RIVER FALLS, Wis. (WETM) – Elmira College's women's hockey team will play for a national title.
(Photo courtesy of NCAA.com)
On Friday, the Elmira College women's hockey team defeated Middlebury to punch its ticket to the NCAA Division III national championship game. On the ice, the No. 10 ranked Soaring Eagles and No. 6 ranked Panthers battled to a scoreless tie until late in the third period. Impressive games at the net from EC's Chloe Beaubien and Middlebury's Sophia Will kept all scorers off the board except once. With 4:30 left in the game, Erika Goleniak connected with Soaring Eagles captain Claire Meader to put the eventual winner in the back of the net.
Following Meader's goal, the Soaring Eagles received two penalties within 2:46 of the game. In addition to the penalty, the Panthers pulled Will out of the net and gained an extra attacker. Despite the odds being against them, the Soaring Eagles held Middlebury at bay until the final seconds. On a scramble at Elmira's crease, Beaubien made save after save to keep the Panthers off the board. After the buzzer sounded and EC celebrated, officials gathered to consider potential Middlebury goals. After review, the original no-goal ruling was confirmed, and the Purple and Gold celebrated their second victory.
Elmira College's best performance in the game came from its netminders. Senior goaltender Chloe Beaubien made a game-high 31 saves, including a crucial stop in the final minute.
The win marked EC's first win over Middlebury since 2017 and earned them a ticket to the national title game. This Sunday, Elmira returns to the national title game for the first time in seven years. The Soaring Eagles finished runner-up to Norwich in 2017-18 and Plattsburgh State in 2014-15 in their last two attempts at the national championship. When the puck drops in the final game, the Purple and Gold will be looking for their fourth championship and first since a 1-0 win over Middlebury in the 2012-13 season.
Elmira College will play the winner of Friday night's matchup between No. 5 ranked Adrian and undefeated host university No. 1 University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Sunday's title game will be streamed live on ncaa.com from River Falls, Wisconsin at 4 p.m. ET.
