PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team saw its comeback bid come up just short on Saturday evening, as the Soaring Eagles fell to SUNY Cortland, 5-3, in non-conference action at the Murray Athletic Center.

The Purple and Gold (15-7-1, 11-5-0 UCHC) were dominant on the puck throughout the contest, as evidenced by their 52-to-27 advantage in shots. Even with a heavy-handed offensive approach, the Red Dragons (12-9-1, 5-8-0 SUNYAC) leaned on their goaltending and a breakaway-fueled offense to stun Elmira's defense. Cortland's netminder, Luca Durante, spurned away plenty of chances for the Soaring Eagles, as the rookie tallied 49 saves to keep EC off of the scoreboard.

Elmira's senior class led the way on the scoresheet as Nick Ford '20 (1g-1a), Connor Powell '20 (2a), and Anthony Parrucci '20 (2g) all finished with two points. Harry Kramer '20, Kale Kane '21, and Spencer MacLean '20 rounded out EC's point producers, as all three were credited with assists.

The Soaring Eagles dominated possession of the puck throughout the opening period of play but found themselves facing a 2-0 deficit after 20 minutes. EC outshout Cortland, 14-to-8, but a pair of quick breakouts by the Red Dragons made the difference. The visitors got on the board with 11:57 on the clock, as Ethan Howitz managed to beat Chris Janzen '21 on a 2-on-1 breakaway. EC continued to threaten the Red Dragons as the period wore on, but Alex Storojohann scored on another breakout opportunity with a little over four minutes to play to give Cortland a two-goal lead.

The Red Dragons struck once again in the second period, as Ethan Homitz managed to sneak a shot in just under the crossbar at 11:30. The Soaring Eagles offense came alive after that, however, as EC cranked up the physicality. The hard-hitting approach paid off just 1:38 later as Parrucci buried his 11th goal of the year. Ford started the play with a pass to Powell. Powell saw a shot turned away and collected his rebound and wheeled around behind the Red Dragons' net. Parrucci glided into the slot and Powell slid a pass to his classmate, who one-timed the puck into the twine to get EC on the board.

Elmira kept up the pressure as the period wore on and the Purple and Gold managed to cut Cortland's lead to 3-2 with 5:39 left in the frame. The captain came through once again for the Purple and Gold with another shot from the slot. Kane brought the puck into the zone and ripped a wrist shot off of the pads of Durante. The puck dribbled out to the front of the net and into Parrucci's path. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native did the rest, as he powered the puck into the left side of the empty net.

As the momentum continued to tilt in the Purple and Gold's favor, EC knotted the score at 3-3 just over two minutes into the third period. Elmira's vaunted power-play unit was responsible for the game-tying goal, as Ford supplied the marker. With the puck on the right boards, Powell sent a pass to Kramer at the point. Kramer quickly sent a pass to the left of Elmira's umbrella setup to the waiting Ford. The New Lenox, Illinois, native wound up and one-timed a howitzer of a shot past Durante to tie the game.

The Soaring Eagles continued to crank up the pressure, as they outshot the Red Dragons, 23-to-8 throughout the period. Cortland weathered the storm, however, as another fast-hitting goal from Ethan Homitz pushed the visitors ahead, 4-2, with 13:19 left to play. The Purple and Gold pushed for another equalizer and eventually pulled their netminder with 1:16 on the clock. The gambit worked against EC however, as Cortland deposited an empty-net goal to seal the game.

News And Notes

• Elmira outshot Cortland, 52-to-27.
• EC was 1-for-2 (50%) on the power play, while Cortland went 0-for-2 with the extra skater.
• Elmira has scored at least one power-play goal in all but five games this season.
• Ford posted his eighth multi-point outing of the year.
• Ford extended his point streak to 23 consecutive games.
• Parrucci registered his second multi-goal performance of the season.
• Powell is riding a four-game point streak.
• Kane has produced in point in each of the last two contests.
• Bryce Beecher '21 appeared in the first game of his career.

Up Next
Having already secured a spot in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) postseason, the Elmira men return to conference on Friday, February 21, when the Soaring Eagles battle Stevenson University. Puck drop against the Mustangs is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.