PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team rebounded in a big way on Friday evening, as the Soaring Eagles dealt Neumann University a 4-0 loss at the Murray Athletic Center to open the 38th Annual Athletics Alumni Weekend.

Elmira (2-2-1, 2-1-0 UCHC) picked up their second United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) win of the season by dominating control of the puck throughout the contest.  The Purple and Gold outshot Neumann (0-3-0, 0-3-0 UCHC) 39-25, as they continually probed the Knights offensive zone and fiercely patrolled the neutral zone.

The contest started fast and physical from the opening whistle, as the two conference rivals came flying out of the gates. The Soaring Eagles quickly seized control of the flow of the game and flexed their offensive muscles with a pair of goals to take an early lead. Anthony Parrucci '20 got things started a little over five minutes into the game on the powerplay.

After gathering the puck in their end, the Purple and Gold pushed forward as the puck found its way to Nick Ford '20 who carried it into the offensive zone. A quick pass from Ford landed on Matthew Cuce's '20 tape, who then promptly slid the puck across the front of the crease to Parrucci, who buried a one-timed effort into the net.

The faced-paced skating continued for the next 14 minutes until EC pounced for another goal with 42 seconds left on the clock. EC forced Neumann's Kyle Pantelone into a save and earned a faceoff at the right dot. The puck dribbled out to Cuce, who quickly sent a pass to Christian Lloyd '20 at the blue line. Loyd wound up and sent a booming shot that bulged the net in the top shelf to give Elmira a 2-0 advantage.

Elmira's power play struck again in the second period with 11:35 left on the clock, as EC took advantage of a holding penalty by the Knights. After working the puck out of the left corner, Alex Gagnon '23 fed the puck to Harry Kramer '20 who quickly sent the puck to Lloyd on the opposite side. The senior wasted little time and rifled a howitzer past the glove of Pantelone to make it 3-0.

A little over three minutes later the Purple and Gold solidified their lead at 4-0 on a solo effort from junior Kale Kane '21. Kane ripped Neumann's defenseman in the zone and froze the netminder before scoring his first goal as a Soaring Eagle off of a wrist shot in the slot.

Kane's marker would go down as the final goal of the contest as neither side broke through in the third period. The Soaring Eagles were unable to cash in on a pair of power-play chances in the final frame, as Pantelone made 14 saves in the final 20 minutes.

News and Notes

• Elmira went 2-for-5 (40.0%) on the power play, while Neumann was 0-for-4 (0%).
• EC has now won its last four contests against the Knights.
• Cuce has produced multi-point outings in the last three contests.
• With a pair of assists, Cuce upped his team-leading point total to eight (2g-6a).
• All three of Parrucci's goals this season have come on the power play.
• Lloyd and Kane scored their first goals as Soaring Eagles.
• Gagnon's assist was the first of his collegiate career.
• Kramer registered his first point of the season with an assist.
• Chris Janzen '21 made 25 saves to earn his second win of the year.
• Janzen's shutout was the first of his career.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles jump right back into UCHC action on Saturday evening when they host defending champion Manhattanville College at the Murray Athletic Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.