New England Hockey Conference Semifinal
#3 Skidmore College Thoroughbreds (18-6-2) vs. #4 Elmira College Soaring Eagles (19-6-1)
Saturday, Feb. 24; 7 p.m.; Saratoga City Rink; Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
 
TICKETS:

• General admission tickets can be purchased at the door. Tickets are $5, and $3 for students.
• Fans under five years of age are free.
• The first 100 Skidmore students are admitted free courtesy of Student Affairs.
• A free fan bus will depart campus from Case Center at 6:30 and return after the completion of the game.

 
GAME COVERAGE:
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
GAME PROGRAM
DIGITAL PROGRAM
 
MATCHUP:

• Skidmore and Elmira meet in a rematch of last year's quarterfinal thriller. Last season, Skidmore faced a late 3-2 deficit but scored with three seconds left in regulation and went on to win in overtime.
• In the regular season series, road teams won both games. Two weeks ago, the Thoroughbreds marched into Elmira and beat the then fifth-ranked Soaring Eagles 3-1. Jaden York, Everett Wardle, and Kaeden Patrick scored for Skidmore. Stephan McDonald scored for Elmira. Tate Brandon had 26 saves in the win and Kyle Curtin took the loss despite making 27 saves.
• The Soaring Eagles were ranked third in the first week of January when they beat 10^th-ranked Skidmore, 3-1.
• Last weekend, Skidmore skated to a 5-1 win over UMass Boston in the program's first home playoff game since 2012. Skidmore used two goals from Danny Magnuson, 30 Brandon saves, and goals from Kevin Urquhart, Cooper Rice, and an Everett Wardle empty netter to secure the quarterfinal win.
• The Thoroughbreds have now played in the semifinals in three years in a row. Hobart is the only other team to do the same.
• For Elmira, Amedeo Mastrangeli was the hero with an overtime goal last week to lift the Soaring Eagles to a 3-2 win over Babson. Nicholas Domitrovic scored the other two goals, and Curtin made 35 saves.
• Patrick is Skidmore's leading scorer (13-14—27) along with Magnuson (10-15—25) and Wardle (8-17—25)
• Elmira is led statistically by Shawn Kennedy (13-23—36), Domitrovic (17-18—35), and Janis Vizbelis (16-16—32).

 
SERIES/POSTSEASON:

• Since Elmira joined the NEHC prior to the 2022-23 season, the Soaring Eagles are ahead 4-3 in the head-to-head series.
• Overall, in nine meetings, Elmira leads 5-4.
• Skidmore is seeking to return to the championship game for the second time in three years.
• Elmira has not reached the NEHC title contest yet but played for UCHC titles in 2021 and 2018 and in ECAC West championship games 16 times dating back to 1977.

 
ALSO/NEXT:

• First seeded and top-ranked Hobart hosts seventh-seeded Southern Maine in the other semifinal.
• Elmira, tied for fourth in the pairwise and Skidmore, ranked 13^th, are both at-large candidates for the upcoming 13-team NCAA Tournament. As is #1 Hobart.