Score: #1/3 Elmira College 3, Manhattanville College 2
Records: Elmira (23-2-1), Manhattanville (17-8-2)
Location: Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, N.Y.
 
PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- It was a teeter-totter contest this evening, as the top-seeded Elmira College women's ice hockey team edged Manhattanville College, 3-2, in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Championships semifinal round to reach its second consecutive UCHC title game. The No. 1/3-ranked Soaring Eagles erased a one-goal second-period deficit en route to the one-goal victory.
 
Elmira got off to a hot start behind the efforts of captain Maddie Evangelous '19, who tallied for the Soaring Eagles just 35 seconds into the contest. An initial pass from Katie Granato '19 found Shannon Strawinski '19, who centered the puck to Evangelous in the slot, where she re-directed it past Manhattanville's Rose Pijaca for the game-opening goal.
 
Manhattanville went on the power play three times in the period, but the Soaring Eagles were able to fend off all three chances. Likewise, the Valiants denied EC on a pair of extra-skater chances to send the contest into the first intermission with Elmira leading, 1-0.
                                  
Despite a good amount of puck possession, the Valiants jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the second stanza behind a pair of goals in a 2:34 span from Amanda Sabia and Ali Howard. Sabia's equalizer was scored at 6:27, while Howard gave Manhattanville a one-goal lead with a power-play tally at 9:01.
 
Elmira responded at 13:59 behind a strong follow-up effort by Evangelous. Following a saved shot by Granato, Evangelous found the loose puck in the crease and dumped it into the net past a sprawled out Pijac for the goal. Strawinski, along with Granato, were credited with assists on the goal.
 
Following a successful penalty kill, EC turned defense into offense with a beautiful transition goal at 18:45. An outlet pass from Maddy Jerolman '19 found Eliza Beaudin '22 at center ice. Beaudin carried it into the zone before dumping it over to Jerolman in the slot, where she dished it to Morgan Mordini '22, who sniped the top corner for the go-ahead goal. Mordini's tally would eventually go down as tonight's game-winner.
 
In the third period, Elmira's Stephanie Martin '22 was put to the test, as she faced nine shots in the final 20 minutes of regulation. The rookie netminder came up clutch, as did EC's blueliners who made a bevy of blocks, to shutout the Valiants in the third period and march away with a 3-2 win.
 
Martin finished the contest with 21 saves in 60 minutes of action. She made six saves in each of the first two periods, before turning away nine shots in the final 20 minutes to preserve the win. Her counterpart from Manhattanville, Pijac, made a 43 saves, including a 20-save effort in the second stanza.
 
News and Notes

• Elmira advance to the UCHC Championship Game for the second consecutive season
• EC swept all three games played against Manhattanville in 2018-19.
• The Soaring Eagles are 12-0-0 at home this season and have won 23 in a row at the MAC dating back to last season.
• EC improved to 23-5-3 all-time series against the Valiants.
• Evangelous logged the fourth multi-goal game of her senior campaign.
• Mordini's goal marked the second of her rookie year.
• With two assists, Granato set a new single-season career-high with 44 points.
• With her 18th win of the season, Martin added to her program record for most victories by a freshman goaltender in her single season, two more than former All-American Edith Racine '05 had in the program's inaugural season in 2001-02.

 
Up Next
Elmira will face third-seeded William Smith College on Sunday, March 3, in the UCHC championship game. The UCHC title game is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. at the Murray Athletic Center in Pine Valley, New York.