No. 2 Elmira College (15-1-1, 10-0-0 ECACW) vs. No. 1 Plattsburgh State (18-0-0, 11-0-0 ECACW)
Saturday, January 30, 2016 | 3:00 P.M. | Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena – Pine Valley, NY
 
No. 2 Elmira College (15-1-1, 10-0-0 ECACW) vs. No. 1 Plattsburgh State (18-0-0, 11-0-0 ECACW)
Sunday, January 30, 2016 | 3:00 P.M. | Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena – Pine Valley, NY
 
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles | Game Notes
 
Elmira, NY -- It will be a battle for ECAC West supremacy this coming weekend at the MAC Ice Arena, as the second-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team welcomes top-ranked and unbeaten Plattsburgh State for a weekend set. The series figures to have huge postseason implications, as the winner of the series gains the inside track to hosting the conference tournament.
 
Last Time Out
The Elmira women continued to roll through their ECAC West schedule this past weekend when EC bested Chatham University by identical 4-1 scores on both Friday and Saturday. Although the victories ended up to be fairly comfortable margins, the Cougars kept things interesting late into both games. Olivia Nystrom '16 broke the game open for EC on Friday, firing in two goals during the third period. Meghan Fonfara '18 and Maddie Evangelous '19 provided the offense on Saturday, as both players scored two goals, with each netting one on the power play. Maddy Jerolman '19 also posted a big weekend with four points, three of which coming in a career-high three-assist effort on Saturday.
 
Fonfara Finds Twine
Sophomore forward Meghan Fonfara '18 is experiencing a breakout season for the Soaring Eagles. She has shown a propensity to score in bunches this year, something witnessed firsthand by Chatham last Saturday. She recorded her fourth multi-goal game of the year with two tallies, one coming on the power play, in the 4-1 victory.
 
Nystrom Heating Up
Senior forward Olivia Nystrom '16 has been on a bit of a scoring run over recent contests. Before getting held off the scoreboard in Saturday's victory over Chatham, Elmira's assistant captain had been on a three-game point streak, scoring four goals and adding three assists over that span. She matched a season best with three points on two goals and an assist in EC's 4-1 victory over the Cougars on Friday.  The two-goal effort was her third multi-goal game of the season. Nystrom leads Elmira with 12 goals and is tied for the team lead with 18 points on the season.
 
Rookie Returns
It is safe to say that Elmira's excellent crop of first-year players have had a major influence in helping the Soaring Eagles not miss a beat coming off its run to the National Championship Game a season ago. EC rookies have shown up on the score sheet in a big way, combining for 21 goals, 34 assists, and 55 points. The Class of 2019's 55 points have accounted for just over a third of the team's total scoring. The Soaring Eagles' freshmen have been extremely hot of late, as Kristin Chivers '19, Maddy Jerolman '19, and Shannon Strawinski '19 all carry point streaks into the weekend, while Maddie Evangelous '19 chipped in two goals in her last outing against Chatham.
 
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. On the year, the Soaring Eagles have allowed just 21 goals through 17 games, a 1.24 goals-against average that ranks third in NCAA Division III. It is the best defensive start for the program since EC relinquished just 12 goals through the first 17 games of its National Championship season in 2012-13. In fact, this season is EC's fifth-best defensive start in program history in terms of goals allowed.
 
Unbeaten Streak Reaches 16
With the two wins over Chatham, the Soaring Eagles stretched their unbeaten streak to 16 straight games. Elmira is one of four teams in the country with double-digit unbeaten streaks; Plattsburgh State leads the country at 18, while Adrian College and the University of St. Thomas sit on 12.
 
All-Time Series
Elmira slightly trails the overall series with Plattsburgh State, entering the weekend with a 19-26-3 record against its biggest rival. The two programs have unquestionably  been the class of NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey over recent seasons, combining to win the last three National Championships. The Cardinals have been nearly unbeatable in recent seasons, losing only three times dating back to the 2013-14 campaign. However, all three of those losses have come against Elmira. The Soaring Eagles went 2-3 against Plattsburgh a season ago, sweeping a regular season two-game set on road ice, but falling to the Cardinals in both the ECAC West Final and the National Championship Game.
 
Scouting Plattsburgh State
The Cardinals have been a juggernaut all year, as the two-time defending national champions have begun the season with 18 consecutive victories. The program's overall winning streak is 29 games dating back to the aformentioned two-game sweep Elmira scored over them last season. This weekend figures to be no easy task for Elmira despite the home-ice advantage, as Plattsburgh holds a 37-1-2 record on the road over the last four seasons, including a 5-0-0 mark this season. The lone loss during that stretch was a 2-0 shutout loss to EC at the MAC Ice Arena during the 2013-14 regular season. The Cardinals are laden with incredible talent throughout the lineup, boasting the nation's second-best scoring offense (5.44 goals per game) and top power-play unit (31.9%). The two-headed monster of second-year forwards Melissa Sheeran and Kayla Meneghin pace a squad that boasts five players with 20-plus points on the year. Sheeran ranks second in the country with 37 points, while she sits in fourth in goals (19) and goals per game (1.06). Meneghin is no slouch either, ranking third in the nation with 36 points and fifth in goals (17). She has been especially lethal on the power play, sitting in a tie for the top spot in the nation with seven goals on the man advantage. As good as Plattsburgh has been in the goal scoring department, it has been even better preventing them. The Cardinals boast the nation's best scoring defense at 0.44 goals allowed per game, as well as the best penalty kill (96.4%). Junior Camille Leonard ranks first in every goaltender category, posting a miniscule 0.38 goals-against average and a fantastic .978 save percentage.
 
Up Next
Elmira returns to action next weekend when engages in a two-game series against Buffalo State. First, EC travels to Buffalo, NY, for a 4:00 p.m. faceoff with the Bengals on Friday, February 5th. The Soaring Eagles return home for the second game of the set, which will be at the MAC Ice Arena over Athletics Alumni Weekend, with a 3:00 p.m. puck drop on Saturday, February 6th.