PINE VALLEY, N.Y. – The Elmira College women’s ice hockey team came back from a goal down at the end of the first period, scoring ten unanswered goals during the match to fly past the Panthers 10-1 on Saturday afternoon.
McKenzie Schmidt ’25 put four past the Plymouth State goaltender, becoming the first player since 2021 to score four in a game when Eliza Beaudin ’22 scored four against William Smith. Schmidt joins an exclusive list as the sixth player in program history to score four times in one game. Erika Goleniak ’25 also had multiple goals, scoring twice in the second period.
JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 10, Plymouth State 1
LOCATION: Pine Valley, New York | Murray Athletic Center
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (18-7-1, 14-3-1 NEHC), Plymouth State (6-20-0, 6-12-0 NEHC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elmira fell behind to begin the game, conceding a goal to Plymouth State’s Laura Castronova at the 10:08 mark in the first period, putting it in an early hole. The first period finished without any more scoring, and EC entered the first intermission trailing 1-0.
- Elmira got back into the game at the 5:30 mark in the second period after Sophie Gregory ’26 hit one in toward goal, and Goleniak tipped the puck past the goalie, tying the game at one with her 13th goal of the season.
- The Soaring Eagles scored again just over a minute later on a breakaway by Schmidt, who powered the puck past the Plymouth State netminder for her first goal of the afternoon. Lexi Hoffmann ’24 was credited with an assist.
- Schmidt got another goal 14:19 into the second on a tipped shot past the goalie after Mandy McCarrick ’26 fired the puck towards the goal. Madi Morton ’24 was also credited with an assist on the goal.
- Goleniak joined Schmidt with her second goal at the 17:03 mark in the second period after a Claire Meeder ’23 pass released the forward toward the goal. Goleniak then went to the top-right corner of the goal and found the back of the net. Holley Riva ’23 picked up an assist on the goal as well.
- Alayna Toole ’26 joined in on the scoring just over a minute later when she connected on a pass from Sabrina Shvartsman ’25 that was put across the front of the goal, guiding the puck into the net for Elmira’s fifth goal of the game, giving Elmira a 5-1 lead at the end of the second period.
- Schmidt did not take long to get her hat trick, scoring 12 seconds into the third period after collecting the puck off the face-off and shooting from an acute angle to the left of the goal, beating the goaltender to give the Purple and Gold its sixth goal of the contest. Sophie Compeau ’25 collected her first assist of the game on the goal.
- Three minutes later, Compeau sent Schmidt on a breakaway, putting Schmidt in a one-on-one with the goalie with a chance to score her fourth. The third-year skater fired the puck past the Panthers goaltender, giving the Soaring Eagles a commanding 7-1 lead early in the third period.
- Anna Lugge ’27 joined the scoring party with her ninth goal of the season, slamming the puck into the net from the left face-off circle at the 12:39 mark of the third period. Emma Bradbury ’26 tallied an assist on EC’s eighth goal.
- Just over a minute later, the Soaring Eagles scored another on the power play. This time, it was Riva putting her name on the scoresheet, pouncing on a loose puck going across the face of the goal. Meeder and Bradbury both collected their second assist of the game on the goal.
- The Purple & Gold got into double-figures less than a minute after their ninth goal, with Shvartsman scoring the goal for Elmira. McCarrick and Morton set up the goal for the Soaring Eagles, giving them a 10-1 lead at the 14:39 mark.
- The Soaring Eagles ended their scoring party at 10, and after closing out the final five minutes of play, took home the 10-1 victory in the opening round of the NEHC Tournament.
- Chloe Beaubien ’23 got the start between the pipes for Elmira, recording 17 saves during the game.
UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles will host William Smith College on Saturday, February 24, in the semifinals of the NEHC Tournament at a time to be determined.
