PINE VALLEY, N.Y. – A go-ahead tally from Holley Riva ’23 at the 3:31 mark of the second period broke a scoreless tie as the Elmira College women’s ice hockey program secured its second New England Hockey Conference Tournament Championship with a 2-0 victory over the Southern Maine Huskies on Saturday at the Murray Athletic Center.
The second NEHC Tournament Championship for the Soaring Eagles punched the program’s 18th NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament appearance and first since the 2021-22 season. Elmira also recorded its 20th overall win of the season as the Purple & Gold have recorded at least 20 wins in each of the last three seasons since joining the NEHC in 2021-22.
JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 2, Southern Maine 0
LOCATION: Pine Valley, New York | Murray Athletic Center
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (20-7-1, 14-3-1 NEHC), Southern Maine (15-11-2, 10-6-2 NEHC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elmira received an early power-play opportunity just 30 seconds into the first period as the Soaring Eagles recorded three shots on goal but would be unable to beat Southern Maine goalkeeper Haley McKim.
- The Soaring Eagles would successfully kill a power-play opportunity for the Huskies just over five minutes into the first period as EC would not surrender a shot while down a skater. Elmira closed the opening 20 minutes of action with a scoreless tie on the scoreboard and a 19-0 advantage in shots on goal.
- Katie Manning ’25 delivered an outlet pass that would find Erika Goleniak ’25 in the offensive zone as Goleniak put the puck on the stick of Riva, who went just under the crossbar on the glove-side of McKim to give EC a 1-0 advantage.
- Riva’s tally would eventually serve as her second game-winning goal of the season and the 10th of her career for the Purple & Gold. The assist for Goleniak pushed her team-best mark to 17 on the season as she sits at 14 goals and 17 helpers for 31 points.
- Elmira would add a much-needed insurance goal for safe measures at the 11:49 mark of the third period as Anna Lugge ’27 gathered a loose puck from inside the slot and deposited a wrist shot over the shoulder of McKim to make it 2-0. Lexi Hoffmann ’24 was credited with the assist on Lugge’s 10th goal of the season and second of the playoffs.
- Soaring Eagles netminder Chloe Beaubien ’23 improved to 8-1-1 on the season and notched her second victory of the playoffs after recording five saves for her fifth shutout with the Purple & Gold. McKim finished the contest with 45 saves on 47 shots for the Huskies.
- The 2024 NEHC All-Tournament Team featured Haley McKim and Madison Chagnon from Southern Maine, while Holley Riva ’23, Katie Manning ’25, Mandy McCarrick ’26, and McKenzie Schmidt ’25 all represented the Soaring Eagles. Schmidt was named the Most Outstanding Player after tallying five goals and one assist through three playoff contests for Elmira.
UP NEXT: The Soaring Eagles will learn who their opponent will be in the 2024 NCAA DIII Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament as the selection show will be broadcast live on www.NCAA.com on Sunday, March 3rd at 8:30 P.M. ET. A link to the show will be on the front page of NCAA.com.
