PINE VALLEY, N.Y. – Katie Manning ’25 netted a power-play goal in the first period and the No. 8 Elmira College women’s ice hockey program recorded a 7-0 shutout against Salem State University in the quarterfinal round of the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Tournament on Saturday inside the Murray Athletic Center.
The Soaring Eagles advance to the semifinal round and will host No. 5 seed William Smith on Saturday, February 25. The Herons upset No. 4 seed Castleton 5-0 on Saturday afternoon in Vermont.
JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: No. 8 Elmira 7, Salem State 0
LOCATION: Pine Valley, New York | Murray Athletic Center
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (20-5-0), Salem State (6-16-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Soaring Eagles would break a scoreless tie at the 13:54 mark of the first period as Katie Manning ’25 netted a goal for the Purple & Gold on the power play to make it 1-0. Jenny Heath ’22 and Morgan Mordini ’22 would both be credited with the assists on Manning’s second goal of the season.
McKenzie Schmidt ’25 would capitalize on a breakaway opportunity for the Purple & Gold early in the second period with Elmira down a skater on the ice. Schmidt beat the goalkeeper for her sixth goal of the season and the first short-handed goal of her career to make it 2-0.
The 2-0 score would hold until Elmira found the back of the net twice in the final four minutes of the second period. Erika Goleniak ’25 tallied a goal on the power play to make it 3-0 at the 16:05 mark as her eighth goal of the season would be assisted by Claire Meeder ’23 and Sophie Compeau ’25. Mary McCafferty ’22 would bury home a puck to make it 4-0 at the 17:46 mark as Holley Riva ’23 would get credit for the assist after taking an initial shot that would be stopped.
Elmira would light the lamp three more times in the third period as McCafferty netted her second of the game for the Soaring Eagles at the 3:43 mark of the frame to make it 5-0. Mordini and MK Boyle ’26 would be credited with the assists for Elmira. Elizabeth LePage ’25 and Emma Bradbury ’26 would both net a pair of late goals in the frame to extend the lead to 7-0 for the Soaring Eagles. LePage made it 6-0 after Bradbury and Payton Nicksic ’26 helped to set up the play, while Bradbury would tip a shot past the goalkeeper at the 19:27 mark to make it 7-0 with assists going to Goleniak and Madi Morton ’24.
Leonie-Louise Kuehberger ’25 made nine saves between the pipes for the Soaring Eagles while improving to 18-4-0 on the season. Kuehberger also notched her eighth shutout of the season for the Purple & Gold.
UP NEXT:
The Purple & Gold host familiar foe William Smith on Saturday in the NEHC Semifinals inside the Murray Athletic Center beginning at 3:00 P.M. The Soaring Eagles are 2-0 this season against the Herons after recording a pair of shutouts back in November.
