ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The unbeaten and third-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team will travel to North Country to compete in one of the nation's most competitive tournaments, the UNO Classic hosted by Plattsburgh State, on Saturday and Sunday, November 25 and 26. The Soaring Eagles will open the weekend against the No. 6/6 nationally-ranked Middlebury Panthers on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The EC women swept their second straight United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCUC) series last weekend, as the Purple and Gold outscored the Mustangs of Stevenson by a combined 14-1 at the Murray Athletic Center. In the series opener on Saturday, Elmira skated to a lopsided 7-1 triumph, as six different players earned multiple points and Maddy Jerolman '19 led all scorers with a game-high two goals. In Sunday's meeting, a 7-0 shutout, seven different Soaring Eagles tallied a goal, including Tiia Herto '20, who registered her first career goal just 38 seconds after the opening puck drop. Sarah Hughson '18 picked up three points (1g-2a) in the series finale, while Maddie Evangelous '19 and freshman Devyn Gilman '21 posted two assists apiece.

PRIDE OF PURCELLVILLE
Fourth-year goalie Kelcey Crawford '18 earned a pair of victories during the UCHC series against Stevenson, including the second clean sheet of her senior campaign on Sunday. The second game against Stevenson was one of her busiest of the season, as she needed a season-best 28 saves to complete the shutout. In the two games combined, Crawford allowed just one goal while making 47 stops. The Purcellville, Virginia, native leads all UCHC netminders and is third in the nation both in goals-against average (0.50) and save percentage (.971) heading into her toughest assignment of the young season in Plattsburgh, New York.

YOUNG GUN
First-year forward Gilman is proving to be one of the country's best freshmen after notching a pair of multi-point games over the weekend versus Stevenson. The Yorba Linda, California, product has posted multiple points in three consecutive games, totaling eight points (1g-7a) in her last three outings. That production has Gilman ranked first in the nation in points per game among freshmen (1.80). Although the season is only five games old, should she continue to pace the country in this category, Gilman would become just the second Soaring Eagle to lead the nation's rookies in scoring and the first since the late, great Laura Hurd '05 did so in 2001-02.

STIFF COMPETITION
The UNO Classic, formerly known as the Cardinal-Panther Classic, has built a reputation as one of the the toughest regular-season tournaments in the country. That sentiment holds true again in 2017, as No. 2/2-ranked Plattsburgh State will welcome No. 3/3 Elmira, No. 4/4 Adrian and No. 6/6 Middlebury to the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena this weekend. EC is guaranteed a first-round matchup with the Panthers, the two-time defending NESCAC champions. On day two, Elmira will have a rematch with either Adrian, whom the Soaring Eagles met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, or Plattsburgh State, the four-time defending NCAA champion that EC previously faced in an annual rivalry in the old ECAC West Conference. Either way you look at it, this will be the Elmira's toughest weekend yet, and a win against any of the aforementioned teams will go a long way towards earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament at the season's end.

SCOUTING MIDDLEBURY
Like Elmira, Middlebury's 2016-17 season came to an end in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament by a 5-4 score, as the Panthers were edged in double overtime by Norwich. After producing a 19-7-2 overall record a year ago, Middlebury kicked off the new year with a pair of wins on their home ice over Trinity (CT) by scores of 2-0 and 4-1. Second-year goalie Lin Han, who split time with senior Julia Neuburger last season, earned both starts against the Bantams and was solid between the pipes. Han stopped all 27 shots on goal in the season-opener to record a clean sheet and allowed just one first-period goal while making 20 saves the following afternoon. As a result, she's tied with Crawford for third in the nation in goals-against average (0.50) and sits one spot above the EC netminder for second in save percentage (.979). On the offensive end of the ice, Katherine Jackson scored thrice in the two-game set with Trinity and is tied for first in the country with a 1.50 goals per game average. One Middlebury forward, Jessica Young, reached the 100-point plateau with a pair of points (1g-1a) against the Bantams and fellow senior Maddie Winslow enters the weekend with 99 career points to her name, this after dishing out a team-high four assists last weekend.

LOOKING AHEAD
The No. 3/3-ranked Soaring Eagles will resume UCHC play on Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2, when the Purple and Gold hit the road for a two-game league series against Chatham. The first bout against the Cougars is set for a 7:00 p.m. on Friday night at the Alpha Ice Complex.