Elmira College (8-5-1) vs. Salve Regina University (8-5-1)
Friday, January 15, 2016 | 4:30 P.M. | Martha's Vineyard Ice Arena – Oak Bluffs, MA
Game Notes
 
Elmira College (8-5-1) vs. Curry College (5-7-2)
Saturday, January 16, 2016 | 2:00 P.M. | Martha's Vineyard Ice Arena – Oak Bluffs, MA
Game Notes
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team looks to stay hot when it concludes non-conference play off the mainland at the Martha's Vineyard Tournament. The Soaring Eagles open the two-day tournament on Friday evening when they take on Salve Regina University at 4:30 p.m. EC concludes the event the following day when it faces Curry College at 2:00 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
The Elmira College men's ice hockey team continued to post strong performances earlier this week when it secured a hard-fought 2-2 tie on the road against a streaking Buffalo State team on Tuesday evening. Trailing 1-0 after the first intermission, the Soaring Eagles put together an excellent second period effort, as Carter Shinkaruk '16 and Jarryd ten Vaanholt '16 each found the back of the net to push EC to a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes. The Bengals rallied for a power-play goal just 3:44 into the final period, while neither team could break the deadlock through the remaining 21:16 of regulation and overtime.
 
Peaking at the Right Time
After a difficult 1-4-0 start to the season, some began to wonder if EC's hole was to deep to climb out of, as a brutally tough stretch of non-conference play loomed. All the Soaring Eagles did was respond by rattling off a 7-1-1 record since that point, which includes four victories over nationally-ranked teams. This weekend marks the final pair of non-conference matchups before jumping back into ECAC West play for the final sprint. Outscoring its opponents 38-21 over the recent run, it is indisputable that Elmira seems to be peaking at the perfect time for its pivotal stretch of conference contests.
 
Streaking Shinkaruk
Carter Shinkaruk '16 has been hot as wildfire during Elmira's recent surge; however, he has taken it to another level since the calendar turned to 2016. The senior center found the back of the net for the third straight game in the tie against Buffalo State on Tuesday, bringing his total to six through the first three games this month. He leads the nation in goal scoring in the month of January, while his 1.15 goals per game average is tops in Division III men's hockey this season. Overall, Shinkaruk's 15 goals on the year are tied for second-most in the country. His scoring binge not only netted him a place amongst the elite scorers in the nation, but also ECAC West Player of the Week and D3hockey.com Team of the Week honors
 
Series History: Salve Regina
The series with the Seahawks is quite brief, as the only previous meeting between the two programs occured last season in a 4-3 Elmira victory at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena. Salve Regina carried a 3-2 lead into the third period; however,  Tyler Theodoulou '18 netted an equalizer to set up ten Vaanholt for a power-play winner with under seven minutes left.
 
Scouting the Seahawks
Salve Regina's season has followed a similar curve to Elmira's, as the teams enter the weekend with an identical 8-5-1 record on the year. Like EC, the Seahawks stumbled to an 0-4-1 record out of the gates. Salve has been on a tear since that point, posting an 8-1-0 mark since the middle of November, which includes a 6-4 victory over Trinity College on the home ice of the defending national champs. Senior Peter Gintoll paces the team with 15 points on six goals and nine assists. Rookie goaltender Blake Wojtala has played the majority of the minutes in the Seahawks cage this season, entering with a 2.45 goals against average and .915 save percentage.
 
Series History: Curry
Elmira's series against Curry College dates back to the 1988-89. Elmira has never lost to the Colonels, posting a 3-0-2 mark in five all-time meetings. The Soaring Eagles and Colonels have tied two of the last three meetings overall, while the other game during that stretch was a 4-1 Elmira win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament following the 2009-10 season.
 
Scouting the Colonels
Curry has been an up-and-down team this season, entering the weekend with a 5-7-2 overall record. Despite the middling record, the Colonels are a dangerous team to contend with and have been red-hot of late, riding a four-game win streak into the tournament. Curry boasts a balanced scoring lineup, as junior forwards Tyler Vankleef and Jake Heisinger are tied for the team-lead with 11 points.  Vankleef is a sniper with eight of his 11 points coming on goals. Also keep an eye on rookie blue-liner Mack Heisinger, as he has chipped in 11 points from the backend this year. Brett Sinclair is the team's primary netminder, posting a 2.64 goals against average and a strong .929 save percentage.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira kicks off the final sprint of ECAC West play when it hits the road on for a weekend back-to-back at Manhattanville College on Friday, January 22^nd, and Saturday, January 23^rd. Opening faceoff for both contests are scheduled for 7:00 p.m.