PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- An early lead and outstanding goaltending lifted the No. 8-nationally ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team to a 3-0 shutout victory over pesky non-conference foe Amherst College on Saturday afternoon at the Murray Athletic Center.

With the win, Elmira improved to 6-2-0 on the season, while Amherst dropped to 2-3-2.

The Soaring Eagles struck early against the Mammoths on Saturday afternoon, as rookie talent Holley Riva '23 potted her sixth goal of the season. Bella Hanson '21 fed the puck to a streaking Mary McCafferty '21. The junior powered a shot off the pads of Amherst's Caitlin Walker and the puck caromed to Riva, who quickly snapped the puck into the net to give EC a 1-0 lead.

The teams skated fairly evenly over the next eight minutes until the Purple and gold were able to catch Amherst on a break. The puck moved its way up the right boards and Tristen Tolan '21 rifled the puck into the opposite corner. Kelly Matthews '23 gathered the puck and turned back towards the slot to send a pass to Jess Adams '21. The junior cut into the slot and lofted a backhanded shot into the top shelf to make it a 2-0 game.

Amherst attempted to battle back in the second period, as the Mammoths outshout EC 9-to-5 during the frame. Despite the crooked number in shots, Elmira's defense stood tall and fended off a pair of Amherst power plays, as Stephanie Martin '22 brought her save total to 17 over the first 40 minutes.

The Mammoths continued to pepper Martin in the third period, but the second-year netminder turned away all 14 of the visitor's attempts. Three Elmira penalties hemmed in EC's scoring opportunities during the final frame, but Eliza Beaudin '22 broke through for the contest's final tally with 10:28 on the clock. After cycling the puck around Amherst's zone, Jenny Heath '22 fired a pass to Jess Adams '21. Adams sent a shot that whizzed towards the net and Beaudin raced across the mouth of the goal to tip the puck past Walker to seal the 3-0 victory.

In his own words...
Head Coach Tim Crowley on the team's gritty performance...
"I thought we responded again after a tough loss. Our d-corps and goaltending were great for the whole 60 minutes. I was happy with our forwards tonight as well and we're looking forward to the challenge of another good team tomorrow."

News and Notes

• Elmira forced the Mammoths to go 0-for-5 on the powerplay.
• EC improved to 11-6-1 all-time against Amherst.
• The Soaring Eagles registered their sixth shutout victory of the season.
• Riva scored her sixth goal of her debut campaign.
• Beaudin netted her team-leading seventh goal of the year.
• Martin's 31 saves tied her season-best.
• Following Beaudin's goal and Tolan's assist, Elmira now has four skaters with double-digit point totals.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to the ice at the Murray Athletic Center on Sunday, December 8, for a non-conference bout against Williams College. Puck drop against the Ephs is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.