PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's ice hockey team earned its second consecutive victory on Sunday afternoon, as the No. 8-ranked Soaring Eagles edged the visiting Ephs of Williams College by a final score of 2-1.
Elmira improved to 7-2-0 overall following the win, while the loss moved Williams to 4-3-0 on the season.
The Ephs showcased their speed during the opening period, breaking into Elmira's defensive zone to test junior netminder
Elizabeth Hanson '21. The Stoughton, Massachusetts, native stood tall in goal, however, and turned away all 10 of the visitor's attempts. At the opposite end, EC fired eight shots on target, but none made their way past Williams' Chloe Heiting, as the two sides headed into the second frame deadlocked at 0-0.
The back-and-forth continued to start the second period. Williams looked to have a breakaway chance a little over seven minutes into the stanza, but
Jenny Heath '21 swatted the puck away from the Ephs' attack to preserve the 0-0 tie.
Elmira managed to break through with 7:39 left on the clock on a redirect attempt from
Ronnie Callahan '21.
Ariella Haas'22 started the play by winning the puck out of a scrum in the right corner. The second-year forward shifted the puck back to
Jordan Holt'23 at the blue line, who quickly sent a pass across to
Sydney Harris '21. Harris got off a quick shot and Callahan did the rest, sending the puck into the right of the goal.
Williams continued to press for the equalizing goal in the third period, forcing Hanson into 14 saves during the frame. As time continued to tick off of the clock, Williams was whistled for a slashing penalty with 1:26 left on the clock. The Ephs were awarded a faceoff in Elmira's defensive zone and pulled Heiting off the ice, to attempt to skate five-on-five. The Purple and Gold had other plans, however, as
Emma Crocker '21 collected the puck in EC's defensive zone and spotted a streaking
Eliza Beaudin '22. Crocker fed Beaudin, who promptly raced up the ice and buried the puck into the empty net to take a late 2-0 lead.
The Ephs got one back with 39 seconds left on the clock, as the visitors once again played without a netminder to get an extra skater on the ice. Hanson handled Williams' initial attempt, but the Ephs were able to sneak the rebound chance past the junior goaltender. Despite conceding a late tally, the Soaring Eagles locked down Williams for the remainder of the period to seal the victory.
In their own words…
Head Coach
Tim Crowley on the team's performance against a tough non-conference foe…
"We're happy with the results this weekend. Everyone chipped in again today, whether it was Ronnie (Callahan) with the tip-in goal, or
Morgan Mordini '22 making a big play at the end of the game to seal it. We were able to beat a really good team today because of the group effort we had on the ice."
Crowley on Hanson continuing her stellar play in goal…
"Elizabeth has been unbelievable this season. Today was a game she was looking forward to after last year and was confident back there for us."
News and Notes
- The Soaring Eagles improved to 7-2-0 overall.
- Elmira is a perfect 5-0-0 at the Murray Athletic Center to start the season.
- The Purple and Gold avenged last season's loss against Williams with today's victory, improving to 14-1-1 all-time against the Ephs.
- Elmira became the first team to register a power-play against the Ephs during the 2019-20 season.
- Beaudin potted her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
- Beaudin has now scored in back-to-back games for the fourth time this year.
- Callahan's goal was her first of the year.
- Hanson tied her season-high with 31 saves to improve to 4-0-0 between the pipes for Elmira.
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will take a break for the holidays before ringing in the New Year on Sunday, January 5th, with a matchup against Adrian College in the opening round of the East-West Hockey Classic. The contest is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. start.
