Score: Elmira College 4 – Nichols College 1
Records: Elmira (3-7-0), Nichols (5-2-1)
Location: Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, N.Y.
 
PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- After falling behind midway through the first period, a young but determined Elmira College men's ice hockey team rallied with four unanswered goals en route to a 4-1 victory over Nichols College in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. With the win, Elmira has won two in a row and earned its first home victory of the season.
 
Nichols' Sean Swansen gave the visiting team a 1-0 lead 11:20 into the first period, as he knocked in a rebound from Justin Tiso. The Swansen goal was the only tally of the first period, one that saw the two teams combine for just 18 shots on goal.
 
The second period was packed with physical action, as six penalties were called between the two teams. Elmira was the beneficiary of the majority of those calls, as the Soaring Eagles went on the power play four times in the second stanza.
 
EC struggled initially with the extra skater, coming up empty handed on its first three man-up chances of the period. However, the fourth Nichols penalty put Elmira on a 5-on-3 power play, one that would see Nick Ford '20 pop the bottle with just 36 seconds on the clock to level the contest at 1-1.
 
On the scoring play, Elmira closed the zone by pushing its two defensemen several feet inside the blue line. The extra pressure, along with Nichols shell-style of defense, allowed Ford and Michael Martin '18 to connect on a series of one-touch passes, before Ford buried a slap shot stick-side for the score. Connor Powell '20 and Martin were credited with assists on the goal.
 
The Ford tally was just the beginning of Elmira's offense outburst, as the Purple and Gold pushed on for three third-period tallies to secure their second consecutive win.
 
Powell opened the third-period scoring with his fifth goal of the season, one that came on the power play and would hold up as the eventual game-winner. The Merrimack, New Hampshire, native collected the loose puck out of scrum in front of the Nichols net, before dumping it past a sprawled out netminder for the score at the 8:18 mark. Tyler Theodoulou '18 and Matthew Cuce '20 were credited with assists on the tally.
 
Elmira padded its lead just about four minutes later, when Eric Bolden '20 sniped one from the right faceoff circle to give the Soaring Eagles a 3-1 advantage. Eddie Nolan '17 began the scoring play by wrapping around a defender just inside the blue line, before finding Kenny Tencza '19 on the left-side boards. The pass drew a defender away from the crease, allowing Tencza to slide a cross-ice pass to Bolden, who beat Nichols' Colin Brennan over the shoulder for the score.
 
The fourth and final tally from the Soaring Eagles came with 2:05 to play in regulation, as Mitch Atkins '19 knocked in an empty-netter for his third goal of the season. After winning a faceoff in its own defensive zone, Elmira's Blake O'Neill '19 poked the puck loose from the boards to Tencza, who would beat one defender to set up a 2-on-1 odd-man rush.
 
Tencza would deke the final Nichols defender, before making an unselfish pass to Atkins in the slot, where he routinely passed it into the open net for the fourth and final goal in tonight's three-goal triumph.
 
Turning Point
Trailing by one goal late in the second period and with a 5-on-3 power play, Nick Ford scored quite possibly the biggest goal of this young career. Elmira had come up empty on its previous four power play chances, but with one swift strike from Ford's blade, the momentum of tonight's game shifted drastically in favor of the Soaring Eagles. The power-play goal by Ford ignited EC's offense to go on to score four unanswered goals en route to the victory.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outshot Nichols, 34-31.
• Nichols was whistled for 28 penalty minutes on 10 infractions.
• Elmira was called for seven penalties and 22 penalty minutes.
• Nichols went 0-for-5 on the power play, while Elmira connected on 2-of-8 chances.
• Powell and Tencza led the charge with two points apiece.
• Powell scored the game-winning goal and assisted on EC's first tally.
• Tencza assisted on EC's third and fourth goals.
• Ford, Bolden and Atkins also scored goals for Elmira.
• Martin, Theodoulou, Cuce, Nolan and O'Neill all finished with one assist.
• Parker Butler '20 made 30 saves en route to his second consecutive win.

 
News and Notes

• Tonight's game marked the first-ever meeting between Elmira and Nichols.
• The Soaring Eagles picked up their third win of the 2016-17 campaign.
• The one goal allowed by Elmira is the fewest the team has allowed all season.
• It marked the second time this year Nichols has been held to one goal.
• Elmira outshot its opponent for the second time this season.
• Powell, Cuce and Tencza are tied for the team-lead in points with nine apiece.
• Powell scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
• Tencza picked up his team-leading eighth assist of the year.
• Tencza ranks fourth in the ECAC West in assists.
• Butler earned the second win of his collegiate career.
• Butler has made 30 or more saves in each of his four starts this season.

  
Up Next
Elmira returns to the Murray Athletic Center tomorrow afternoon to conclude its regular season series with Nichols College. Tomorrow's non-league showdown is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.