Elmira, NY -- It was another extremely busy week for Elmira College Athletics. The EC basketball programs wrapped up their respective home slates in a midweek doubleheader with Houghton College. The EC hockey programs also concluded their respective regular season home slates on Saturday when they celebrated Class of 2016 Recognition Day. While it was the end of the home schedule for these four, the men's tennis program made its home debut with a pair of matches in the Dual at the Domes. The EC men's volleyball team kicked off its UVC slate with a tri-match at Speidel Gymnasium on Saturday, while EC Cheerleading began its spring slate at the Cheersport National Competition in Atlanta, GA.
 
Headlines for the Week Ahead
 
Men's Tennis Hosts Elmira College Spring Kickoff Invitational
The Elmira College men's tennis program is set to host its second home event in as many weeks when it welcomes three teams to the Murray Athletic Center Tennis Dome for the Elmira College Spring Kickoff Invitational this weekend. The Soaring Eagles are set to play matches on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, taking on Farmingdale State College, Purchase College, and Alfred University, respectively.
 
Cheerleading to Host Elmira College Winter Cheer Challenge on Sunday
Fresh off of a Cheersport National Title, the Elmira College Cheerleading team is set to host a day-long event this coming Sunday. The Elmira College Winter Cheer Challenge will be held at the Murray Athletic Center Basketball Dome.
 
Men's Volleyball Makes First-Ever Trip to California
The Elmira College men's volleyball team will make its first-ever trip to the Sunshine State to play a trio of matches. The Soaring Eagles open the trip on Friday, February 19^th, when they face Benedictine University at Mesa, in Thousand Oaks, CA. EC will face the University of California at Santa Cruz and Cal Lutheran University the following day.
 
Basketball Concludes Year at Alfred University on Saturday
The Elmira College men's and women's basketball programs conclude their respective seasons on Saturday, February 20^th, when they travel to Alfred University for a doubleheader. The Elmira men play the opener at 2:00 p.m., while the women conclude the day at 4:00 p.m.
 
Men's Ice Hockey Hits the Road for Games at Manhattanville College and Hobart College
Coming off a thrilling overtime win over Utica College on Senior Night this past Saturday, the Elmira College men's ice hockey team hits the road for the final two games of the regular season. The Soaring Eagles will take on Manhattanville College in a rescheduled contest from earlier this season on Tuesday, February 16^th, at 8:00 p.m. EC concludes the regular season slate at The Cooler against Hobart at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20^th. Elmira is still right in the thick of the race for a top-four seed in the upcoming ECAC West Playoffs, as four points separate second-place from sixth-place.
 
Women's Ice Hockey Closes the Regular Season at Oswego State
The Elmira College women's ice hockey team is set to conclude the regular season this coming weekend when it heads to Oswego State for a two-game series this weekend. The Soaring Eagles open the series at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 19^th, while they conclude the two-game set with the Lakers at 3:00 p.m. the following afternoon. Elmira can secure the conference's second seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming ECAC West Tournament by gaining just a single point in the standings from either of the two games this weekend.
 
A Look Back on the Week That Was…
 
Men's Ice Hockey Wins OT Thriller on Senior Night
The Elmira College men's ice hockey team had a big weekend, going 1-0-1 against Utica College to stay within striking distance of a home game in the ECAC West Tournament. The Soaring Eagles had a flair for the dramatic, as they scored goals late in regulation on both Friday and Saturday to send the games to overtime.
 
On Friday, Sandro Aeschlimann '19 stole the show, stopping a career-high 54 shots. He made 21 saves in the final period to keep Elmira within striking distance. With under five minutes remaining, EC drew a penalty, enabling the Soaring Eagles to send its power-play unit to the ice in search of an equalizer. Greg Whittle '16 provided the heroics, snapping a wrister over the glove of Utica's Michael Fredrick to tie the game 2-2. Aeschlimann and the EC penalty-killing unit took over from there, neutralizing a five-minute major penalty assessed to Elmira's Eddie Nolan '18, which spanned the final three minutes of regulation and first two minutes of overtime. The game ended in a 2-2 tie.
 
As thrilling as Friday night was, the Elmira men topped it in Saturday's contest, as the program recognized eight members of its graduating Class of 2016 in the final home game of the regular season. The Soaring Eagles again found themselves trailing deep into the third period, when Carter Shinkaruk '16 chipped in a bad-angle goal off the Utica netminder to tie the game at 2-2 with 3:55 left in regulation. For the second night in a row the game would head to the extra session. With a little under two minutes remaining, Shinkaruk lofted an area pass, which senior captain Brian Depp '16 skated onto as he burst into the Pioneer end. Just as he was about to release a shot, he was hauled down from behind, giving him a penalty shot opportunity with 1:38 remaining. He weaved into the Utica end, before snapping a low wrister past the blocker of Utica's Fredrick to seal the thrilling comeback win.
 
Aeschlimann was recognized on Monday afternoon, earning ECAC West Goaltender of the Week honors.
 
For more information on EC Men's Ice Hockey, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Ice Hockey Dominant in Two-Game Sweep of William Smith College
The Elmira College women's ice hockey team also played its final home game of the regular season this past weekend when it took on a home-and-home set with William Smith College. The Soaring Eagles offense was dominant in the two games, outscoring the Herons 12-to-3.
 
Elmira recognized three members of its graduating Class of 2016 during the opening game of the series. Seniors Olivia Nystrom '16 and McKenna Farole '16 each netted goals in their home finale, while Maddie Evangelous '19 recorded three points on two goals and an assist in a 5-2 win.
 
Evangelous continued her torrid scoring weekend with another three-point effort on two power-play goals and an assist. She was named ECAC West Player of the Week by the league office on Monday afternoon. Katie Granato '19 also posted a three-point effort (1g-2a), while 12 Elmira skaters in total recorded at least one point in the 7-1 victory. With the two wins, Elmira is now just one-point away from securing a first-round bye in the upcoming ECAC West Tournament.
 
For more information on EC Women's Ice Hockey, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Cheerleading Takes Home Cheersport National Title
The Elmira College cheerleading team opened its spring schedule this past weekend when it made the trip to Atlanta, GA, for the Cheersport National Competition. The Soaring Eagles successfully defended their National Title, edging the University of Guelph for the second consecutive year with a two-day final score of 75.89-to-74.91 to claim the College 6 division crown.
 
For more information on EC Cheerleading, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Tennis Splits Home Opening Weekend
The Elmira College men's tennis team had its home opening weekend when it hosted the Dual at the Domes event this past weekend. The Soaring Eagles split a pair of cross-divisional matches against NCAA Division II programs in Salem International University and Roberts Wesleyan College.
 
EC opened the two days of action on Saturday, securing a 7-2 victory over Salem International, Elmira's first win of the 2015-16 season. The Soaring Eagles put together strong showings across the board in securing their first victory in a home opener since 2011. EC secured wins in second and third doubles, as well as the second-through-sixth spots in singles action. Elmira's domination in singles was evident, as the squad won 60 of the total 77 games played. Satchal Waters '16 sealed the victory with a 6-2, 6-4 victory in second singles.
 
Elmira struggled to get things going in its match the following day against Roberts Wesleyan. The Redhawks swept the match 9-0; however, Patrick Tracey '18 was a bright spot in his fourth singles matchup. The second-year player had his opponent on the ropes in the opening set, leading 5-2 at one point. Unfortunately, he was unable to close it out, falling 7-3 in a tiebreaker to drop the set 7-6.
 
For more information on EC Men's Tennis, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Volleyball Drops Pair of Five-Setters to Open UVC Play
The Elmira College men's volleyball team suffered a pair of heartbreakers on Saturday, falling to Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University in a tri-match at Speidel Gymnasium.
 
The Soaring Eagles struggled out of the gates in the first match of the day against the Engineers. EC found itself behind two-sets-to-none; however, the team would sort its hitting out over the ensuing two sets to force a decisive fifth frame. MIT jumped out to an early lead, but Elmira strung together a strong run of its own to take a 12-11 advantage. Unfortunately, the visitors came up with the clutch points down the stretch closing the match on a 4-0 run to secure the victory.
 
The nightcap against NYU had more of a back-and-forth ebb and flow. Elmira dominated the first set and outlasted the nationally-ranked Violets in a marathon third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The visitors responded with a big fourth set to again send the match the full distance. After an early NYU advantage in the final frame, the Soaring Eagles again rallied to take a 12-11 lead. However, like the first match of the day, EC was unable to close things out down the stretch, falling in the decisive set 15-13.
 
Mike Ellison '16 and Ryan McDonough '18 continued to carry the offensive load in the absence of Erik Griffin '16. The outside duo combined for 36 and 34 kills, respectively.
 
For more information on EC Men's Volleyball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Basketball Bests Houghton in 1-2 Week
The Elmira College women's basketball team closed out its home slate on a high note, besting Houghton College 68-62 this past Tuesday at Speidel Gymnasium. Trailing by seven at halftime, the Soaring Eagles put together a monster third quarter, outscoring the Highlanders 28-to-11 in the frame. EC held off a late comeback bid, sealing out the win on the free-throw line over the final minute. Four players scored in double-figures for the Soaring Eagles, the first time the team has accomplished the feat this season.
 
A weekend road trip to Rochester, NY, was not as kind to the Soaring Eagles, as the team dropped contests to St. John Fisher College, 82-60, and Nazareth College, 77-63. Meghan Loya '16 was a bright spot for Elmira in Saturday's contest against the Golden Flyers, netting new career highs with 22 points on 10 made field goals, while also pulling down eight rebounds. She now sits in fifth place on the program's all-time rebounding list (586) and is just two boards shy of moving into a tie for fourth.
 
Lindsay Heaton '19 also posted a strong week, averaging 12.0 points, 4.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists over the three game slate. For her efforts, she was named Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Week by the league office on Monday, the third time she has earned the honor this season.
 
For more information on EC Women's Basketball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Basketball Battles in 0-3 Week
The Elmira College men's basketball team suffered a difficult week, falling in all three of its contests, including the home finale this past Tuesday against Houghton College. The Soaring Eagles and Highlanders were locked in a tight contest throughout much of the first half; however, the visitors closed the final five minutes and the first possession of the second half on a 15-2 run to grab a double-digit advantage. Elmira was unable to string enough defensive stops down the stretch in an 80-67 loss.
 
The Soaring Eagles looked poised to upset St. John Fisher on Friday night, jumping out to an early 8-0 lead. Unfortunately, the momentum would not hold, as the Cardinals rallied back to take a four-point lead into halftime. The home side widened the gap in the second half in a 75-68 loss. Saturday's contest was challenging for EC, as the team fell to the Golden Flyers 77-46.
 
Justin Henderson '16 continued to move closer to cracking the program's all-time three-point list. After knocking down four more over the weekend, he now sits at 125 for his career, just three away from tying David Nelson '10 for 10^th on the all-time list.
 
For more information on EC Men's Basketball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
The Week Ahead…
 
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
*Men's Ice Hockey at Manhattanville College, 8:00 p.m.
 
Friday, February 19, 2016
*Men's Tennis vs. Farmingdale State University, 1:00 p.m.
Men's Volleyball vs. Benedictine University at Mesa (Thousand Oaks, CA), 5:30 p.m.
*Women's Ice Hockey at Oswego State, 7:00 p.m.
 
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Men's Volleyball vs. University of California at Santa Cruz (Thousand Oaks, CA), 1:30 p.m.
*Men's Basketball at Alfred University, 2:00 p.m.
*Women's Ice Hockey at Oswego State, 3:00 p.m.
Men's Volleyball at Cal Lutheran University (Thousand Oaks, CA), 3:30 p.m.
*Women's Basketball at Alfred University, 4:00 p.m.
*Men's Ice Hockey at Hobart College, 4:00 p.m.
Men's Tennis vs. Purchase College, 6:00 p.m.
 
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Men's Tennis vs. Alfred University, 9:00 a.m.
Cheerleading vs. Elmira College Winter Cheer Challenge, 1:00 p.m.
 
Bold Indicates Home Contests
*Indicates Conference Matchup