Score: Elmira College 4 – Nazareth College 3 (OT)
Records: Elmira (10-9-2, 3-7-1 ECACW), Nazareth (7-11-1, 4-7-1 ECACW)
Location: Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena – Pine Valley, NY
 
Pine Valley, NY -- It was an exciting conclusion to what was quite an eventful day at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena as the Elmira College men's ice hockey team resumed its weekend series with Nazareth College. The Soaring Eagles brought the raucous crowd of 1,094 to its feet with late-game fireworks, tallying a late goal to force overtime, before winning the game on a goal by Jeremy Marginsky '18 48 seconds into the extra session.
 
It was a fitting ending to the game, as Elmira celebrated its annual Wounded Warrior Game. The program honored Chuck Crusha, a local military veteran and head of Elmira's ROTC program, with a ceremonial opening puck drop.
 
Despite the emotion laden pregame, Elmira struggled to get its legs going in the opening period. On the other hand, Nazareth showed excellent jump. EC netminder Sandro Aeschlimann '19 proved to be the difference, as he turned away all 19 Golden Flyer shots in the opening period.
 
The Soaring Eagles seemed to regroup during the intermission and quickly seized momentum in the second period. With the Golden Flyers' Rocky Gruttadauria in the box for interference, Elmira sent its power-play unit to work. Blake O'Neill '19 started the scoring sequence with a zone keep at the right point. He shuffled it up the boards to Greg Whittle '16, who worked a give-and-go with Michael Collins '16. Whittle took the puck down the boards, before sending a backhander to an unchecked Tommy Sumi '16 at the top of the left circle. He sent a laser wrist shot past the blocker of Nazareth goaltender Ed Zdolshek to lift Elmira to a 1-0 lead.
 
The momentum was short lived, as the Golden Flyers answered the Elmira power-play tally with one of their own 1:37 later. Matt Manzella beat Aeschlimann with a wrister to tie up the game.
 
Nazareth looked to be buoyed by the quick response and seemed poised to take a lead when it got another opportunity with the man-advantage under four minutes later. However, Elmira briefly stemmed the tide, as Tyler Theodoulou '18 netted a shorthanded goal to help EC retake the lead. Sumi started the play, forcing a zone keep by the Golden Flyers back into the neutral zone. Theodoulou streaked onto the loose puck, speeding down the left wing, before making a patient play to move across the face of goal, before slotting the puck into the twine.
 
Unfortunately, the lead was short lived, as C.J. Murray scored an equalizer 58 seconds later at the end of the power-play advantage to tie the game.
 
Nazareth's power-play unit continued to pose problems for the home side later in the period, as Oliver Janzen lifted the Golden Flyers to their first lead at 13:51 of the middle period.
 
Holding the tenuous lead, Nazareth made the neutral zone a quagmire through the final period. The score line remained 3-2 in favor the visitors late into the third period; however, Elmira would not be denied on this night.
 
Collins equalized the game at 16:55 of the period. Earning an attacking zone faceoff with 3:10 to play, Collins won a clean faceoff back to Alexander Taulien '17. The junior winger fired a low puck toward the net front, where Collins filtered to after winning the draw. He corralled the puck and turned it over from his forehand to his backhand, before slipping it past Zdolshek to tie the game.
 
Attacking zone draws continued to favor Elmira in overtime, resulting in the eventual game-winner. Jordan Robertson '17 won a muddled draw, as the puck trickled back into the high slot to Marginsky, who fired a screened shot through heavy traffic in front. His teammates mobbed the second-year forward, while the raucous crowd roared.
 
Turning Point
Collins goal swung momentum back in favor of the Soaring Eagles, while Marginsky sealed the comeback win. The victory was Elmira's first in overtime this season.

 
Inside the Box Score

• A 19-to-6 Nazareth shot advantage in the first period turned into a 38-to-30 lead for the game.
• Nazareth was deadly on the power play, as all three of their scores came with the extra skater (3-for-4).
• The Soaring Eagles made good on 1-of-2 power-play opportunities.
• Sumi and Whittle led the charge with two points apiece.
• Sumi scored once on the power play and assisted on a shorthanded goal.
• Both of Whittle's points came on assists, including EC's third goal that tied the game at 3-3 at that time.
• Theodoulou scored shorthanded in the second period, his fifth goal of the season.
• Collins scored the game-tying goal with 3:05 remaining in the third period.
• Marginsky punched in the game-winning goal just 48 seconds into the overtime period.
• O'Neill, Taulien, and Robertson tallied assists, with Robertson's coming on the game-winner.
• Aeschlimann had a stellar night, finishing with 35 saves, 19 of which were made in the first period.

 
News and Notes

• With the win, Elmira snaps a four-game winless streak.
• Tonight's overtime win is EC's first of the season (1-2-2).
• Marginsky's game-winner is his first of the 2015-16 season.
• Marginsky has registered at least one point in Elmira's last six games.
• Sumi is riding high on a five-game point streak and has scored one goal in his last three contests.
• Theodoulou's shorthanded tally is his first of the season and Elmira's fifth of the year.
• In just his second game since November, Whittle produced two points, his third multi-point performance of the year.
• Aeschlimann has nine 30-plus save efforts on the year.

 
Up Next
Elmira returns to action on Friday, January 12^th, when the Soaring Eagles welcome Utica College to the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena for an ECAC West showdown. The puck is set to drop at 7:00 p.m.