PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- In the second game of a home-and-home series, the Elmira College women's ice hockey team earned a hard-fought 4-2 victory over visiting Utica College on Saturday evening at the Murray Athletic Center. With the win, the Soaring Eagles (5-0-0, 5-0-0 UCHC) completed the regular season series sweep of the Pioneers (3-5-0, 2-4-0 UCHC).
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For the second consecutive night, the Elmira women more than doubled Utica in the shots department, 38-15. Both squads were whistled for five penalties, resulting in five power-play chances for each of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) rivals. The Pioneers went 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Soaring Eagles logged one goal on five tries.
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Mary McCafferty '22 and
Madi Morton '24 paced the Purple and Gold's offense with two points apiece. McCafferty (1g-1a) scored the go-ahead goal for EC and assisted on the team's lone power-play goal. Morton netted tonight's game-winning goal and was credited with an assist on McCafferty's tally.
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Jenny Heath '22 (0g-1a),
Tristen Tolan '21 (1g-0a),
Devyn Gilman '21 (0g-1a) and
Brooke McArdle '22 (1g-0a) added one point each. Tolan and McArdle scored one goal apiece. McArdle's came unassisted in the first period, while Tolan produced EC's lone power-play goal of the night.
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Elizabeth Hanson '21 got the start in net for the Soaring Eagles. She amassed 13 saves in 59:57 of action between the pipes to improve to 5-0-0 on the year.
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Utica's Erica Sloan opened the game with a power-play goal at 11:41 of the first period. However, McArdle potted an unassisted goal less than four minutes later at 15:11 to level the contest. McArdle's goal sent the Soaring Eagles into the first intermission deadlocked with the Pioneers, 1-1.
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Momentum swung in Elmira's favor in the first minute of the second period, as the Purple and Gold scored twice in a 45-second span. McCafferty opened the period with an even-strength goal just 14 seconds in, which was followed by a goal from Morton at 0:59.
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Special teams helped the Pioneers claw their way back into the game in the second stanza. Following a hooking call against Elmira, Carolyn Whitney scored with 13 seconds left on the power play to bring the visitors to within one score, 3-2.
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EC built itself a two-goal cushion at 7:36 of the third period thanks to a power-play tally from Tolan. Tolan's power-play goal was registered on EC's fourth power-play opportunity of the game and was assisted by McCafferty and Heath.
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From there, Elmira held the Utica offense scoreless to secure the league victory.
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News and Notes
- Elmira swept the season series with Utica.
- EC has seven power-play goal in its last four games.
- Morton recorded the first goal of her collegiate career.
- Morton's goal held up as the game-winner.
- Heath has produced a point in each of EC's five games (2g-3a).
- Tolan extended her point streak (4g-3a) to four games.
- McCafferty pushed her point streak (2g-4a) to four games.
- Gilman's point streak (1g-4a) extended to four games.
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Up Next
The Elmira women are scheduled to take on the Knights of Neumann University on Friday, March 12. The opening puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m. in Aston, Pennsylvania.Â