Score: No. 2 Elmira College 4 – Chatham University 1
Records: Elmira (15-1-1, 10-0-0 ECACW), Chatham (6-9-1, 2-7-1 ECACW)
Location: Alpha Ice Complex – Pittsburgh, PA
 
Pittsburgh, PA -- The second-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team put in another workmanlike effort on Saturday afternoon, downing Chatham University 4-1 at the Alpha Ice Complex. The victory improves the Soaring Eagles' ECAC West record to 10-0-0, setting up a showdown between the nation's top two teams at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena next weekend.
 
Meghan Fonfara '18 and Maddie Evangelous '19 each netted a pair of goals, with the duo marking goals over 1:50 span with under 10 minutes remaining to seal what was a tightly contested battle between the two sides throughout the game.
 
In a bit of a role reversal from yesterday's contest, which witnessed Chatham getting on the board late in the opening period, it was Elmira that took a lead into the first intermission on the strength of a power-play goal from Fonfara at 16:30 of the period. With the Cougars' Katrina Hawkins in the box for tripping at 15:53, EC sent its man-advantage unit on the ice for the second time in the frame. After a zone clearance by the home side, the Soaring Eagles jumped into attack on the rush. Shannon Strawinski '19 whipped a pass to Louisa Lippiatt Durnell '18 who touch passed it to a streaking Fonfara who came blazing down the left wing. She skated into the left circle of the Chatham end, before lifting a laser of a wrist shot over the shoulder of Chatham netminder Sydney Isbell.

The middle period was characterized by the team's trading scoring chances during the middle portion of the frame. Evangelous doubled the Elmira lead at 10:13 of the period. With EC continuing to buzz in the Chatham end, Maddy Jerolman '19 worked the puck to Kyra McDonald '18. The second-year blue-liner chipped the puck to the Soaring Eagles first-year spark plug Evangelous, who deposited it into the twine.

The Cougars did not back down, showing great resiliency by answering the Elmira goal with several strong shifts. They paid off with a goal to halve the deficit at 13:05 of the period when Kasandra Peterson punched a puck past Elmira goaltender Kyle Nelson '17 to make the score 2-1.

The scoreline remained the same deep into the third period, before Elmira finally took control of the contest. Fonfara snapped home her second of the game, while the Soaring Eagles had the extra-attacker on the ice in a delayed penalty situation. On the ensuing power-play opportunity, Evangelous also netted her second of the game. Jerolman picked up the primary assist on both Elmira tallies, finishing with a career-high three helpers on the afternoon. 

In His Own Words...
Head Coach Dean Jackson '03 on the team's performance...
"I don't think we'll look at this game as one of our better performances of the season. That said, I thought there were many positives that we can take from the game today. At the end of the day we accomplished what we set out to do in securing another two points in the conference standings."

Coach Jackson on the team's focus...
"Taking things one game at a time is something we've stressed all season long. We were focused only on this weekend coming in and as a result we came away with two more road victories."

Coach Jackson on Fonfara's performance...
"It was nice to see [Fonfara] find the back of the net again today. She hasn't had the puck bouncing her way the last several games, so she has to feel good coming out of this weekend."

Coach Jackson on looking ahead to the Plattsburgh State series...
"The team is excited going into the upcoming week. It promises to be an exciting two-game weekend."
 
Turning Point
Holding onto a slim one-goal lead deep into the third period, the Soaring Eagles broke things open with some much needed insurance. Working with the extra-attacker on a delayed penalty call to Chatham's Lyndsey Gallaway, Fonfara netted her second goal of the game to make it 3-1. On the ensuing power-play opportunity, Evangelous joined Fonfara with her second goal of the afternoon to cap the scoring at 4-1.
 
Inside the Box Score

• For the second consecutive day, Elmira held a significant territorial advantage, outshooting Chatham 28-to-10.
• Olivia Nystrom '16 led all players with six shots on goal.
• EC continued to dominated the draw, winning 34-of-46 faceoffs.
• Johanna Eidensten '16 won 11-of-13 draws in the game.
• Elmira went 2-for-7 on the power play, while Chatham was 0-for-3 with the advantage.
• Fonfara and Evangelous both tallied two goals, while each netted one on the power play.
• Jerolman led all players with three points, assisting on the final three Elmira goals.
• Shannon Strawinski '19, Kristin Chivers '19, Louisa Lippiatt Durnell '18 and Phoebe Piku '16 each collected one assist apiece.
• Kyle Nelson '17 finished with nine saves.

 
News and Notes

• With the victory, Elmira moved to 28-0-0 all-time against Chatham University.
• Elmira upped its record to 10-0-0 in ECAC West play.
• Elmira stretched its streak of allowing two goals or less to 16 consecutive contests.
• Fonfara's two goals snapped a five-game goal drought for the sophomore forward. She now has 10 goals on the year, joining Nystrom as Elmira's second double-digit goal scorer this season.
• Saturday was the first multi-goal effort of Evangelous' fledgling Elmira career.
• Evangelous has now post four points on two goals and two assists over her last three games.
• Jerolman's three helpers marked a new career high for both points and assists in a game. 
• Saturday marked the first time Elmira has scored multiple power-play goals in a game dating back to 5-1 home victory over SUNY Cortland on November 13^th.

 
Looking Ahead
Elmira is set for its biggest week of the regular season, as the nation's top two teams will duke it out for the inside track to host postseason play next weekend. The Soaring Eagles welcome 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.