College Hockey Stats Box Score
 
Pine Valley, NY -- The No. 1 nationally ranked, and top seeded, Elmira College women's ice hockey team successfully defended their home ice in today's ECAC West Conference Semifinal, as the Soring Eagles downed fourth seeded Utica College, 6-3.  With the win, Elmira reaches their third consecutive ECAC West Championship game. 
 
Leading the way for Elmira was Brooke Wilgosh '15, who finished with four points on one goal and three assists.  Her four points brings her career total to 97, putting her just three away from becoming the first defenseman in EC history to reach the 100-point plateau.
 
Classmates Ashley Ryan '15, Cassidy Delainey '15, and Erin Weston chipped in with three points apiece.  Ryan's three points came in the form of one goal and two assists.  Her two helpers ups her season total to 41, putting Ryan in a two-way tie for the Elmira College single-season record for assists.  Ryan is one assist away from moving into sole possession of first place on the EC all-time list and also one shy of tying the NCAA single-season record.
 
All three of Delainey's points came on power-play chances, as she scored two power-play goals and assisted on another.  Delainey's two power-play goals increased her season total to 18, the most power-play scores by a collegiate player, man or woman, across all divisions of college hockey this season.  
 
Weston assisted on the game's first two goals, and scored the final one of the game, making up her three points.  Today's three-point performance is the third time this season Weston has finished with three points.
 
Kyle Nelson '17 got the start between the pipes this afternoon for Elmira and would make 16 saves en route to her 14th win of the season.  For Nelson, today's win is her 11th straight victory. 
 
Elmira utilized a hefty advantage in shots to control today's semifinal, outshooting the Pioneers 44-to-19.  The Soaring Eagles also took advantage of power-play chances, going 4-for-11, scoring a pair of power-play goals in the first and third periods. 
 
The first 10 minutes of the first period had minimal shots on goal, however, the final 10 minutes saw plenty of action as four goals split evenly between the two teams resulted in a 2-2 tie entering the first intermission.
 
Cassidy Delainey '15 scored the game's opening goal 10:25 into the period with her 17th power-play goal of the season.  Working in the slot, Delainey slipped a shot through traffic, beating the Utica goalie on the left side for the score.  Erin Weston '15 and Brooke Wilgosh '15 tallied assists on the game's opening goal.  
 
Elmira's lead was short lived, as Victoria Pelton evened the game at 1-1 less than two minutes later.  However, another power-play goal, this time by Brooke Wilgosh '15, gave the Purple and Gold a 2-1 lead at the 16:35 mark of the period.  Wilgosh's goal was a result of pure power and precision as her slap shot from the point found the top shelf for the score.  Weston and Ashton Hogan '15 picked up assists on the go ahead goal.
 

With the period coming to a close, Louise Steele-Norton, sister of former EC hockey standout Ana Steele-Norton, forced a turnover in Elmira's defensive zone, creating a scoring opportunity with under a minute to play.  After stealing the puck, Steele-Norton fired a pass to Kelsey Dowdall in the slot, where she would beat Elmira's Kyle Nelson '17 for the score, tying things up at 2-2 with 40 seconds to play in the period.
 
In the second period, it took less than six minutes for the Soaring Eagles to reclaim their lead as the nation's leading point scorer, Ashley Ryan '15, scored her 18th goal of the season to put EC back on top, 3-2.  Wilgosh began the scoring play as she carried the puck out of Elmira's defensive zone and created a two-on-one rush.  On the rush, Wilgosh slid a pass to Ryan on the right side, where Ryan buried a one-time shot for the goal. 
 
Elmira's one goal lead stood for nearly 10 minutes, until Ashton Hogan '15, the nation's leading goal scorer, scored her 31st goal of the season.  Hogan buried a wrist shot, top shelf, for the score at the 15:53 mark to give the Purple and Gold a 4-2 lead, their largest lead of the game.  Rookie Erin Kishoni '18 picked up an assist on, what would turn out to be, the final goal of the period. 
 
The Soaring Eagles looked to build on their two goal lead in the third, and did so just 15 seconds into the period, as Delainey scored her 18th power-play goal of the season.  Delainey redirected a slap shot by Wilgosh for her second goal of the afternoon.  Wilgosh and Ryan were credited with assists.
 
Less than two minutes later, at the 2:03 mark of the third, Weston scored Elmira's fourth power-play goal of the contest.  An initial shot by Ryan from the right side of the ice found its way to Delainey in the slot, where she tipped the puck towards net, just missing wide left.  However, Delainey's attempt found Weston, who fired a quick shot into the open net as Utica goalie Keira Goin was pulled out of position.  Both Delainey and Ryan picked up assists on the goal.
 
Elmira would hold onto their four-goal lead for the majority of the period, until Utica's Gabrielle Schnepp scored a power-play goal, cutting EC's lead to three with 3:25 to play in the game.  Utica's goal would prove to be too little too late as the Soaring Eagles went on to win it, 6-3.
 
The Soaring Eagles will be back in action tomorrow, as they will be vying for their eighth ECAC West Championship in program history.  Tomorrow's championship game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Murray Athletic Center in Pine Valley, NY.  Elmira will face the winner of tonight's 7:00 p.m. game between second seeded Plattsburgh State and third seeded Oswego State.