ROCHESTER, N.Y. – In a game that featured goal-for-goal scoring, the Elmira College men’s ice hockey team would come out on top for the third season-opener in a row against the Golden Flyers from Nazareth University, 3-2 on the road.
After Elmira scored a goal off the stick of Tyler Schwindt ’26 just 26 seconds into the opening period, the Golden Flyers would answer back as the team’s shared goals, before Nicholas Domitrovic ’24 eventually ended the scoring at the 12:20 mark in the third period, which would go down as the game-winner.
JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 3, Nazareth 2
LOCATION: Rochester, N.Y. | Tim Hortons IcePlex
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (1-0-0, 0-0-0 NEHC), Nazareth (0-1-0, 0-0-0 UCHC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Play would barely begin to develop before Schwindt started the scoring just 26 seconds into the contest off an assist from Janis Vizbelis ’24. After turning Nazareth over in the defensive zone, the Soaring Eagles would convert on some nifty puck-work before Vizbelis found Schwindt from the left to right side of the net for the season-opening score.
- The Golden Flyers would answer the call just eight minutes later, as Blake Frost found the net for the first of two times on the evening to knot the contest at 1-1.
- From there, the game would head into the first intermission at the same score before Elmira took the lead back on a shorthanded score from Carter Wisely ’25 at the 12:50 mark. After Shane Haviland ’24 was sent to the box on a roughing call, Elmira would score with just eight seconds left on the penalty as a pass from the right side from Ryan Reifler ’24 found Wisely, who one-timed the puck into the back of the twine to put EC ahead 2-1.
- Just three minutes later, it would be Frost once again who would tie the contest after finding the back of the net on an assist from Nate Mann.
- Heading into the third, the scoring stayed quiet for the first 12 minutes of the period before Jordan Gonzalez ’24 turned Nazareth over, fed the puck up the center of the ice to Vizbelis, who dropped it off to Domitrovic who was barreling at full speed down the center of the ice to finish past Golden Flyer netminder Raphael Provencher for the score, which would go down as the eventual game-winner.
- Vizbelis would finish the contest with a pair of assists, while Kyle Curtin ’26 made 34 saves in net for the Soaring Eagles in the season-opener.
UP NEXT:
The Purple & Gold return to the ice tomorrow for its home opener at the Murray Athletic Center against #11 nationally-ranked Oswego State as the Lakers come off a 3-2 overtime victory over #1 Hobart College on Friday evening. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM at The Domes.
