PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- The No. 1-seeded Elmira College women's ice hockey team punched its ticket to the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Semifinals in convincing fashion on Saturday afternoon, as the Soaring Eagles rolled past the Pioneers of Utica College, 5-1, on the ice at the Murray Athletic Center.

With the win, the No. 5-nationally ranked Soaring Eagles improved to 20-4-2 overall, while Utica ended its season with a 9-16-1 record.

Elmira's offense was clicking all afternoon, as the Purple and Gold ended the contest with an impressive 41-to-18 advantage in shots. EC's special team's prowess shined all afternoon, as the Soaring Eagles went 2-for-5 on the power play and held the Pioneers scoreless on three opportunities.

Five skaters finished with two or more points for the Purple and Gold, headlined by Morgan Mordini '22 (1g-2a). Emma Crocker '21 (2g), Kelly Matthews '23 (1g-1a), Devyn Gilman '21 (2a), and Ariella Haas '22 (2a) rounded out EC's multi-point scorers. Mary McCafferty '22 (1g), Amanda Zenstein '22 (1a), and Tiia Hertto '20 (1a) all finished with one point. Elizabeth Hanson '21 made her first-career postseason start and tallied 17 saves to earn the victory.

After a back-and-forth battle in the neutral zone highlighted the start of the contest, Elmira's power-play unit delivered the game's opening goal with 9:50 on the clock. Crocker was responsible for the opener as she buried her 18th goal of the season, as she buried a feed from Mordini.

Elmira doubled its lead 5:13 later, as McCafferty powered a shot past Utica's Bria Reilly. Matthews started the play with a pass to Haas near the right post. Haas tipped a shot of Reilly's pads and the rebound caromed to McCafferty on the opposite side of the crease. The sophomore one-timed the puck into the open net to make it 2-0.

Mordini tallied her second point of the opening period with 3:51 on the clock, as the Attleboro, Massachusetts native gave the Soaring Eagles a three-goal cushion. After a shot from the point from Herrto was redirected by Gilman, Mordini pounced on the puck and buried the chance for her 11th goal of the campaign.

The Purple and Gold continued to ratchet up the pressure as the pace of the game heightened in the second period. EC outshout the Pioneers 20-11 during the frame, as both sides found the back of the net.

The Soaring Eagles cashed in another power-play opportunity a little over 12 minutes into the frame. Haas started the play with a pass from the left boards to  Zenstein who was camped at the point. The sophomore fired a howitzer from the point that bounced off of Reilly's pads and into the path of Matthews. The rookie wasted no time and smacked the puck into the back of the net. Utica managed to get a goal back a little over a minute late, as a scrum in front of Elmira's goal allowed Carolyn Whitney to poke the puck past Hanson on the right side of the goal.

EC officially put the game out of reach just 1:05 into the third period, as Crocker potted her second goal of the afternoon. Mordini started the scoring play by stealing the puck in the neutral and sending a lead pass to Crocker. The junior entered the zone and whipped a shot off of Reilly's blocker. Crocker collected her own rebound and sent the puck into the goal to give the game its final 5-1 scoreline.

News and Notes

• Elmira earned its ninth consecutive victory over the Pioneers.
• EC advanced to the semifinals of the UCHC Championships for the third-straight season.
• The Soaring Eagles improved to 6-3 all-time against Utica in the postseason.
• The Purple and Gold outshot Utica, 41-to-18.
• EC registered multiple power-play goals for the sixth time this season.
• Five skaters finished with multiple points, led by Mordini (1g-2a).
• Mordini produced her seventh multi-point outing of the season.
• Crocker has registered at least one point in her last five games.
• Hanson earned the first postseason victory of her career.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to the Murray Athletic Center on Saturday, March 7, to host Stevenson University in the semifinal round of the UCHC Championships. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Ticketing information will be announced in the coming days. The most up-to-date information can be found at athletics.elmira.edu.