ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College men's ice hockey will face one of its biggest tests of the season this Saturday, January 21st, as the Soaring Eagles travel to Skaneateles, New York, for a neutral site matchup with No. 9/10 nationally-ranked Hobart College. Although the two storied rivals are both from the ECAC West Conference, Saturday's game at the W.G. Allyn Ice Arena will not count towards the league standings.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Soaring Eagles are fresh off of their most impressive win of the season, a 5-2 drubbing of No. 13/14 nationally-ranked Salve Regina University. A slow first period turned into an exciting one for Elmira, as the Purple and Gold struck for two goals in a 52-second span late in the opening frame. Kenny Tencza '19 began the scoring at the 16:14 mark and was followed by a goal from Connor Powell '20 at the 17:06 mark, which put EC out in front 2-0 heading into the first intermission. The Seahawks answered with two quick goals of their own in the first five minutes of the second stanza, tying the game at 2-2. However, captain Eddie Nolan '17 broke the stalemate 8:37 into the second period with an unassisted goal, one that would hold up as the game winner. EC's Tyler Theodoulou '18 and Mitch Atkins '19 chipped in with goals in the third period – Theodoulou's on the power play and Atkins' on an empty net – to solidify Elmira's first win over a nationally-ranked program this season.
 
THEODOULOU'S POWER-PLAY SCORING: Junior forward Tyler Theodoulou '18 has emerged as Elmira's go-to option on the power play, as the Bedford, New Hampshire, native boasts a team-leading five power-play goals this season. Theodoulou enters Saturday's contests against Hobart after scoring power-play goals in back-to-back games against Curry College and Salve Regina. His five power-play scores are tied for second-most in the ECAC West, as is his 0.33 power-play goals per game average.   
 
MAGLIOCCO SHINES AGAIN: Senior goaltender Sal Magliocco '17 was solid once again for the Soaring Eagles between the pipes in last weekend's games against Curry and Salve Regina. The Roslyn, New York, native amassed 73 saves in the two contests, including a 38-save effort in EC's nationally-ranked win over Salve. For his efforts, Magliocco was named the ECAC West Goalie of the Week for a second straight time, making him the first player this season to earn the league's top goaltender award in back-to-back weeks.   
 
SCOUTING HOBART: The No. 9/10 nationally-ranked Statesmen head into Saturday's non-conference bout with a 10-2-3 overall record. Hobart is riding high on a seven-game unbeaten streak and has won three straight, with each of those three wins coming by three goals or more. Five Statesmen have double-digit points entering the weekend, led by senior Nick Bingaman's 15 points. Bingaman has had the scoring touch this season with a team-leading 12 goals and a per-game average of 0.80 goals, a mark that ranks ninth in the country. Defensively, the Statesmen lead the conference with a league-best 2.40 goals per game. Aiding that number has been the team's effort on the penalty kill, as the Hobart men have successfully denied their opponents on 70-of-78 power-play chances (89.7%). The 89.7-percent success rate is tops in the league and ranks fourth in the nation. Also credit the play of rookie goalie Alexander Connal, who looks to have taken over the starting position for the Statesmen. Connal has yet to suffer a loss this season (6-0-2) and owns a team-leading 1.80 goals-against average, as well as a .935 save percentage.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Elmira and Hobart have met 84 times throughout their respective histories. The Soaring Eagles own a decisive 58-24-2 lead in the previous matchups, however, the Statesmen have come out on the winning end in the majority of recent contests. Hobart is 7-3-0 in the last 10 meetings, including a 5-2 victory in last year's regular season finale.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Elmira resumes its ECAC West schedule next Friday, January 27th, when the Soaring Eagles welcome Stevenson University to the Murray Athletic Center for a 7:00 p.m. showdown.