Score: No. 3/3 Elmira College 2, William Smith College 1
Records: Elmira (17-2-2, 11-0-1 UCHC), William Smith (13-5-4, 9-2-3 UCHC)
Location: Geneva, N.Y. -- Geneva Recreation Complex
 
GENEVA, N.Y. -- The No. 3/3 nationally-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team earned a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over William Smith College on Sunday afternoon in United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) action at the Geneva Recreation Complex Skating Rink in Geneva, New York.

With neither team finding the back of the net for the final 18:25 of regulation, for the second-straight day, the Soaring Eagles and Herons were headed to overtime. It did not take long for EC to break the deadlock, as Shannon Strawinski '19 sealed an Elmira victory with a goal off of an odd-man rush just 31 seconds into the period. Louisa Lippiatt Durnell '18 was given the assist on the game-winner.

It was a hard-fought opening period, which resulted in a 0-0 score heading into the first intermission. Kelcey Crawford '18 was fantastic in the stanza, as she made 10 saves keep the score tied.

On the other end of the ice, the Soaring Eagles' offense put 13 shots on net, all of which were stopped by the Herons' starting goalie, Maggie Salmon. EC also saw nine of their shots blocked by William Smith.

EC's offensive chance came about from three power-play opportunities, all of which were unsuccessful. Elmira's main opportunity came on a power play with about three minutes left in the period when it got six shots off in the two-minute stretch. Unfortunately for the Purple and Gold, three of the shots were saved by Salmon and the other three were blocked.

The Soaring Eagles finally broke the seal on the game's scoring at the 13:08 mark of the second period. Katie Granato '19 scored the tally with a poke right in front of the William Smith goal, putting Elmira up 1-0. Maddie Evangelous '19 hit the puck into the crease, when Granato put a couple of slaps on it to help it across the line.

This is where the score would stay heading into the second intermission. For the second consecutive period, Crawford was strong, as she made 13 saves to keep the Herons off the scoreboard. She was also responsible for forcing William Smith to go 0-for-2 on the power play in the stanza.

It did not take the Herons long in the third period to tie the score at 1-all. Just 35 seconds into the stanza, Gina Scibetta gave William Smith its first tally of the game with a power-play strike. The extra-skater opportunity was gained after a tripping call on Strawinski, who would make up for the error later in the bout.

Crawford concluded the contest with 33 total saves, which is tied for the second-most that she has recorded this season. The victory also improved Crawford's record to 14-2-2 on the year.
 
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Tim Crowley shares his thoughts about picking up the win today…
"I am happy that we were able to get the win, despite the fact that we were not playing our best this weekend."
 
Coach Crowley on Elmira's ability to close out today's overtime contest…
"We were fortunate to capitalize on an odd-man rush set up by Louisa Lippiatt Durnell and Sarah Hughson. Shannon Strawinski was able to finish it off and credit to that line, as they stepped up when we needed it."
 
Coach Crowley the team's season-long homestand that begins next weekend…
"It is huge. It's no secret that we are better at home, just like a lot of teams. We are looking forward to closing the regular season out strong and to not having to travel."
 
News and Notes

• Today's victory improves Elmira's record to 17-2-2 overall and to 11-0-1 in UCHC play this season.
• EC is now unbeaten in its last eight games (6-0-2).
• The Purple and Gold are 1-0-2 in overtime tilts this season.
• William Smith's 34 shots are the most that the Soaring Eagles have seen when facing a conference opponent.
• Today's goal is Strawinski's first game-winner of 2017-18.
• Crawford is unbeaten in her last seven starts (5-0-2).
• Granato (18g-14a-32) is now tied with Sarah Hughson '18 for the team lead in points.
• Evangelous has tallied at least one point in six consecutive contests.
• With the assist on the game-winning goal, Lippiatt Durnell now has 91 points in her illustrious career, just nine shy of cracking EC's top-10 program leaders in that category.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles begin a season-long four-game homestand with a UCHC bout against Manhattanville on Friday, February 9. The tilt is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Murray Athletic Center.