PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team gave No. 5 nationally-ranked Hobart College an early scare in tonight's season-opener at the Murray Athletic Center. However, the Statesmen (1-0-0) erased a one-goal first-period deficit and claimed a 5-2 victory against the Soaring Eagles (0-1-0).
 
Hobart held a 41-26 lead in shots on goal this evening. The Statesmen were also more efficient on the power play, connecting on 1-of-4 chances, while the Elmira men went 0-for-3 with the extra skater.
 
Elmira delivered the first blow in tonight's season-opener, as Nick Ford '20 deposited the first goal of his senior campaign. Adam Eby '21 began the scoring play by winning a puck battle along boards and poking the puck out to Ford, who carried it into the offensive zone. From there, Ford tip-toed his way through traffic before beating Hobart's Joe Halstrom top-shelf at 12:02.
 
Elmira's defense held steady for the remainder of the opening period, much thanks to starting goaltender Chris Janzen, who made 13 saves in the first 20 minutes of action.
 
The Statesmen answered in the second stanza with a pair of goals in a 50-second span to take a 2-1 lead. Hobart's Phil Satin and Dan Sliney both found of the back of the net at 8:51 and 9:41, respectively. Lawson MacDougall, Mark Benemerito, Alec Robitaille and Pierre-Anthony Martineau were credited with assists on the goals, as the Statesmen marched into the final intermission with a slim one-goal lead.
 
Sliney doubled his goal count just 5:06 into the third frame, a tally that went down as tonight's game-winner. A 3-on-2 odd-man rush produced the goal, as a shot from Robitaille caromed off of the boards and to Sliney on the left post, where he backhanded it into the net.
 
Elmira upped the pressure from there and eventually trimmed Hobart's lead to one goal, 3-2, at the 14:09 mark. Christian Lloyd '20 poked the puck along the left-side boards to Spencer MacLean '20, who carried it into the offensive zone. MacLean dumped a pass to Matthew Cuce '20, who was positioned in-between the faceoff circles, and the Fort Myers, Florida, native sniped the top corner through traffic for the goal.
 
This was close as Elmira would get though, as Hobart scored twice at the 16:34 and 18:23 minute marks to secure a two-goal win. Aaron Maguyon tallied on the power play first, before Brenden Howell scored an empty-netter to conclude the evening.
 
News and Notes

• Ford and Cuce scored their first goals of the 2019-20 campaign.
• Lloyd logged his first assist as a Soaring Eagle.
• MacLean and Eby were credited with their first assists of the season.
• Janzen made his first career start and logged 36 saves.
• Cuce recorded his 98th career point, just two shy of joining the prestigious 100-point club.

 
Up Next
Elmira will seek redemption tomorrow night when the Soaring Eagles travel to Geneva, New York, to face the fifth-ranked Statesmen of Hobart. The rematch is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.