The Elmira Soaring Eagles celebrated their first ECAC West Championship since 2006 on Saturday after defeating Neumann 5-1. The game was played in front of a large and raucous crowd at the Thunderdomes who were into the action from start to end.
Elmira’s power play was the difference in the game. The Soaring Eagles tallied a pair of extra attacker goals using the exact same play both times executed to perfection. The first power play goal opened the scoring in the first period while the second sealed the win by giving Elmira a 3-1 lead early in the third.
Neumann’s lone goal of the game also came on the power play scored by Michael Rey after some nifty passing by the Knights. But Elmira stole back the momentum less than two minutes later with a goal of its own.
The Knights tried to come back late in the third period by pulling goaltender Ross MacKinnon with two minutes remaining while Neumann was on the power play. But a bad bounce over a defender’s stick allowed Michael Kirby to score a shorthanded empty net goal to give Elmira a 4-1 lead. And then Colin Hoey chipped in another a minute later and the game ended 5-1 while the celebration began.
Both Elmira and Neumann received bids from the NCAA into the national tournament Monday morning. But both also drew very difficult, and long, road trips.
Neumann travels 459 miles to take on Bowdoin Wednesday night in the play-in round. The winner of that game then gets to take on Oswego on Saturday.
While Elmira gets the benefit of a bye in the play-in round, the Soaring Eagles drew the short stick in a way as they have to travel to Adrian in Michigan, 499 miles, on Saturday to play in the Quarterfinal round.
The ECAC west teams will need to be the ultimate road warriors to extend their seasons beyond this coming weekend.
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