PINE VALLEY, N.Y. – Holley Riva ’23 provided the game-winning goal with less than a minute left to play in overtime as the No. 11 Elmira College women’s ice hockey program defeated No. 12 Nazareth College 3-2 at the Murray Athletic Center on Saturday in a non-league matchup.
JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: No. 11 Elmira 3, No. 12 Nazareth 2 (OT)
LOCATION: Pine Valley, N.Y. | Murray Athletic Center
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (14-5-0, 12-0-0 NEHC), Nazareth (13-4-0, 12-0-0 UCHC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
McKenzie Schmidt ’25 wasted no time in putting the Purple & Gold ahead in the contest as her shot just 1:43 into the first period would beat the Nazareth netminder following a turnover by the Golden Flyers to make it 1-0. That tally would be the only one to beat either goalkeeper in the opening frame as Elmira held a 13-4 edge in shots.
The Soaring Eagles would add to their lead at the 6:38 mark of the second period as Emma Bradbury ’26 would take a pass in front of the crease and find the back of the net to make it 2-0. Bradbury’s goal would be assisted by Erika Goleniak ’25 and Claire Elfring ’25. Nazareth would take advantage of a couple of penalties called against Elmira midway through the frame and eventually convert at the 13:57 mark to trim the deficit to 2-1.
Nazareth continued to gain momentum despite trailing entering the third period as the Golden Flyers knotted the score 2-2 at the 2:11 mark of the frame after failing to score on the power play just seconds earlier. The goal would stand despite several good scoring chances by both sides with time winding down in regulation.
Skating 3-on-3 in the extra 5-minute session, the Soaring Eagles would get a couple of good looks early before a turnover in the neutral zone by the Golden Flyers created a breakaway for Riva. The matchup would favor Riva, who beat the netminder to the right with a wrist shot at the 4:18 mark to secure the 3-2 victory for the Purple & Gold.
Elmira held a 38-19 edge in shots over the Golden Flyers while netminder Leonie-Louise Kuehberger ’25 stopped 17 of 19 shots faced to improve to 12-4-0 on the season for the Soaring Eagles. Mary McCafferty ’22 recorded 16 wins in the faceoff circle while teammate Claire Meeder ’23 tallied 12 faceoff wins for Elmira.
UP NEXT:
The Purple & Gold hit the ice for a pair of NEHC contests next weekend as Elmira visits Johnson & Wales University on January 27 at 7:00 P.M. and UMass Boston on January 28 at 3:00 P.M.
