Score: No. 3 Elmira College 3 – Buffalo State 1
Records: Elmira (16-3-1, 11-2-0 ECACW), Buffalo State (15-5-0, 9-4-0 ECACW)
Location: Buffalo State Ice Arena – Buffalo, NY
 
Buffalo, NY -- The third-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team returned to action on Friday afternoon when it met Buffalo State in the first game of a home-and-home series with major seeding implications for the upcoming ECAC West Tournament. The Soaring Eagles scored once in each period to secure a 3-1 victory and the early leg up in the series heading into tomorrow's contest at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena.
 
Buffalo State opened the scoring on the afternoon, as Christine Harris found the back of the net with an unassisted goal at 10:04 of the opening period. However, the Soaring Eagles responded with 3:17 left in the first, as Katie Granato '19 picked off a pass in the neutral zone and converted the chance into a shorthanded goal.
 
The momentum swing from Granato's late goal carried over to the second, as Elmira pulled ahead 2-1 2:57 into the frame. The Soaring Eagles earned an early power-play opportunity when the Bengals' Nikki Kirchberger was sent to the box for tripping just 26 seconds into the period. Although EC failed to capitalize with the man-advantage, the team scored on the ensuing shift following the expiration of the penalty. Meghan Fonfara '18 moved the puck to Erin Kishoni '18 who ripped a slap shot from the point, which found its way through traffic and past Buffalo State netminder Justin Silva to make it 2-1.
 
Elmira actively defended its tenuous lead with an extremely strong third period. The Soaring Eagles fired 12 shots on goal in the final frame; however, Silva held strong to keep the Bengals within arm's length. The score line remained the same until McKenna Farole '16 sent home an empty-net goal with one minute remaining in the third period.
 
In His Own Words…
Head Coach Dean Jackson '03 on his team's performance…
"I thought we played well throughout the game. Buffalo State is an extremely solid team and are in the midst of a great season. We certainly had to earn our two points this evening."
 
Jackson on Kishoni's first career goal…
"We are proud that Erin registered her first collegiate goal today. She had a good lane to the net from the blue-line and did a good job of making sure to put the puck on net with a big screen in front. It was a very timely goal, which gave us the lead."
 
Jackson on bouncing back in such a critical game…
"This evening's win was critical in keeping us in second place. Getting that bye through the first round of the ECAC West Tournament is always a nice luxury to have. It was especially nice to see the team bounce back from the tough series last weekend."
 
Jackson on tomorrow's return home game at the MAC…
"We will be in for a tough game tomorrow afternoon. It will be nice to get back on our home ice when we face the Bengals. We certainly will have our work cut out for us, but we should have a high degree of confidence heading into the game as well."
 
Turning Point
Riding the momentum from Granato's shorthanded goal late in the first period, Elmira grabbed a lead it would not relinquish when Kishoni's shot from the blue-line found its way into the twine.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outshot Buffalo State 33-to-22 in the contest, including a 12-to-5 advantage in the final period of play.
• Maddie Evangelous '19 led all players with seven shots on goal in the game.
• Both teams finished 0-for-3 on the power play.
• Granato, Kishoni and Farole scored the three Elmira goals.
• Fonfara, Olivia Nystrom '16 and Anna Tude '17 recorded one assist apiece.
• Kelcey Crawford '18 finished with 21 saves.

 
News and Notes

• With the victory, Elmira moves to 35-1-0 all-time against Buffalo State.
• EC has now won nine straight in the series between the two programs.
• Kishoni's second period goal was the first of her collegiate career.
• Granato's first period tally was the fifth shorthanded goal of the year for Elmira.
• Fonfara collected one assist in her return from a two-game absence.
• Nystrom became Elmira's first 20-point scorer on the year with her assist.

 
Up Next
Elmira resumes its home-and-home series against Buffalo State at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena.