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Goal Celebration
KEVIN COLTON

William Smith, Elmira renew rivalry in NEHC Semifinals

2/22/2024 4:04:00 PM

By: Abigail Soika '25
The third-seeded William Smith hockey team hits the road this weekend for a New England Hockey Conference semifinal when it makes the 50.1-mile trip down Seneca Lake to take on second-seeded Elmira. The Route 14 rivalry is set to renew at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, in the Soaring Eagles' Murray Athletic Center. 
 
This is the third straight year William Smith and Elmira will meet in the NEHC semifinals.
 
The Herons enter the weekend with an overall record of 17-8-1. The Herons shut out Vermont State University Castleton in the quarterfinal round 4-0. Senior Annie Hauser stopped all 38 shots. Sophomore Kelly Howe led the way with a goal and an assist for the Herons.
 
The Soaring Eagles are 18-7-1 overall. Last Saturday, Elmira scored 10 unanswered goals to knock off seventh-seeded Plymouth State 10-1 in the quarterfinals. The Soaring Eagles entered the second period down 1-0 and scored five goals in both the second and the third periods. McKenzie Schmidt led Elmira with four goals.
 
Fans who can't make the trip to the Murray Athletic Center can follow all the action through Elmira's streaming portal.
 
ABOUT THE HERONS
  • Junior Kayla Ketchabaw leads the Herons with 13 goals. She shares the team lead with senior Mackenzie O'Neil with 22 points.
  • Junior Annabel Ziskin has a team-high 17 assists and is third on the team with 21 points. 
  • Hauser and junior Erin Murray have split time in net this season for the Herons. Hauser is 8-5-0 with a GAA of 1.39 and a .952 save percentage. She has four shutouts this season. Murray is 7-3-1 and has a 1.30 GAA with a .950 save percentage and four shutouts.
 
ABOUT THE SOARING EAGLES
  • Erika Goleniak leads the Soaring Eagles with 14 goals and 15 assists and 29 points. 
  • Claire Meeder is second on the team with 10 goals, 13 assists and 23 points. 
  • Leonie-Louise Kuehberger has played the majority of time in net for the Soaring Eagles. She is 11-6-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .937 save percentage. She has seven shutouts. 
 
SERIES HISTORY
  • Saturday will be the 22nd meeting between the Herons and the Soaring Eagles. 
  • Elmira leads the all-time series 19-1-1, including a mark of 11-0-1 in Elmira. 
  • On Jan. 27, the Soaring Eagles defeated the Herons 3-1. Emma Fasso scored the lone goal for William Smith and Hauser made 47 saves. 
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