Score: No. 3 Elmira College 5 – Buffalo State 0
Records: Elmira (17-3-1, 12-2-0 ECACW), Buffalo State (15-6-0, 9-5-0 ECACW)
Location: Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena – Pine Valley, NY
 
Pine Valley, NY -- The third-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team had a quick turnaround when it faced Buffalo State in the second game of the weekend home-and-home series. The Soaring Eagles were clinical in their return to the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena, shutting out the Bengals 5-0 in front of a raucous Athletics Alumni Weekend crowd.
 
Elmira got off to a quick start in the contest, netting a goal on just the second shift of the hockey game. Sarah Hughson '18 picked off a pass at the blue-line and moved in on goal, as Buffalo State was caught midway through a line change. Hughson's initial shot was blocked by Hannah Tarr, the Bengals' lone defender back, however, she stuck with the puck and whipped a backhand saucer pass right on the stick blade of Shannon Strawinski '19 who was making a hard center drive to the net. The Elmira rookie wristed the puck past bewildered Bengal netminder Justine Silva to give EC a 1-0 lead just 1:13 into the game.
 
Strawinski did not wait long to return the favor, as she set Hughson for a goal to double Elmira's lead just over five minutes later. Anna Tude '17 started the scoring play by stripping the puck at the left wing boards. She dropped a pass further up the wall to Strawinski, who quickly shuffled it to Hughson. The sophomore found a soft spot between the circles in the Buffalo State zone. She sent a howitzer of a wrist shot over the shoulder of the Bengal goaltender to make it 2-0 at 6:42.
 
The Soaring Eagles swift legs continued to be showcased during the second period, as Elmira continued to elevate its lead with two more goals in the second period.
 
Tude continued the scoring barrage of Elmira's second line when she found the back of the net with an unassisted tally at 4:23 of the period. The play began when Kristin Chivers '19 kept a puck in the Buffalo State zone at the right point. She whipped it back down low, where Bengal defender Viivi Vaattovaara cut off the rubber and attempted to reverse it around the boards. Tude quickly streaked down from her position atop the crease to steal the puck below the end line to the left of the goal. She whipped the puck back towards goal, taking a weird bounce off the goaltender, before slipping between her pads.
 
Maddy Jerolman '19 made the score 4-0 later in the period. Picking off a pass at the left point, she slipped by her defender and took off like she was shot out of a cannon on a partial break. Streaking down the right wing, she fired a laser wrist shot, which clanged in off the bottom of the crossbar.
 
Katie Granato '19 capped the scoring at 4:09 of the third period. With Elmira working on a power-play, McKenna Farole '16 walked the blue-line, before firing a point shot towards goal. Silva kicked the shot away, but only as far as Maddie Evangelous '19, who deftly knocked down the puck, before quickly sending a backhand pass into the high slot. Granato reaped the spoils, sending home the wrister.
 
The lead was more than enough for Elmira goaltender Kelcey Crawford '18. The sophomore showed excellent positioning throughout the afternoon, calmly denying all 18 Buffalo State shots.
 
In His Own Words…
Head Coach Dean Jackson '03 on his team's performance…
"I thought it was one of our best performances of the season. We played a solid game from start to finish. We had an approach going into this afternoon and I'm proud to say the team executed that plan well."
 
Jackson on his team's work on the rush…
"We wanted to play a quick pace game from the onset. That approach got us on the scoreboard quickly. The players did a good job of not deviating from the game plan. Their focus was a big for us today."
 
Jackson on the rookie class…
"The rookies certainly chipped in with a big effort this afternoon. This is not to take anything away from the veterans, who also played a big factor in helping us create scoring opportunities. The players certainly fed off each other, which enabled us to keep momentum throughout the game."
 
Jackson on securing the sweep…
"Achieving a four-point weekend is a great success for us against a very good Buffalo State team. We are happy that we had a consistent effort and look forward to bringing that same energy into next week."
 
Turning Point
Elmira gained a leg up right off the opening puck drop, scoring a goal on the second shift of the hockey game. The Soaring Eagles never looked back from there, displaying sound play in all three zones in the comfortable victory.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outshot Buffalo State 45-to-18 in the game.
• EC went 1-for-4 on the power play, while Buffalo State was 0-for-2 with the man-advantage.
• Elmira dominated the faceoff dot, winning 33-of-52 draws on the day.
• Tude had a strong day on faceoffs, winning 9-of-12 draws.
• Anna Tude '17, Sarah Hughson '18 and Shannon Strawinski '19 each finished with a goal and assist.
• Katie Granato '19 netted a power-play goal.
• Maddy Jerolman '19 added an unassisted goal.
• McKenna Farole '16 and Maddie Evangelous '19 each collected one assist apiece.
• Kelcey Crawford '18 stopped all 18 shots.

 
News and Notes

• With the victory, Elmira moves to 36-1-0 all-time against Buffalo State.
• The win gives Elmira the regular season sweep of the series.
• The Soaring Eagles have now won 10 straight against the Bengals.
• Elmira rookies accounted for three of the five goals on the day.
• Crawford notched her third shutout of the season.
• Granato has now scored a goal in three consecutive games, while she stretched her point streak to four straight.

 
Up Next
Elmira will take on William Smith College in a home-and-home series next weekend. The first of those games will be played at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena on Saturday, February 13^th. Puck drop is slated for 3:00 p.m.