PINE VALLEY, N.Y. – Senior
Amelia Julian (Apple Valley, Minn.) made finished with 45 saves and Plymouth State University held #12 Elmira College to one goal in the second period, but the Soaring Eagles skated to a 7-0 win in a New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) women's ice hockey game at Murray Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
Julian was a force between the posts with a near-season high of 45 saves but could not hold off the barrage of shots Elmira threw her way.
The Soaring Eagles scored within the opening minutes and did not slow down when they added two additional goals for a 3-0 score heading into the second period.
Plymouth State began to slow down the Elmira attack with multiple saves from Julian. The Panthers' offense weaved through the Soaring Eagles to slip a few shots on goal but could not convert any. Elmira used its second power play to bump the lead to 4-0 before the third.
While the Panthers stifled Elmira to start the third with a penalty kill, the Soaring Eagles regained the offensive power with another three scores to finalize the result, 7-0.
Plymouth State drops to 3-9-0 (3-5-0 NEHC), while Elmira jumps to 10-3-0 and 7-1-0 in conference play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 0, #12 Elmira 7
- Plymouth State (3-9-0, 3-5-0 NEHC)
- Elmira (10-3-0, 7-1-0 NEHC)
How it Happened:
- The Soaring Eagles opened the scoreline with a tally just under six minutes into the opening period and continued to pepper Julian with shots to build up a 3-0 lead after one.
- The Panthers sparked some momentum on offense in the middle stanza when seniors Mia Zaniboni (Braintree, Mass.), Isabella Borbridge (Calgary, Alberta), Katie Maloney (Calgary, Alberta), Sophie Streed (Surry, N.H.) and sophomore Sanna Augustsson (Satila, Sweden) all pelted the opposing goaltender but could not sneak one into the net.
- The Panthers stayed tough on defense, stalling out the Elmira attack with three blocked shots and 16 Julian saves until the final two minutes of the period when the hosts boosted the score to 4-0 on a power play chance.
- PSU opened the final frame with a solid penalty kill highlighted by a shot from sophomore Morgan Cunningham (Wrentham, Mass.) followed by a couple more from Zaniboni and sophomores Jacqueline Martin (Smithfield, R.I.) and Katie Porrello (Milford, Conn.).
- Elmira closed out the action with three more goals in a six-minute span to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Julian reached the 40-save threshold yet again, the fourth time this season and seventh time of her career. Her 45 saves were just two shy of her season high.
- PSU had 16 blocked shots with graduate student Abigale McGee (Bozeman, Mont.) and senior Lauren McNeil (Ottawa, Ontario) leading the team with three apiece.
- Porrello and junior Libby Carter (Franklin, Mass.) won five faceoffs each.
- Elmira went 2-for-4 on the power play, while Plymouth State was 0-for-1.
- The Soaring Eagles outshot PSU by a 52-13 margin.
- Plymouth State dips to 0-4-0 against the Soaring Eagles since Elmira joined the NEHC for the 2021-22 season.
Up Next:
- The Panthers return home to face Trinity in non-conference action on Tuesday (Jan. 9). Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m. The Bantams were receiving votes in the most recent USCHO.com poll.
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