Score: Trinity College 2 – Elmira College 1 (OT)
Records: Trinity (5-2-1), Elmira (6-5-0)
Location: Koeppel Community Sports Center – Hartford, CT
Hartford, CT -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team has made a habit of knocking off nationally ranked teams during the first half of the 2015-16 season, and as a result, the Soaring Eagles entered this evening's contest on a five-game win streak. Elmira skated to a 1-1 score line through the first 60 minutes of today's game with the defending national champs, Trinity College. Unfortunately, the eighth-ranked Bantams would score just 31 seconds into overtime to claim a 2-1 win over the Soaring Eagles, snapping EC's five-game streak of victories.
Jarryd ten Vaanholt '16 scored the lone goal for Elmira, his fourth tally of the year.
Tommy Sumi '16 and
Alexander Taulien '18 were credited with the assist on ten Vaanholt's score. Rookie netminder
Sandro Aeschlimann '19 produced another high-quality start with 42 saves.
Trinity came out of the gates flying in the first period with an aggressive forecheck, which kept the puck in Elmira's defensive zone for most of the period. As a result, the Soaring Eagles were called for three penalties in the period, putting the defending national champs on the power play for six of the period's 20 minutes.
Elmira's penalty killers were up to the challenge, as the Soaring Eagles denied the Bantams on all three attempts. Credit much of EC's success on the penalty kill to its starting goaltender,
Sandro Aeschlimann. Aeschlimann stepped up time and time again on the penalty kill with a handful of quality saves. He finished with 11 saves total in the first period.
Trinity's aggressive approach backfired though, as Ryan Cole was called for a hooking penalty at the 16:39 mark. Just seven seconds after being whistled for its first penalty of the game, the Bantams saw a 0-0 game turn into a 1-0 deficit on a power-play goal by
Jarryd ten Vaanholt '16.
The Elmira scoring play began innocently enough, as the Soaring Eagles won the faceoff following Cole's penalty.
Alexander Taulien '18 received the puck after the faceoff and made a point-to-point pass to
Tommy Sumi '16. From the nearside half boards, Sumi launched a shot towards the cage, which allowed ten Vaanholt, who was camped out in the slot, to redirect the shot past the Trinity netmidner for the game's opening goal. Elmira carried its 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Trinity tested Aeschlimann right away in the second period, forcing the Switzerland native to make a pair of saves at point blank range in the opening minute.
Just a few minutes later, Elmira's
Michael Martin '18 was called for a roughing penalty, as a result of a big hit along the half boards. Martin's penalty put the Bantams on the power play at the 4:34 mark of the period.
It took just five seconds for Trinity to capitalize on the extra-man advantage, as Bradley Buvinow scored the game-tying goal. The scoring play was setup by a shot from the point that was initially saved by Aeschlimann, but the EC netminder was unable to cover the puck up, as it trickled out the weak side to Buvinow, who was able to easily punch-in the goal into the open net for the score.
Both teams would have scoring chances throughout the second period, as Elmira went on the power play three times and Trinity another two times following its power-play goal. However, both goaltenders came up with saves when their teams needed them, as neither squad was able to capitalize with the extra skater.
Trinity nearly scored shorthanded late in the period, when a two-on-one rush put Aeschlimann in an extremely vulnerable position. Thankfully, Aeschlimann made a diving save to disrupt the rush and cover the puck, ending Trinity's scoring threat.
With the period just seconds away from ending, Taulien was served up with yet another penalty, this one for cross-checking with no time left on the clock. Consequently, the Bantams began the third period with a full two-minute power play.
Elmira's penalty killers denied Trinity on its power-play opportunity, as the game remained even at 1-1 in the opening minutes of the third period.
Most of the third was uneventful, as both teams battled for puck possession. The few quality chances that both teams had were shut down by the men between the pipes. Credit both netminders for doing an exceptionally good job limiting second-chance opportunities.
The best scoring chance either team had occurred late in the period on a Bantam power play, when
Brian Depp '16 raced past a pair of Trinity defenders, setting up a one-on-one with the Trinity goaltender. On the rush, Depp was trailed by TJ Sherman, who hooked the EC captain just as he made a move to score. It looked as though Depp was going to be awarded a penalty shot, but instead Sherman was sent to the sin bin for a two-minute hooking penalty.
Elmira's near score was as close as it would get for either team, as the third period ended in a 1-1 tie.
It only took 31 seconds for eighth-ranked Trinity to find the back of the net, as Ryan Cole scored the game-winner for the Bantams. The scoring play came on a two-on-two rush, but during the play, an EC skater making his way back to prevent the goal fell to the ice and into his own defenseman. The mishap in EC's zone allowed Ross Mandigo to fire a pass cross-ice to Cole, who slid the puck past Aeschlimann for the win.
Turning PointToday's turning point was simply Cole's game winner. Up until that point, Elmira handled Trinity's pressure on the forecheck and limited quality scoring chances in each of the previous three periods. However, a long saucer pass to Mandigo set up a dangerous rush early in overtime, which put Cole in prime position just outside the crease to score the game winner.
Inside the Box Score- Trinity held a 44-to-31 advantage in shots on goal.
- Elmira was more efficient on the power play, going 1-for-5 on man-up chances, compared to Trinity's 1-for-7 mark.
- EC was whistled on 10 penalties for 31 penalty minutes.
- ten Vaanholt scored the lone goal for Elmira on the power play at 16:46 in the first period.
- Sumi and Taulien were credited with assists on the goal.
- Aeschlimann made a career-high 42 saves in 60:31 of work.
News and Notes- Elmira saw its five-game win streak come to a halt.
- The Soaring Eagles are 3-2 against nationally ranked opponents this season.
- Elmira's road record stands even at 2-2 on the year.
- Aeschlimann has four 40-plus save games to his credit this season.
Up NextToday's contest is the final one of 2015 for the Soaring Eagles, as the Elmira men return to the ice on Friday, January 8th, when EC travels to take on Brockport State. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:00 p.m.
