Score: No. 4/5 Elmira College 3, SUNY Potsdam 1
Records: Elmira (16-4-4, 13-2-2 ECAC West), Potsdam (12-11-1, 8-8-1 ECAC West)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. – First Arena

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The No. 4/5 Elmira College women's ice hockey team scored twice in the second period to break a scoreless draw en route to a 3-1 victory over the Bears of SUNY Potsdam in the weekend series opener on Saturday afternoon at the First Arena in downtown Elmira.

The Soaring Eagles established early control of the ECAC West Conference bout and registered a one-sided 14-to-1 advantage in shots on goal through the first 20 minutes of play. Despite the sizable margin and a pair of power-play opportunities, EC was unable to tickle the twine in the opening period.

It took just over 31 minutes for the Purple and Gold to open the scoring, as Katie Granato '19 ripped a wrister from the slot that beat Potsdam goalie Alexa Pfieffer stick-side for the game's first goal. Kiana Melvin '20 passed the puck from the blue line down the left boards to Granato, who skated back up to the top of the zone and wrapped around into the slot. Although two Potsdam defenders followed Granato up the boards, neither stayed on her as she made her towards the goal, giving the sophomore from Naperville, Illinois an uncontested look at the net.

Six-and-a-half minutes later, the Soaring Eagles tallied the eventual game-winner and extended their lead to 2-0. Rachel Grampp '18 fed the puck to Sarah Hughson '18 in the high slot, and she drew the attention of a pair of Potsdam defenders. That allowed Shannon Strawinski '19 to slide in front of the crease unmarked, and after receiving a pass from Hughson, she beat Pfieffer five-hole for the score.

The Soaring Eagles tacked on an insurance goal less than three minutes into the third period on a tremendous tip from senior Johanna Eidensten '17, with Jaci Morr in the penalty box on a tripping call for the Bears. With the 5-on-4 advantage, Maddy Jerolman '19 centered the puck to Meg Lahey '19 in the high slot, and the second-year defender rifled a shot towards the net. Eidensten was positioned perfectly between the faceoff circles and deflected the shot towards the upper right corner over Pfieffer's shoulder, as she slid to the left to cover the initial shot.

The Bears avoided the shutout with a power-play tally of their own midway through the third period off of the stick of Amanda Peterson, but that would be all EC goalie Kelcey Crawford '18 would surrender to Potsdam in the final period. After needing to make just one save in the first period, Crawford denied the Bears 11 times in both the second to finish with 23 saves on the night.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Tim Crowley on skating on the ice at the First Arena in downtown Elmira...
"They were excited for the chance to play somewhere that has all of the bells and whistles, and the scoreboard that they have here. But it's just another day for us."

Coach Crowley breaking the stalemate with two goals in the second…
"I just told them that I thought we were playing really well and it would be just a matter of time before we cashed in. We just had to create a little bit more traffic; she (Potsdam goalie Amanda Pfieffer) was kicking out rebounds. We were fortunate enough to capitalize on a couple of chances in the second to create momentum."

Coach Crowley on the performance of the power-play unit…
"Between the first and second periods, we went over trying to look for JoJo there in the middle, just because they were coming up a little bit on Lou and Meg. We were fortunate enough to make the play there in the third."

Coach Crowley on facing the Bears in the regular-season finale on Sunday…
"We want to come in with the same approach and have a fast start - that's the biggest thing for us. Every game right now is a playoff game for us, so we want to come away with another two league points tomorrow."

Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outshot Potsdam, 37-to-24, which includes a 14-to-1 margin in the first period.
• Both teams scored one power-play goal, as EC finished 1-for-3 and Potsdam was 1-for-2 with the extra skater.
• Granato and Strawinski each netted an even-strength goal for the Soaring Eagles in the second period.
• Strawinski's tally was the eventual game-winner at the 17:36 mark of the second.
• Eidensten added a power-play goal in the third period for EC.
• Jerolman led all players with two points on a pair of helpers.
• Melvin, Hughson, Grampp, and Lahey each had one assist for the Soaring Eagles.
• Peterson scored Potsdam's lone goal, with assists from Amanda Ott and Madison Smith.
• Crawford made 23 saves between the pipes to earn the win.
• Pfieffer stops 34 shots a losing effort for the Bears.

News and Notes

• Elmira, which has already secured the second seed in the upcoming ECAC West Tournament, improved to 16-4-4 overall and 13-2-2 in conference play.
• The Soaring Eagles are unbeaten in home contests in 2016-17 at 8-0-2.
• In the all-time series versus Potsdam, Elmira is now 17-1-0.
• EC is 12-0-2 when scoring a power-play goal this season.
• Eidensten's power-play tally moved her into a tie for first place on the team with four extra-skater goals this season.
• With two points on a pair of assists, Jerolman climb atop Elmira's list of scoring leaders with a team-high 24 points (9g, 15a).
• Granato leads Soaring Eagles with 13 goals on the season.
• Crawford's victory was the 30th of her career, making her one of eight Soaring Eagles to notch at least 30 goaltending wins.

Up Next
The nationally-ranked Soaring Eagles have one more tune-up game before the ECAC West Tournament, as Elmira and Potsdam will meet on Sunday, February 19th, at 4:00 p.m. at the First Arena for the 2016-17 regular-season finale.