| UCHCÂ Title Game |
| Game Details |
Sunday, March 4 | Pine Valley, N.Y. | 3:00 p.m. |
| Game Converge |
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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The No. 3/3-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team is set to host the semifinal and championship rounds of the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4, at the Murray Athletic Center. Top-seeded EC will begin this weekend's festivities with a 3:00 p.m. battle against No. 4 seed Utica College on Saturday, before William Smith College and Stevenson University conclude play at 7:00 p.m.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles have not played since their weekend sweep of Neumann University on February 16-17 at the MAC. Elmira began the two-game set with a 4-0 victory on Friday evening. Nine different EC players tallied at least one point, led by
Shannon Strawinski '19 (1g-1a) and
Louisa Lippiatt Durnell '20 (2a) with two points apiece. The Purple and Gold followed that performance with a 7-1 triumph the following afternoon on Senior Day. Fourteen of EC's 18 skaters tallied a point in the contest.
Rachel Grampp '18 led Elmira with a career-high-tying three points (1g-2a).
Kelcey Crawford '18 started both games and made 25 saves with a .965 save percentage and a 0.50 goals-against average to earn her 17th and 18th victories of the season.
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ALL-CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Elmira was well represented on the first-ever edition of the UCHC year-end awards, as 10 Soaring Eagles received accolades from the conference office.
Sarah Hughson '18, Grampp, and Crawford highlighted the Purple and Gold's impressive haul, as Hughson was named the UCHC Player of the Year, Grampp was tabbed as Defensive Player of the Year, and Crawford collected Goaltender of the Year honors. In addition to Hughson, Grampp, and Crawford,
Katie Granato '19 gave the Purple and Gold four members on the All-UCHC First Team. For the complete release of EC's award winners, please click the link
here.
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HOME DOMINANCE
The Soaring Eagles have played outstanding at home this season, as they own an 8-1-2 record at the Murray Athletic Center. EC has been especially strong since the start of 2018, going 5-0-2 in that span. Those contests included a 3-3 overtime draw against No. 3/2-ranked Norwich and four consecutive victories at home to end the regular season. Hughson led the Elmira attack during that stretch, as she tallied seven goals across the seven games. Crawford started all seven bouts and allowed just eight goals, equaling a 1.12 goals-against average.
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SCOUTING WILLIAM SMITH
In their fourth varsity campaign, the Herons had their most successful season in program history. William Smith, who enters the UCHC Tournament as the No. 2 seed, recorded its first winning season (16-5-4) and went 11-2-3 in league play. In addition to possessing the second-best record in the conference, the Herons also rank second to Elmira in the UCHC in both scoring offense (4.12 gpg) and scoring defense (1.44 gpg). William Smith has been dominant at home this season, as it has lost just once in its 13 bouts at the Geneva Recreation Complex Skating Rink, that lone loss coming at the hands of EC on February 4. However, the Herons are 5-4-3 away from Geneva, New York. Senior forward Krista Federow has done a little bit of everything for the Herons, as she paces the team with 32 points, 12 goals, and 20 assists. In recognition of her outstanding play, Federow was named to the All-UCHC Second Team. She was joined on the Second Team by senior goaltender Maggie Salmon. The Medford, Massachusetts, native was outstanding in her final collegiate season, ranking second in the conference in both goals-against average (1.50) and save percentage (.951).
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SCOUTING STEVENSON
The third-seeded Mustangs enter Saturday's semifinal bout against William Smith coming off a thrilling victory in the quarterfinals. On Saturday, February 24, Stevenson defeated Manhattanville College by a 4-3 final score, netting the game-winner with just under nine minutes left to play. The win extended an impressive streak for the Mustangs, who haven't lost a game since the turn of the New Year. Stevenson's last defeat came on December 8, 2017, to non-conference foe Buffalo State, 6-3. Since then, the Mustangs are 11-0-4 in their last 15 contests. Senior forward Chelsea Blackburn is in command of the Stevenson offense that ranks fourth in the league (3.08 gpg), as she paces the team in points (38), goals (19), and assists (19). By ranking third in the UCHC in points, Blackburn was given a spot on the All-Conference Second Team. In goal for the Mustangs, Caitie Darosa and Annie Smyth-Hammond have both played at least 40 percent of the team's goaltender minutes. Darosa leads Stevenson with 14 starts and has posted a 7-4-2 record with 371 saves. Smyth-Hammond, on the other hand, has tallied five wins in 10 starts, in addition to making 277 saves.
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SCOUTING UTICA
The Pioneers skate into Saturday's semifinal against the Soaring Eagles as the fourth seed in the UCHC Tournament with a 9-5-2 league record. Utica helped its playoff chances in the last month of the regular season by winning its last five games, all of which were league bouts. UC continued its win streak with a 3-1 triumph over Neumann on Sunday, February 25, in the quarterfinal round. The Pioneers have been successful on both ends of the ice this season, as they enter this weekend third in the conference in scoring (3.15) and goals-against average (2.00). Leading the Utica defense is second-year goalie Bria Reilly, who ranks third in the UCHC in goals-against average (1.94) and save percentage (.926). Fellow sophomores Rebecca Brown and Olivia Hirschy have been the Pioneers' strongest offensive threats, as Brown paces the team with 23 points and 17 assists as a defender and Hirschy leads Utica with 12 goals, seven of which came in the last five games.
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UP NEXT
Because the UCHC does not possess an automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Division III Tournament, this weekend's champion will have to wait till the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Selection Show to find out its fate. The selection show will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 5.
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