PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team earned a hard-fought victory over United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) rival Wilkes on Saturday evening, as the Soaring Eagles skated away with a 3-2 win at the MAC.

Elmira improved to 12-4-1 overall with an 8-3-0 mark in UCHC play. The loss moved Wilkes to 13-5-0 overall and brought the Colonels conference record to 9-2-0. Anthony Parrucci '20 played the hero for the Soaring Eagles, as the senior captain scored his fourth game-winning goal of the campaign. In goal, Chris Janzen '21 got the start and tallied 36 saves to preserve the victory.  

It was an evenly matched first period, as the two sides skated to a 1-1 draw after 20 minutes. Wilkes had the first say in the contest as Donald Flynn struck just under four minutes into the game. The conference foes skated evenly from there as the physicality continued to increase with each passing minute of the clock.

Wilkes was eventually whistled for a high sticking penalty with a little over two minutes to play and quickly added a cross checking to its ledger to gift the Soaring Eagles with a 5-on-3 power-play opportunity. Elmira seized the chance and knotted the score with 20 seconds left in the period. Connor Powell '20 started the play with a dump pass to Nick Ford '20 in the right corner. Ford shifted the puck over to Matthew Cuce '20 on the left side. The senior wheeled around the face off dot and wristed a seeing-eye shot through traffic that beat the Colonels' Michael Paterson-Jones.

The physical play continued into the second period, as EC killed off a pair of penalties. Janzen made 14 saves during the stanza, as the Colonels peppered his cage with shots. As time wore on, Elmira managed to grab a lead with 6:58 left on the clock. Marty Kapoian '22 gathered the puck in the left corner and sent it back to the point to Spencer Carter '20. Carter quickly sent a pass to Harry Kramer '20 on the right side. Kramer quickly fired a shot on goal that snuck past Paterson-Jones to push the Soaring Eagles ahead, 2-1.

Wilkes was whistled for a five minute major to end the second frame and EC was able to make the Colonels pay just four minutes into the third period. Ford started the play with a cross-ice pass to Powell at the right faceoff dot. Powell spotted Parrucci camped in the slot and quickly sent the puck to the captain. Parrucci wasted no time, as the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native blasted a one-timed attempt into the back of the net.

With a two-goal advantage, the Soaring Eagles were whistled for a hooking penalty with a little over seven minutes to play. The Colonels got a goal back with the extra skater, as Nick Fea snuck the puck past Janzen to set up a nail-biting finish. Wilkes threw everything at the Elmira defense over the final two minutes, but the Purple and Gold stood tall to pick up the conference victory.

In his own words...
Head coach Aaron Saul '98 on the team's performance in another tough conference victory...
"Our focus was getting conference points tonight. We needed all three points to try and catch Wilkes towards the end of the season. Our penalty-kill unit was great tonight. It was something we talked about before the game. We knew the special teams battle would determine the winner tonight and we were able to come out on top."

News and Notes

• Wilkes outshot Elmira, 38-32.
• EC was 2-for-6 on the power play, while Wilkes went 1-for-6.
• Elmira is 3-1-1 in games in which it has been outshot.
• EC concluded a five-game homestand.
• Elmira moved into third place in the UCHC standings with 24 league points.
• EC improved to 5-2-0 in home games this season.
• The Soaring Eagles rank first in the country in power-play efficiency (37%).
• Janzen improved to 7-2-0 on the year.
• Janzen's 36 saves are tied for his second-highest total of the season.
• Cuce is tied for second in the country in power-play goals (8).
• Parrucci's four game-winning goals rank fifth in the country.
• Cuce ranks ninth in the nation in goals per game (0.82).
• Ford extended his point streak to 17 games.

 
Up Next
Elmira returns to the ice next weekend with a pair of crucial UCHC matchups against Manhattanville College and Neumann University. EC opens against the Valiants of Manhattanville on Friday, January 31, at 7:00 p.m., before concluding the weekend against the Knights of Neumann at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 1.