Elmira College (9-6-1, 2-4-0 ECAC West) at Manhattanville College (8-7-1, 4-2-0 ECAC West)
Friday, January 22, 2016 | 7:00 P.M. | Playland Ice Casino – Rye, NY
Live Coverage | Game Notes
 
Elmira College (9-6-1, 2-4-0 ECAC West) at Manhattanville College (8-7-1, 4-2-0 ECAC West)
Saturday, January 23, 2016 | 7:00 P.M. | Playland Ice Casino – Rye, NY
Live Coverage | Game Notes
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team heads back into ECAC West play this weekend when it hits the road for a two-game series at Manhattanville College on Friday, January 22^nd, and Saturday, January 23^rd.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira concluded its regular season non-conference slate this past weekend when it traveled to Martha's Vineyard to face Salve Regina University and Curry College at the Vineyard Classic. The Soaring Eagles opened the two-day event with a hard-fought 3-1 loss to Salve Regina. Trailing 2-0 entering the third period, Alexander Taulien '17 netted a goal at 13:55 of the final period to pull EC within one. Salve sealed the game with an empty-net goal with one second remaining. The Soaring Eagles bounced back in a big way the following day against Curry. Tyler Theodoulou '18 got EC on the board with an unassisted goal in the opening period. Brian Depp '16 added a power-play tally and Carter Shinkaruk '16 netted a third goal to break the game open in the middle period. Michael Collins '16 capped the scoring with a third period goal in the 4-1 win.
 
Return to Conference Play
Elmira makes its long anticipated return to ECAC West play this weekend when it heads to Manhattanville College for a two-game set. The series begins the final sprint, as EC's final nine games are all against conference opponents. This weekend's series marks the first conference contest since the end of November. The Soaring Eagles will need to get things cooking quickly, as EC will look to even its ECAC West record with a pair of victories over the Valiants.
 
Collins & O'Neill Score ECAC West Honors
Michael Collins '16 and Blake O'Neill '19 both put in strong performances over the past weekend to help Elmira earn the split. Collins netted a goal and two assists, while O'Neill chipped in three helpers over the course of the week. Both were recognized in the ECAC West weekly awards, as Collins was named the conference's Player of the Week, while O'Neill earned Rookie of the Week honors.
 
Shinkaruk Tops the Charts
Carter Shinkaruk '16 has been hot as wildfire since the calendar changed to 2016. The senior centerman has tallied seven points, all coming on goals, in Elmira's five games this month. He currently tops the NCAA Division III charts in goals per game (1.07) and shorthanded goals (3), while he is tied for second in total goals with 16 on the year.
 
Limiting the Penalties
One thing Elmira will want to focus on as it looks to reverse its fortunes in ECAC West play is limiting its penalty minutes. The Soaring Eagles rank fifth in the country, averaging 15:48 minutes of penalties per game. Opposition power plays proved to be an issue for the Soaring Eagles during their 2-4-0 start to conference play, as they allowed five power-play goals and averaged 20:20 in penalty minutes through the first six games. The EC penalty kill has been phenomenal since that early stretch, going 38-for-41 (92.7-percent). Elmira will look to limit the opponents opportunities, while continuing to stay hot when down a man.
 
Last Matchup
Manhattanville took the first matchup between the two programs earlier this season with a 4-1 victory at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena. The contest was hotly contested, as the teams combined for over 100 penalty minutes in the contest. The Valiants thrived off the chaos, scoring four times in the second period to take firm control of the contest. Mitch Atkins '19 netted the lone goal for the Soaring Eagles.
 
All-Time Series
The Soaring Eagles hold a slight advantage in the all-time series against Manhattanville, as EC is 25-21-6 versus the Valiants since the 1999-2000 campaign. Elmira won seven of its eight contests against its ECAC West foe between the 2009-10 and 2011-12 seasons. More recently, however, the Valiants have found success when playing the Purple and Gold. Manhattanville is 7-2-2 against the Soaring Eagles since the start of the 2012-13 season.
 
Scouting the Valiants
Manhattanville College enters this weekend's two-game series with an 8-7-1 overall record and a 4-2-0 mark inside the ECAC West. The Valiants have dropped three consecutive games and four of their last five overall. All of those losses have come by a single goal. In addition, two of the one-goal defeats since the start of the New Year have come at the hands of nationally-ranked opponents. On January 2nd, No. 8 Trinity College beat the Valiants 4-3, and last time out on January 15th, Manhattanville lost to No. 11/10 Williams College 3-2. Sophomore Stephen Gaul leads the team in points (14) and goals (8), the latter tied for sixth in the ECAC West. Freshman Cory Anderson is second on the team with 13 points. Tyler Feaver has seen the bulk of the work between the pipes for the Valiants, but ranks last among qualifying goaltenders in the ECAC West with a 3.25 goals-against average and .880 save percentage.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira continues its four-game conference road swing next weekend when it travels to ECAC West rival Neumann University for a two-game set on Friday, January 29^th, and Saturday, January 30^th.