Score: Elmira College 5, Wilkes University 2
Records: Elmira (3-2-0, 2-0-0 UCHC), Wilkes (1-2-0, 0-1-0 UCHC)
Location: Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, N.Y.
 
PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- A two-goal effort from rookie Marty Kapoian '22, along with a 2-for-6 showing on the power play, lifted the Elmira College men's ice hockey team to a 5-2 come-from-behind victory against visiting Wilkes University on Saturday night. With the win, the Soaring Eagles remained perfect in United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) action with a 2-0-0 league record.
 
Kapoian tallied twice for the Soaring Eagles, once in the second period and once in the third frame, both of which were at even strength. Nick Ford '20 and Connor Powell '20 each finished with three points on one goal, both registered on the power play, and two assists apiece. EC's other goal scorer tonight was Matthew Cuce '20, who scored an empty-netter for his third tally of the season.
 
Other point-getters for the Soaring Eagles included Jamie Dorsey '21, Patrick Schmelzinger '20, Harry Kramer '20, Ross Bartlett '22, Anthony Parrucci '20 and Ryan Blais '21, all of whom logged one assist apiece.
 
Jake Sabourin '21 got the start between the pipes for the first time since the 2018-19 season-opener and the second-year netminder did not disappoint. Sabourin made double-digit saves in each of the three periods, including a pair of 14-save efforts in the first and second periods, and finished with 41 saves. With the win, Sabourin improved to 1-1-0 on the year.
 
Wilkes jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals within a 2:15 span, as Devon Schell and Jay Gallagher found the back of the net for the Colonels. Schell scored unassisted at 6:04, while Gallagher netted his goal at 8:19 on an assist from Tyler Barrow.
 
Elmira's power-play unit continued its surging play with a man-up goal at the 12:43 mark. An initial pass from Powell to Blais put the puck at the point. From there, Blais dished it off to Ford at the left faceoff circle where he wristed a hard-liner that beat Wilkes' Brandon Gordon, top-shelf, for the power-play goal. The Ford tally sent the Soaring Eagles into the first intermission with just a one-goal deficit, 2-1.
 
The Soaring Eagle offense came alive in the second stanza and produced 15 shots, while limiting Wilkes to 14. The more than double shot-on-goal attempts proved fruitful for the Purple and Gold late in the period as Kapoian leveled the contest at 2-2 at 17:33. A pass from Schmelzinger to Dorsey at the left side of the blue allowed Dorsey to snap a shot towards the cage. The attempt was corralled by Kapoian, who punched the puck past Gordon while diving to the ice. Both Dorsey and Schmelzinger were credited with assists on the game-tying goal, which sent the Soaring Eagles into the final intermission deadlocked with Wilkes, 2-2.
 
Powell put the Purple and Gold out in front, 3-2, with a power-play goal just 3:07 into the third period. Ford began the scoring play with a pass to Parrucci, who snapped a pass from behind the cage to Powell in the slot, where he one-timed it into the net for the goal.
 
EC doubled its lead behind Kapoian's second goal of the night at the 12:54 mark. A pass from the d-zone by Kramer found Bartlett, who carried the puck into the offensive zone. From there, Bartlett rifled a pass through traffic to Kapoian, who one-timed it into the left-side netting to put the Purple and Gold on top, 4-2.
 
Cuce added an insurance goal for the Soaring Eagles with an empty-netter with just 1:17 remaining in regulation. A blocked shot by Powell setup the scoring play, as the puck leaked out to Ford, who snapped a pass towards the blue line where Powell and Cuce skated side-by-side. Powell redirected the pass from Ford to Cuce, who carried it all the way to the opposite blue line before fluttering it into the empty net for the fifth-and-final goal of the game.
 
News and Notes

• Elmira remained perfect in UCHC play at 2-0-0.
• The Soaring Eagles have won three straight games.
• Elmira has scored a power-play goal in all five games this season.
• EC is 6-for-12 in its last two games on the power play.
• Tonight's contest was the first-ever between Elmira and Wilkes.
• Kapoian scored his first collegiate goal and finished with two.
• Ford produced a season-high three points.
• Powell tied his season high with three points.
• Ford has four multi-point games this season.
• Powell scored his team-leading sixth goal of the year.
• Sabourin picked up his first win of the 2018-19 campaign.
• Bartlett was credited with his first career assist.

 
Up Next
Elmira returns to action next Friday, November 9, when the Soaring Eagles travel to face Neumann University in UCHC action. The opening puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. in Aston, Pennsylvania.