Elmira Blanks Salem State 6-0 in NEHC Opener

PINE VALLEY, N.Y. – Salem State opened the 2021 New England Hockey Conference season with a 6-0 loss to fifth-ranked Elmira College on Friday evening at the Murray Athletic Center. The victory propels the Soaring Eagles to 2-0 and 1-0 in conference while the Vikings slip to 0-1 on the year. Goalie Kaia Hollingsworth made 52 saves in her first start for Salem State.
 
After trading shots back and forth to begin the period, the Soaring Eagles took advantage of their first power-play opportunity of the evening as Crocker scored on a loose puck in front of the net to give EC an early 1-0 advantage. The goal was assisted by Morgan Mordini '22 and Eliza Beaudin '22.

Elmira goaltender Maggie Gilman '23, who was making her season debut, faced just two shots in the opening period compared to 13 for Salem State keeper Kaia Hollingsworth.

Leading 1-0 heading into the second period, EC wasted little time extending their lead as Crocker found the back of the net once again on assists from Madi Morton '24 & Mary McCafferty '22.

Reaching the midway point of the contest, EC held a healthy 26-2 advantage in shots taken. With just 64 seconds remaining in the period, EC scored a pair of goals, including a buzzer-beater with just 0.1 seconds remaining. Claire Elfring '25 and Sabrina Shvartsman '25 both were credited with their first career goals, respectively.

Just moments into the third, Jenny Heath '22 joined the fun with a goal of her own to extend the EC lead to 5-0 on assists from Holley Riva '23 and Erika Goleniak '25.
At the 6:27 mark in the final period, the Soaring Eagles eclipsed 55 shots for the game, and on their 58th, Goleniak found the back of the twine which extended the EC lead to 6-0.

(Courtesy Elmira Sports Information)