NCAA Tournament First Round
No. 4/5 Elmira College (21-4-1) at No. 2/2 Adrian College (25-2-1)
Saturday, March 12, 2016 | 7:00 P.M. | Arrington Ice Arena – Adrian, MI
 
General Information
NCAA Tournament Bracket
Ticket Information
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles | Game Notes | Practice Photos
 
Elmira, NY -- The No. 4/5 Elmira College women's ice hockey team is set to embark on its quest for a fourth national title when it travels to the Midwest for a NCAA Tournament First Round matchup against No. 2/2 Adrian College. Puck drop for Saturday night's contest at Arrington Ice Arena is slated for 7:00 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira enters the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Tournament coming off one of its most difficult outings of the season in the semifinal of the ECAC West Tournament. Third-seeded Utica College stunned the Soaring Eagles 5-1, not only dealing EC an early exit from the conference tournament, but also putting the Purple and Gold into a little consternation regarding their NCAA hopes. The Pioneers struck for two goals in each of the first two periods to take a 4-0 lead into the final frame. Johanna Eidensten '17 netted an early goal in the third to spark hopes of an epic comeback, but Utica put that to bed with a goal 1:37 after the Eidensten tally, seeing out the 5-1 victory.
 
No Stranger to the NCAA
Elmira had to wait to the bitter end of Monday's NCAA Selection Show, before finally finding out that it would be a part of the tournament field. EC is no stranger to hearing its name called on selection day, as the Purple and Gold are set to make their 12th appearance in the "big dance". Elmira's 12 NCAA Tournament appearances are tied with Plattsburgh State for the second-most all-time. Middlebury College paces all programs with 13 appearances, as the Panthers secured the automatic bid for taking home the NESCAC Championship this season. Plattsburgh leads all programs with four national titles, while Elmira and Middlebury are tied for second with three titles apiece. Adrian is set to make their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Elmira, Adrian in the NCAA Tournament
Although Elmira's roster is laden with many first-year contributors, the benefit of NCAA Tournament experience should firmly be in favor of the Soaring Eagles heading into Saturday's first round matchup. EC has a 16-8 all-time record in NCAA Tournament games, while Adrian is 0-1 in one prior appearance in the tournament. The Bulldogs only previous appearance was a 10-1 loss to the eventual National Champions in the Rochester Institute of Technology in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Here is a round-by-round win-loss breakdown of Elmira's record in the "big dance".
 
First Round: 5-3 (Last win: 3-2 OT vs. Trinity, 2015)
Second Round: 6-2 (Last win: 3-2 vs. Wisconsin-River Falls, 2015)
Third-Place Game: 2-0 (Last win: 4-1 vs. Gustavus Adolphus, 2010)
Championship Game: 3-3 (Last win: 1-0 vs. Middlebury, 2013)
 
ECAC West All-Conference
Kristin Chivers '19 headlined a group of five skaters who took home ECAC West All-Conference honors at the conclusion of the regular season. The rookie defender became the first EC player in nine years to earn First Team honors during her debut season, while she also garnered a spot on the conference's All-Rookie Team. Along with Chivers, Olivia Nystrom '16, McKenna Farole '16, and Maddie Evangelous '19 also received accolades from the conference office. Nystrom, a former All-Rookie selection, took home ECAC West All-Conference Second Team honors; Farole earned her first year-end accolade from the ECAC West with an Honorable Mention nod; Evangelous was voted to the All-Rookie Team.
 
Scoring First
The importance of scoring first cannot be understated in Saturday's matchup with  Adrian. Both teams were nearly perfect on the season when gaining the upper hand in a contest. Elmira posted a 15-0-1 record when finding the back of the net first, while Adrian is 20-0-1 when tallying the first goal. One of the Bulldogs' 20 first-goal wins was against EC in the season opener.
 
Goals Galore for Eidensten
If Elmira is going to up its goal scoring on Saturday compared to its first meeting with Adrian this year, there is a good chance it is going to come from the stick of Johanna Eidensten '17. The third-year forward was mired in scoring rut for the majority of the season, which included 5- and 10-game streaks where she failed to tally a point. However, that is all in the past for the Täby, Sweden, native who has been one of the hottest scorers in the nation over the past three weeks. She extended her goal-scoring streak to four consecutive games and her point-streak to five straight contests with Elmira's lone goal in the ECAC West Semifinal against Utica. She has recorded five goals and an assist over that five-game stretch, bringing her season total to 13 points on seven goals and six assists. Eidensten will look to keep her hot streak going against the Bulldogs this weekend.
 
Scoring Depth
While Elmira may not boast a skater within the Top-40 nationally in terms of overall scoring, no one can argue that the Soaring Eagles possess one of the deepest lineups in the nation. EC has 13 skaters that have recorded double-digit points this season, which is tied with Plattsburgh State for the most of any team in the NCAA Tournament field. Adrian ranks second with 12 skaters amassing 10-plus points on the year. Amherst College and the University of St. Thomas both had 10 players post double-digits, while the University of Wisconsin at River Falls and the University of Massachusetts at Boston had eight skaters reach the mark. Middlebury College had the least amount with only six with 10-or-more points.
 
Parsing the PK
The Elmira College penalty-killing unit has been a strength of the squad for the majority of the season. Aside from a bit of a hiccup in the series against Plattsburgh State, Elmira has been superb, coming up successful on 90-of-103 opportunities this season for an 87.4-percentage. It will need to be on top of its game, as Adrian possesses one of the top power plays in the nation. The Bulldogs far-and-away led the nation in power-play opportunities with 154 on the year. Adrian's 20.8 conversion rate with the advantage ranks 11^th in the country, while its 32 power-play goals are second to Plattsburgh's 43 this season.
 
Last Matchup vs. Adrian
The season is set to come full circle on Saturday evening when Elmira and Adrian lock in for a win-or-go-home contest. The only other all-time meeting between the two programs was in the season opener to the 2015-16 campaign. Adrian took that Halloween Night decision on the opening day of the East-West Hockey Classic by a 4-1 final. The Bulldogs scored two goals in each of the first two periods to take a 4-0 lead through 40 minutes. Louisa Lippiatt Durnell '18 tallied the lone goal for EC, while the team was shorthanded during the third period.
 
Scouting the Bulldogs
Adrian has enjoyed the finest season in the program's nine-year history in 2015-16. The Bulldogs enter the NCAA Tournament with a 25-2-1 record, already shattering the previous program record for single-season wins (20; twice). Adrian breezed through the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) playoffs, outscoring its opponents 10-1, which included a 2-0 shutout of St. Norbert in the NCHA Slaats Cup Championship. The Bulldogs impressive postseason run was just a continuation of the dominance the team exhibited through the regular season. The Black and Gold have not lost a game since a 6-2 decision at Lake Forest College on November 14th. Adrian has gone 21-0-1 since that point, with the lone blemish coming at home against St. Scholastica in a 2-2 tie. The Bulldogs possess one of the most impressive offensive-defensive combinations in the country, ranking second  nationally in goals per game (4.68) and fourth in goals against (1.25). The team's 131 goals rank second only to Plattsburgh State on the year. The junior combination of Kristin Lewicki and Kaylyn Schroka power the Adrian offensive attack. Lewicki is tied for the national lead in points (48), while her 32 goals trail only Michelle Greenway of Lake Forest (33). Schroka has posted a 19g-23a-42pts line on the year, while senior Logan Taylor is also a part of the 40-point club with 41; she is also tied for the national lead with 31 assists. Sydney Smith paces the Bulldogs' corps on the blue line, leading the country in scoring among defenders with 30 points on seven goals and 23 assists. Jade Walsh is Adrian's primary goaltender, ranking second in goals-against average (1.10) and eighth in save percentage (.946).