PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team opened United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) action with a 2-2 overtime tie against visiting Neumann University. Elmira (1-1-1, 0-0-1 UCHC) defeated Neumann (1-0-1, 1-0-1 UCHC) in the overtime shootout, 2-0, to secure two league points, while the Knights earned one league point.
 
Elmira more than doubled Neumann in shots on goal, 49-20, including a whopping 34-7 lead through two periods of action. The lopsided shot count allowed the Soaring Eagles to take a 2-0 lead on the Knights, but Neumann rallied with a pair of third-period goals to force overtime and eventually a tie.
 
Chance Gorman '24 led the Purple and Gold offense with a pair of special-teams goals. The rookie forward scored shorthanded and on the power play, while Shawn Kennedy '24 and Jared Smith '24 picked up assists on the power-play tally.
 
Gorman opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 10:52 in the first period. A hard-nosed effort by Graham Denomme '23 forced four Neumann skaters to take the puck away from him behind the goal. However, after taking the puck away, an errant pass went directly to Gorman in the slot, where he went top shelf for the game-opening goal.
 
Special teams produced the second goal of the contest, as Gorman netted Elmira's first power-play goal of the season at 1:41 of the second period. Jared Smith began the scoring play with a dump pass to Kennedy at the right faceoff dot. From there, Kennedy slid the puck cross-ice to Gorman, who went bar-down for extra-man goal.  
 
Elmira saw its two-goal lead evaporate over the course of the final 20 minutes. The Knights spent most of the third frame in Elmira's defensive end and eventually went on to outshoot the Soaring Eagles for the first time on the night, 12-10.
 
Austin Boyle cut the Elmira lead in half at 2:07 of the third period, as he redirected a shot from the blue line for the goal. Ty Kulas began the play with a pass to Mykyta Volobuyev, who fired a shot from the left point. From there, Boyle tipped the puck just below shoulder level to score the goal.
 
With regulation play coming to a close, Evan Hoey leveled the contest with 1:58 on the clock. After winning a puck battle in the right corner of the boards, Hoey carried the puck along the boards before sliding it into the net at a near-impossible angle from behind the cage.
 
Hoey's goal eventually forced a 3-on-3 overtime session, which saw the Soaring Eagles outshoot the Knights 5-1. However, neither side was able to find the game-winning goal, as a three-round shootout ensued.
 
Chris Janzen '21 made a save on Neumann's first shot attempt in the shootout, which was then followed by a goal from Kennedy. Kennedy's goal was a laser of a wrist shot that beat Neumann's netminder, Kyle Pantelone, glove-side and went bar-down for the tally.
 
In the next round, Janzen stuffed Hoey's shootout attempt with ease. The save was followed up by Gorman, who beat Pantelone with a low-lining shot to the left post for the goal.
 
News and Notes

• Elmira received two league points, while Neumann collected one.
• Elmira scored its first power-play goal of the season.
• EC went 1-for-4 on the power play.
• Neumann was 0-for-1 on the power play.
• Gorman scored his first collegiate goal.
• Gorman's goals were scored shorthanded and on the power play.
• Kennedy and Smith were credited with the first assists of their careers.
• Janzen (1-1-1) finished with 18 saves on the night.
• Pantelone made 47 saves.

 
Up Next
Elmira returns to the action on Sunday, February 28, when the Soaring Eagles host the Golden Flyers of Nazareth College in a 4:00 p.m. UCHC showdown at the Murray Athletic Center.