira continues play at the Panther-Cardinal Classic tomorrow, when the Soaring Eagles take on ninth-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College at 5:00 p.m.