Pre-Game Info: Complete Game Notes
Live Coverage: Stats | Video
Ticket Info: Adult Reserved: $8, Adult standing room: $5, Student with ID: $5, Children 12 & under: $5; Children 2 & under: free with paying adult.
Date: Saturday, March 1, 2017
Location: Arrington Ice Arena – Adrian Mich.  
Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
 
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Another regular season is in the books, and similar to past years, the Elmira College women's ice hockey team is back in the national title hunt thanks to an at-large Pool C bid into the 2017 NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Championships.  The fifth-ranked Soaring Eagles will face second-ranked Adrian College in the opening round of the national tournament on Saturday, March 11, as EC travels to the Arrington Ice Arena in Adrian, Michigan, for a 3:00 p.m. tilt.
 
Elmira heads into the bout with an 18-5-4 overall record, after reaching the ECAC West Conference Championship Game last Saturday, in which the Soaring Eagles fell just short by a 2-1 final score to top-ranked Plattsburgh State in hostile territory at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. Alas, Elmira's 18-win resume catapulted the Purple and Gold back into the national tournament for a fifth consecutive season, marking just the second time in EC's illustrious history that it has done so.
 
Adrian, on the other hand, enters Saturday's bout with a full head of steam, after capturing it second consecutive NCHA Slaats Cup title and earning one of the five automatic bids into this year's national tournament.  The Bulldogs are arguably one of the hottest teams in Division III at the moment thanks in large part to their 17-game win streak, the country's second-longest streak behind Plattsburgh, which accounts for the bulk of the team's 26-2-0 overall record. The 26 wins are the most in Adrian's 10-year history.
 
When the word rivalry pops up in sports, most assume that a lengthy history with years upon years of bad blood is a prerequisite, but don't write-off what has developed into a bitter rivalry between these two teams over the last 17 months. The Soaring Eagles and Bulldogs square off for just the fourth time this weekend, as Adrian holds a slim 2-1-0 edge in the previous three matchups.
 
Following EC's national runner-up season in 2014-15, Adrian shocked the Soaring Eagles and etched its name among the nation's elite in their first-ever meeting with a one-sided 4-1 victory during the 2015-16 season opener in Northfield, Vermont. The teams would not see each other again for nearly five months, until Elmira made the trek to the Wolverine State on March 12 to face the Bulldogs on their home ice in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Elmira, who was the underdog entering that contest, ended Adrian's season in front of a packed house at the Arrington Ice Arena by a 3-1 final score.
 
The two heavyweights continued to trade blows in their only matchup of the season in 2016-17, which saw the Bulldogs dispatch their feathered counterpart with a 5-3 victory in the East-West Hockey Classic Third-Place Game, igniting Adrian's current 17-game win streak. The latest installment of the rivalry has a lot riding on it, as the Soaring Eagles pursue their fourth final-four appearance in the last five seasons, while the Bulldogs eye their first NCAA Tournament win in program history.
 
Elmira at a Glance
A few things have become abundantly clear when evaluating Elmira's body of work this season: EC is one of the most defensively sound teams in the nation and can back that up with a collective group effort on the offensive end of the ice. Elmira sports the nation's sixth-best defense, limiting opponents to a mere 1.30 goals per game; the Soaring Eagles have allowed just four goals in their last four games. A good deal of that success can be credited to the play of Kelcey Crawford '18 between the pipes, as the junior netminder leads the country in goals-against average (0.98) and save percentage (.958).
 
Offensively, 11 players have double-digit points, while three skaters have 10-or-more goals on the year. The balanced attack has the Purple and Gold ranked seventh in scoring offense (3.63 goals per game) despite a single player being ranked among the nation's top-35 point leaders. Katie Granato '19 (14g-13a), Maddie Evangelous '19 (10g-17a) and Louisa Lippiatt Durnell '18 (8g-19a) share the team lead in points with 27 apiece, while Maddy Jerolman '19 (11g-15a) is just one point off of the pace set by her teammates with 26 points. Granato leads the team with 14 goals, while Lippiatt Durnell boasts a team-leading 19 assists.
 
Adrian at a Glance
Since a one-goal overtime loss to Plattsburgh State in the beginning of January, Adrian has not tasted defeat in 17 straight contests. Adrian's high-octane offense deserves the lion's share of credit for the team's record-setting season, as the Bulldogs boast the country's top-scoring offense at 5.64 goals per game, which is 1.05 higher than the next closest team. Adrian is the only team in the country with four skaters ranked 10th-or-better on the national leaderboard in points per game, and furthermore, is the only team with six players inside the top-20 in that same statistical category.
 
The senior trio of Kristin Lewicki, Kaylyn Schroka, and Sarah Shure, along with sophomore Brooke Lupi, has fueled Adrian's top-scoring offense this season. Those four skaters alone account for 52-perecent of the team's point production. Lewicki (28g-33a) leads the group and ranks second in the country in goals per game, assists per game, and is also the nation's leading power-play scorer with 12 extra-skater tallies. As good as the forwards have been for the Bulldogs this season, their blueliners have been just as impressive. Defenders Sydney Smith (11g-25a) and Kelly O'Sullivan (11g-24a) rank first and third in the country in defenseman scoring, while Lexi Tzafaroglou (7g-16a) and Kristi Zink (2g-16a) sit in ninth and 19th place in the nation, respectively.
 
All-Conference Honorees
Elmira had five skaters land a spot on the 2016-17 ECAC West All-Conference Team. Granato (14g-13a) and blueliner Meg Lahey '19 (3g-14a) were tabbed as second-team recipients, while Lippiatt Durnell (8g-19a), Jerolman (11g-15a), and Chivers (3g-10a) took home honorable mention accolades.
 
Adrian swept all of the NCHA major awards and placed six players on the All-Conference Team. Kristen Lewicki (28g-33a), Kaylyn Schroka (27g-29a), Sarah Shureb (23g-32a), Kelly O'Sullivan (11g-24a), Sydney Smith (11g-25a), and Brooke Gibson (1.32 GAA; 13-1-0 Record) were all named to the NCHA All-Conference Team – the NHCA does not designate first or second team recipients. Lewicki was named the league's Player of the Year, O'Sullivan was voted as the Freshman of the Year, and Head Coach Chad Davis claimed NCHA Coach of the Year honors.
 
NCAA Tournament History
Elmira is making its 13th NCAA Division III Tournament appearance this season, three of which have resulted in national titles for the Soaring Eagles. EC downed Adrian in last year's first-round game, 3-1, and took home the third-place trophy with a 4-1 win over Middlebury College. The Bulldogs, however, have qualified for their third national tournament in 2017 and are seeking the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
 
Elmira Skaters in NCAA Tournament
Lippiatt Durnell (0g-6a-6p)
Eidensten (2g-3a-5p)
Evangelous (3g-1a-4p)
Jerolman (2g-2a-4p)
Granato (2g-1a-3p)
Tude (2g-0a-2p)
Prance (1g-0a-1p)
Fonfara (0g-1a-1p)
Grampp (0g-1a-1p)
 
Elmira Goaltenders in NCAA Tournament
Nelson: 4-2-0 Record – 2.11 GAA – .918 Save %
 
Adrian Skaters in NCAA Tournament
Smith (1g-0a-1p)
Lewicki (0g-1a-1p)
Schroka (0g-1a-1p)
 
Adrian Goaltenders in NCAA Tournament
Jade Walsh: 0-1-0 Record – 2.02 GAA – .900 Save %
 
Looking Ahead
The winner of Saturday's first-round game will advance to the final site of the NCAA Division III Championships, which will take place next weekend with the semifinal round on Friday, March 17 and the championship round on Saturday, March 18. The site for the final four games has yet to be determined, but will be announced at the conclusion of Saturday night's contests. 

For additional information on Saturday's NCAA Division III Tournament First Round Game, click here.