#2 Elmira College (13-1-1, 8-0-0 ECAC West) at Chatham University (6-7-1, 2-5-1 ECAC West)
Friday, January 22, 2016 | 5:00 P.M. | Alpha Ice Complex – Pittsburgh, PA
Live Coverage | Game Notes
 
#2 Elmira College (13-1-1, 8-0-0 ECAC West) at Chatham University (6-7-1, 2-5-1 ECAC West)
Saturday, January 23, 2016 | 3:00 P.M. | Alpha Ice Complex – Pittsburgh, PA
Live Coverage | Game Notes
 
Elmira, NY -- The second-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team heads west to take on Chatham University for a two-game weekend set on Friday, January 22^nd, and Saturday, January 23^rd.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira continued to roll this past weekend when it began the final push through ECAC West play with a two-game set against Neumann University at the MAC. The Soaring Eagles offense kicked into high gear against the Knights, tallying 14 goals over the course of the two games, securing a 6-2 victory on Saturday and an 8-0 whitewash on Sunday. The Purple and Gold tallied at least two goals in all six periods over the weekend. The EC blue-line led the way in the most recent contest on Sunday, as Elmira defenders accounted for four of the eight goals, headlined by Kristin Chivers '19 two tallies during the third period.
 
National Honors for Farole
Senior McKenna Farole '16 has always been a reliable stay-at-home defender over the course of her collegiate career; however, she got in on Elmira's offensive output in the weekend set against the Knights. Still searching for her first point on the year entering Saturday, she recorded a primary assist on a goal by Meg Lahey '19 to lift Elmira to 4-1 lead in the second period of EC's 6-2 victory. That opened the floodgates for Sunday, as Farole chalked up three points, which included her first collegiate goal to power the Soaring Eagles to the 8-0 win. She was recognized on Tuesday, garnering a spot on the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week.
 
Chivers Continues to Cook
Kristin Chivers '19 has been a key ingredient in Elmira's recipe for success this season. The rookie blue-liner continued to be a headache for opposing teams on both ends of the ice over the past week. She opened the week with an assist in EC's 2-2 tie against nationally-ranked Amherst. Her weekend set against Neumann was all about the goal scoring, as she pumped home a power-play marker on Saturday and fired in two more third period goals on Sunday. The big week stretches her point streak to four consecutive games, while it also netted her ECAC West Rookie of the Week honors. The Antioch, IL, native ranks fourth nationally in points per game among defenders (1.07), while she ranks fifth amongst all rookies - first amongst rookie defenders - in the country.
 
Top-10 Defense
Elmira has been near the top of the charts in terms of scoring defense throughout the season. EC's strong play on the back end continued this past weekend as the team conceded just two goals, while it posted its third shutout of the season on Sunday. On the year, the Soaring Eagles have conceded just 19 times through 15 games, a 1.27 goals against average that ranks sixth in NCAA Division III. It is the best defensive start for the program since it allowed just 11 goals through the first 15 games of its National Championship season in 2012-13.
 
Unbeaten Streak Still Intact
With the two wins over Neumann, the Soaring Eagles stretched their unbeaten streak to 14 straight games. Elmira is one of five teams in the country with double-digit unbeaten streaks; Plattsburgh State leads the country at 15, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls sits at 12, while Adrian College and St. Thomas check in with 10.
 
All-Time Series
Elmira has thoroughly dominated the all-time series with Chatham, winning all 26 of the previous matchups between the two programs. The Cougars have only found the back of the net six times total in those 26 contests, while EC has shutout Chatham in each of the last five meetings and eight of the last nine overall.
 
Scouting Chatham
The Cougars have gotten off to one of their best starts in program history, entering the weekend with a 6-7-1 overall record and a 2-5-1 mark in ECAC West play. Despite the middling record, Chatham is unquestionably playing its finest hockey of the season, riding a four-game unbeaten streak into the weekend set against the Soaring Eagles. Although Chatham has traditionally had a tough time contending with the ECAC West's top teams, the Cougars showed they are not a team to be trifled with this season, a lesson learned the hard way by Oswego State. Chatham went 1-0-1 against the Lakers over the past weekend, while it did not concede a goal in either game. The team boasts a balanced scoring offense, with no player tallying more than six points on the year. Erika Martin (3g-3a) and Erika Bronk (1g-5a) lead the club in scoring. The sophomore goalie tandem of Sydney Isbell and Kasandra Peterson has been strong in the Chatham net this season. Isbell leads the team with a .929 save percentage and has posted a solid 2.05 goals against average. Peterson boasts the slightly better goals against average at 1.99, while also marking an excellent .923 save percentage.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira will gear up for its biggest series of the year, as it welcomes top-ranked Plattsburgh State to the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena for a two-game set on Saturday, January 30^th, and Sunday, January 31^st. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on both days.