Elmira, NY -- The winter sports season continued to press on this past week, as men's volleyball entered the mix with its season opening matches at the Elmira College Invitational over the weekend. The men's and women's basketball teams put together their solid weeks in conference play, while the women's ice hockey team continued to steamroll through ECAC West play. Catch up on another exciting week of action in the latest edition of Soaring Eagles Weekly!
 
Headlines for the Week Ahead
 
Second-Ranked Women's Ice Hockey Welcomes Top-Ranked Plattsburgh State
It will be battle for ECAC West and national supremacy this coming weekend when the nation's top two women's ice hockey teams face off in a two-game series at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena. Both teams enter the weekend with spotless records in conference play, setting up a series which promises to have major postseason implications. Opening puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on both Saturday, January 30^th, and Sunday, January 31^st.
 
Basketball Programs Hosts Ithaca in Wednesday Night Doubleheader
Coming off the most successful week of the season, the Elmira College men's and women's basketball programs will look to carry over the momentum when they welcome Ithaca College to Speidel Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The Elmira men open the doubleheader with a 6:00 p.m. tip, while the Elmira women will play the nightcap at 8:00 p.m. The Soaring Eagles will look to avenge a doubleheader sweep at Ithaca earlier this season.
 
Men's Volleyball Hits the Road for the Stevenson Invitational
The nationally-ranked Elmira College men's volleyball team will hit the road for the first time this season this coming weekend when they head to Maryland for the Stevenson University Invitational on Friday, January 29^th, and Saturday, January 30^th. The Soaring Eagles open the two-day event with a match against Medaille College at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
 
Men's Ice Hockey Heads to Neumann for Two-Game Weekend Set
The Elmira College men's ice hockey team will look to get back on track in ECAC West play this weekend when it heads to Neumann University for a weekend set against the Knights. Opening faceoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 29^th, while the teams drop the puck again at 4:00 p.m. the following afternoon.
 
A Look Back on the Week That Was…
 
Men's Volleyball Sweeps Opening Weekend, Downs Nationally-Ranked Mount St. Joseph
The 12^th-ranked Elmira College men's volleyball team got off to a flying start to its 2016 campaign this past weekend, sweeping all three matches at the Elmira College Invitational. The Soaring Eagles opened the weekend with a pair of straight-sets victories over Ramapo College and the College of Mount St. Vincent on Friday. The Purple and Gold put on a hitting display, converting at a scintillating .424 clip against the Roadrunners and a strong .344 mark against the Dolphins. Erik Griffin '16 led the charge in the opener with 14 kills, while Ryan McDonough '18 had an excellent season debut with a team-leading 17 kills over the two matches.
 
EC had a quick turnaround, as it concluded the weekend with a Saturday morning matchup against No. 15 Mount St. Joseph University. The match went the distance, as the Lions dominated the fourth set and jumped out to an early advantage in the decisive fifth. Elmira showcased its resolve by battling back to take the match with a 16-14 fifth-set win. McDonough continued his stellar play with 13 kills, four of which coming in the fifth.
 
For more information on EC Men's Volleyball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Ice Hockey Sweeps Weekend Set at Chatham
The second-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team put in a pair of workmanlike victories over Chatham University over the weekend. The Soaring Eagles faced some adversity on Friday evening in the first game of the weekend set, as the Cougars took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. It marked the first time Elmira has trailed in a contest since the contest played at Utica on November 22^nd. The Purple and Gold did not panic with the early deficit, as Maddy Jerolman '19 and Johanna Eidensten '16 tallied goals in the second period to take a 2-1 lead into the final frame. Olivia Nystrom '16 took over from there, pumping in two goals during the final 20 minutes to secure the 4-1 win.
 
Saturday's contest followed a similar script, as the teams played a tight game well into the third period. Meghan Fonfara '18 and Maddie Evangelous '19 broke the game open, scoring goals 1:50 apart to widen the gap at 4-1 in the final period. Each player finished with two goals in the game, while Jerolman continued her big weekend with three assists. The two victories improved Elmira's ECAC West record to a perfect 10-0-0 on the season.
 
For more information on EC Women's Ice Hockey, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Basketball Scores Victories Over Houghton and Alfred
The Elmira College women's basketball team posted its most successful run of the season, scoring a pair of victories over Empire 8 Conference foes during the week. The wins pulled Elmira's conference record to 3-5 on the year.
 
The Soaring Eagles opened the week with a thrilling come-from-behind 67-56 victory at Houghton College on Tuesday night. Trailing by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, EC turned to a full court press in hopes of getting back into the game. The tactic worked to perfection, as the Purple and Gold held the Highlanders to just 3-of-19 shooting over the final 14 minutes. Emily Green '18 led the charge, scoring 10 of her career-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, as Elmira outscored Houghton 25-to-8 over the final 10 minutes.
 
EC carried the momentum over to Thursday night when it secured its first home victory of the season with a 63-53 victory over Alfred. It would again be a comeback win, as Elmira trailed by as many as seven points during the first two quarters, before taking control of the game in the third. Danielle Cleary '18 paced EC's scorers with 22 points, while Meghan Loya '16 added six points and 10 rebounds.
 
For more information on EC Women's Basketball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Basketball Scores First Conference Victory Over Alfred
The Elmira College men's basketball team picked up its biggest result of the season on Thursday when it downed Alfred University 76-72 to score its first Empire 8 Conference victory. The Soaring Eagles shot the lights out during the opening 10 minutes of the game, jumping out to an early double-digit lead on the strength of 7-for-15 shooting from beyond the arc. EC led by as many as 14 points in the first half, while a small Alfred run cut the lead to nine at halftime.
 
The second half was a nail biter, as the Saxons did not go down easy. Elmira looked to have things sealed up, leading by 10 with 3:18 remaining; however, Alfred stormed back with a 9-0 run over the next 37 seconds to cut the deficit to a single point with 2:31 left. EC remained calm, nailing its final eight free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
Justin Porrett '19 finished with a career-high 21 points, while Gino Leonardi '16 and Justin Henderson '16 added 18 and 17 points, respectively.
 
For more information on EC Men's Basketball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Ice Hockey Loses Heartbreaker at Manhattanville on Friday
The Elmira College men's ice hockey team suffered a heartbreaker in its return to ECAC West play on Friday, falling 5-4 on a penalty-shot goal with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime. EC held a 2-1 lead in early in the second period, while it twice battled back to tie the game after falling behind 3-2 and 4-3.
 
Both teams generated chances during the extra session; however, the Valiants were able to generate one final chance on a last second rush. Matt Coleman fired a shot that hit the post and sat right on the crease as a mad scrum of players crashed the net. It was deemed by the officials that an Elmira player displaced the net intentionally, setting up a final penalty shot opportunity. Manhattanville's Stephen Gaul faked forehand and slipped a backhander through the five-hole of Elmira netminder Sal Magliocco '17 to drop Elmira to 2-5-0 on the year in conference play.
 
For more information on EC Men's Ice Hockey, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
The Week Ahead…
 
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
*Men's Basketball vs. Ithaca College, 6:00 p.m.
*Women's Basketball vs. Ithaca College, 8:00 p.m.
 
Friday, January 29, 2016
Men's Volleyball vs. Medaille College (Stevenson Invitational), 7:00 p.m.
*Men's Ice Hockey at Neumann University, 7:00 p.m.
 
Saturday, January 30, 2016
*Men's Basketball at Stevens Institute of Technology, 1:00 p.m.
Men's Volleyball vs. Thiel College (Stevenson Invitational), 2:00 p.m.
*Women's Basketball at Stevens Institute of Technology, 3:00 p.m.
*Women's Ice Hockey vs. Plattsburgh State, 3:00 p.m.
Men's Volleyball at Stevenson University (Stevenson Invitational), 4:00 p.m.
*Men's Ice Hockey at Neumann University, 4:00 p.m.
 
Sunday, January 31, 2016
*Women's Ice Hockey vs. Plattsburgh State, 3:00 p.m.
 
Bold Indicates Home Contest
*Indicates Conference Matchup