ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team will look to extend its season-long three-game win streak this weekend, when the Soaring Eagles welcome both Neumann University and Stevenson University to the Murray Athletic Center for United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) bouts. Both contests are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be a part of 36th Annual Athletics Alumni Weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles completed a season sweep of nationally-ranked Utica with a convincing 5-1 UCHC victory at the Murray Athletic Center on Saturday, January 27.
Nick Ford '20 paced Elmira with a game-high three points (2g-1a). Fellow sophomores
Matthew Cuce '20 (1g-1a) and
Anthony Parrucci '20 (2a) also finished the evening with multi-point games. In goal for EC, freshman
Jake Sabourin '21 made 36 saves to earn his fourth win of the year.
NATIONAL ATTENTION
With a 5-2-0 record against nationally-ranked opponents this season, Elmira is starting to get recognized by some of the national pollsters. In the latest edition of the D3hockey.com Men's Top 15, the Soaring Eagles received one vote towards the rankings. The last time EC garnered attention from the national polls was in the 2015-16 campaign, when the Purple and Gold got 10 votes from both the USCHO and D3hockey.com on January 11, 2016.
SCOUTING NEUMANN
The Knights have hit a rough patch since they earned a 5-2 victory over the Purple and Gold on November 18. In the 13 contests since that bout, Neumann is 3-9-1. These struggles have resulted in a 6-12-2 overall record for the Knights, who are also 6-4-2 in UCHC play. The biggest contributor for these losses is Neumann's inability to stop opposing offenses, as it ranks seventh in the nine-team league in goals allowed per game (3.80). To counteract this issue, the Knights have had to rely on their offense to keep up with its opposition. Pacing Neumann's attack is senior forward Liam Board, who has tallied a team-leading 24 points on eight goals and 16 assists. Another key contributor to the offense is sophomore Ryan Swain. The forward from Jackson, New Jersey, paces the Knights with 12 goals on the year, six of which have come on the power play. Neumann's goaltender situation has been much more complicated, as three different players have started at least five games this year. Pacing this group is senior Matt Gibney, who leads the team in wins (3) and goals-against average (2.96). Gibney has backstoped the Knights to their last two victories.
SCOUTING STEVENSON
The Mustangs own the top spot in the UCHC standings with a 7-2-3 conference record. Overall, Stevenson is 9-6-6 after going unbeaten in its last four games (3-0-1). In their most recent contest, the Mustangs won a tense 3-2 decision over Manhattanville on Saturday, January 27. A big reason that Stevenson has had so much success in conference play is that it has allowed just 1.50 goals per game in its 12 UCHC bouts, which paces the league. At the forefront of this defensive unit is senior goalie Jacob Caffrey, who leads the conference in save percentage (.926) and ranks fourth in goals-against average (2.33). On the offensive end of the ice, sophomore forward Dominic Brenza leads the Mustangs in points (22) and assists (15).
UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles begin a two-game road trip on Friday, February 16, with a bout against Chatham. The UCHC tilt is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Frozen Pond Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
