Elmira College (5-4-0) at Wesleyan University (0-2-4)
Friday, December 11, 2015 | 7:00 P.M. | Spurrier-Snyder Rink – Middletown, CT
Live Coverage | Game Notes
 
Elmira College (5-4-0) at No. 8/7 Trinity College (4-2-0)
Saturday, December 12, 2015 | 4:30 P.M. | Koeppel Community Sports Center – Hartford, CT
Live Coverage | Game Notes
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team concludes the 2015 portion of its schedule with a trip to Connecticut this weekend. The Soaring Eagles will open the back-to-back on Friday, December 11^th, when they head to Wesleyan University for a 7:00 p.m. contest. EC will head to Hartford, CT, for a clash with nationally-ranked Trinity College at 4:30 p.m. the following day.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira continued its recent roll this past Tuesday, storming back from a 3-1 second period deficit, scoring four unanswered goals in a 5-3 victory over SUNYAC leading SUNY Potsdam. Senior captain Brian Depp '16 was the impetus that started Elmira's comeback, taking a puck coast-to-coast for a goal to halve the deficit in the second period. After Jeremy Marginsky '18 tied the game with just over nine minutes remaining, Depp set up the game-winner by Tommy Sumi '16 with 5:10 remaining. Jarryd ten Vaanholt '16 iced the game with an empty-net tally with 40 seconds remaining.
 
Depp Keeps on Delivering
Depp has been a man on a mission through the opening stretch of this season. He once again put in a standout performance on Tuesday night against Potsdam, collecting two goals and an assist in the victory. He got the Soaring Eagles on the board early in the second period on a highlight-reel wraparound goal. The senior captain put the team on his back after EC fell into a 3-1 hole later in the period. The right wing made a fabulous coast-to-coast play to net his second goal, while he chipped in a primary assist on Sumi's game-winner with an excellent backhand saucer pass. The Fenton, MI, native has now recorded at least one point in all nine of Elmira's contests so far this season, equaling his career-best streak from his sophomore campaign in 2012-13. With the three-point effort, Depp now leads the Soaring Eagles with 14 points and eight goals, while he is tied for the team lead with five assists.
 
ten Vaanholt Continues Breakout
Jarryd ten Vaanholt '16 seems to have things rolling, after a pedestrian start to the 2015-16 season. The reigning AHCA Second Team All-American has now posted multi-point efforts in three consecutive games after scoring an empty-net goal and adding an assist in the victory over Potsdam. The three-game streak with multi-point efforts is the longest of his career. He now sits at six points on the year with three goals and three assists.
 
Magliocco Makes Return
Elmira netminder Sal Magliocco '17 made his awaited return to the Elmira cage, following a four-game absence after sustaining an injury during the first period at Nazareth College on November 14^th. The third-year goaltender posted his finest outing of the season against Potsdam, stopping 29-of-32 shots to notch his first victory of the season.
 
Offensive Surge
Elmira's turnaround, following a slow start out of the gates, has been mostly powered by an offensive that has been nothing short of spectacular. The Soaring Eagles have navigated what was generally considered to be the most difficult stretch of its early season schedule with wins in five of their last six games. Over that stretch, the Elmira offense has averaged 4.7 goals per game, while it has posted five or more goals four times. Overall, the Soaring Eagles have found the back of the net 38 times through their first nine games, a 4.2 goals per game average which is almost a full goal up from last season's 3.3 per game mark. It has been a complete team effort, as 14 Elmira players have recorded at least three or more points on the year.
 
All-Time Series: Wesleyan
Elmira has only met Wesleyan three times prior to this season; however, two of those matchups have taken place within the last three seasons. The Soaring Eagles hold a 2-1-0 edge over the Cardinals, which included a 7-6 victory at the First Arena in Elmira, NY, last season. Wesleyan scored a 5-2 victory at the 2012-13 Cardinal Classic, hosted by Plattsburgh State. The programs first met during the 1973-74 season with the Soaring Eagles taking home a lopsided 8-3 decision.
 
Scouting Wesleyan
The Cardinals have gotten off to a slow start this season, entering the weekend with a 0-2-4 record on the year. The team is no stranger to close games, as its two losses have each come by a single goal in addition to the four ties. Defense has led the way for Wesleyan this season, as it has allowed just 14 goals through six games this season. The Cardinals are coming off a 0-1-1 weekend against NESCAC foes Amherst and Hamilton. Wesleyan opened the weekend with a thrilling 2-2 tie against the Lord Jeffs on Saturday, as senior forward Jay Matthews tallied an equalizer with 15 seconds remaining in the third period. The comeback was not meant to be the following day, as Hamilton jumped out to a 2-0 lead and held off a late charge by the Cardinals in a 2-1 contest. James Kline (4g-1a) and Matthews (3g-2a) pace the squad offensively with five points apiece. Third-year netminder Dawson Sprigings has seen the lion's share of time in the crease, entering the weekend with a sparkling 1.70 goals against average and .933 save percentage.
 
All-Time Series: Trinity
Elmira also has a brief history with Trinity, holding a 3-2-0 edge in the overall series. Four of the meetings have taken place since 2000 with the teams splitting the four contests. The last meeting between the programs is particularly noteworthy, as Elmira took a 6-1 victory at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena in the opening round of the Division III NCAA Tournament during the 2007-08 season.
 
Scouting Trinity
The reigning NCAA Champions are off to another solid start to the season in 2015-16, coming into the weekend with a 4-2-0 mark on the year. Entering the season as the top-ranked team in NCAA Division III, Trinity has hit a bit of a rough patch following a 3-0-0 start, losing two of its last three games. The Bantoms dropped a 6-4 decision to Salve Regina on Sunday, December 29^th, while the team split a road set against NESCAC opponents this past weekend. Trinity squeaked past Hamilton 3-2 in overtime, before falling at nationally-ranked Amherst by a 4-2 margin in the second game of the back-to-back. It has been a balanced scoring lineup for the Bantoms this season, as seven players have tallied five or more points on the year. Anthony Sabitsky paces the group with eight points on two goals and six assists. Nathaniel Heilbron and Alex Morin have split the time in Trinity's crease this season. Heilbron has posted a 2.76 goals against average and a .896 save percentage in 239 minutes of action, while Morin has posted a dazzling 1.48 goals against average and a .949 save percentage in 121 minutes of work.
 
Looking Ahead
The Elmira men return to action when they open 2016 with a trip to take on The College at Brockport at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 8^th. The Soaring Eagles will welcome SUNY Geneseo to the MAC the following evening for a 7:00 p.m. tilt.