PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Seventh-seeded Plymouth State University scored the lone goal of the first period but second-seeded Elmira College responded with ten unanswered markers to top the Panthers, 10-1, in the quarterfinals of the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Tournament at Murray Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
Freshman
Laura Castronova (Hauppauge, N.Y.) gave Plymouth State its first-ever lead over the Soaring Eagles when she lit the lamp midway through the opening frame. Senior
Amelia Julian (Apple Valley, Minn.) turned aside all 17 shots she faced in the opening 20 minutes, as the upset-minded Panthers carried the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Elmira scored in bunches to rally in front in the middle period. The hosts scored twice in a 66 second span to pull ahead, 2-1, then found the back of the net three times in just over four minutes later in the period to extend the margin to 5-1.
The Soaring Eagles put the game out of reach with another five third-period tallies.
Plymouth State ends its most successful season in years with a 6-20-0 mark. The Panthers doubled last year's win total, while the six conference victories were the most since the 2017-18 season.
Elmira improves to 18-7-1 and hosts third-seeded William Smith in a semifinal game next Saturday (Feb. 24).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, Elmira 10
- Plymouth State (6-20-0)
- Elmira (18-7-1)
How it Happened:
- The Panthers forced a turnover in the zone midway through the first period. Junior Libby Carter (Franklin, Mass.) fired a shot from the right circle that was kicked aside, but Castronova was there to deposit the rebound into the open goal for the 1-0 lead at the 10:08 mark.
- Julian and the Plymouth State defense did well to preserve the lead as the game remained 1-0 into the first intermission.
- Elmira came back in the second to tie the game at the 5:30 mark, then pulled in front at 6:36.
- The Soaring Eagles added three more in the period in a span of 4:11 to extend the lead to 5-1.
- The hosts continued to tack on, putting the game out of reach with five more scores in the third period.
By the Numbers:
- Castronova's goal was her fourth of the year. It was the Panthers' first goal against Elmira in the head-to-head series.
- Julian made a season-high 48 saves in her final game between the pipes, the second highest total of her career.
- Elmira held a 58-18 advantage in shots.
- PSU went 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Soaring Eagles were 1-for-5.
- Plymouth State had 16 blocked shots in the game, with senior Isabella Borbridge (Calgary, Alberta) posting a team-high three.
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