GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College ice hockey team was edged by Elmira 3-2 in overtime in a New England Hockey Conference contest at The Cooler this evening. With the loss, the Herons are now 2-3-0 overall this season and 1-2-0 in NEHC play.
Mary McCafferty scored the game-winning goal 2:05 into the 3-on-3 overtime period to earn the extra point for the Soaring Eagles (4-0-0, 3-0-0). Holley Riva dug the puck out of a board battle and fed a pass to McCafferty in the neutral zone. McCafferty broke into the offensive zone and slipped a backhanded shot past
Amanda Aalto. It was McCafferty's third goal of the season.
Six different players recorded a point for William Smith.
Amanda Aalto started in goal for the Herons and made 49 saves in 62:05 minutes in goal.
Brooke McArdle and Riva had a goal and an assist in the victory for Elmira. Leonie-Louise Kuehberger started and played 61:42 minutes in goal for the Soaring Eagles making 20 saves.
Neither team found the back of the net in the first period. Elmira finished the stanza with a 19-9 edge in shots on goal. Aalto stood tall in the opening minutes of the game making four saves in the first two and a half minutes. The Soaring Eagles had another flurry of chances in the middle of the period, but once again, Aalto was up to the task. William Smith's best chance of the opening period came just past the 10-minute mark.
Annabel Ziskin had a shot from the right faceoff shot stopped by Kuehberger.
Julianna Gong's rebound attempt from the slot was also stopped.
Brooke McArdle broke the deadlock with a power-play goal at the 3:41 mark of the second period. She banged home a rebound from the low slot. Claire Meeder and Erika Goleniak were credited with assists on the power-play goal. Four minutes later, Riva extended the lead to two goals with her second goal of the season. Riva fired a shot from the point through traffic and into the back of the net. McArdle and Jenny Heath notched assists on the goal.
Trailing 2-0, William Smith cashed in on its first power-play opportunity of the game. With two Elmira players sitting in the penalty box, LaPlante picked up a loose puck in the slot and flipped a shot over Kuehberger's glove. Her second goal of the season was assisted by
Emily Martino and
Annabel Ziskin. The teams traded chances in the final 10 minutes of the second period, but both goalies stood tall, and the score remained 2-1 heading into the second intermission.
Just under five minutes into the third period, the Herons tied the game on
Emily Rourke's first collegiate goal. She wristed a shot from the slot past Kuehberger.
Elizabeth MacMurray was awarded the assist on the tally after winning a puck battle along the boards.
Both teams had chances to win the game in the closing stages of regulation, but the goalies were up to the task. Aalto made 17 saves in the final 20 minutes and Kuehberger made six saves.
Elmira finished the game with a 52-22 edge in shots on goal. Both teams converted on a power play. William Smith was 1-for-3 on the power play and Elmira was 1-for-5 with the extra skater.
The Herons and Soaring Eagles will wrap up the season series tomorrow, Nov. 13, when they travel down the lake to Pine Valley, New York. Faceoff at the Murray Athletic Center is scheduled for 3 p.m.
