ASTON, Pa. - The Neumann University women's ice hockey team gave fourth ranked Elmira College all it could handle on Saturday afternoon, but ultimately fell by a score of 3-0 in United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) play.
 
Helen Cooney took the loss in goal in the afternoon, making 37 saves in net.
 
A poor start to the game would doom the Knights on the day. The hosts conceded a goal to Elmira just 38 seconds into the game and faced an uphill battle the rest of the way. The Soaring Eagles kept their momentum rolling in the ensuing minutes, tallying twice more in the opening five minutes of play to take a commanding 3-0 early lead. Neumann settled in from there, limiting the high-powered Elmira attack to just nine shots in the period as the game headed to intermission at the same 3-0 scoreline.
 
The second stanza would be a quiet affair with Cooney stealing the spotlight with 15 saves. The Knights generated two power plays in the frame, but could not find the back of the net as the three goal Elmira advantage remained heading to the third.
 
Neumann continued to try to battle its way back into the game in the final frame, but solid defending from the visitors limited the Knights' opportunities. The hosts recorded five shots in the last 20 minutes, but could not solve the Elmira net-minder on the afternoon. The team's best chance came from a point-blank Jeannie Padden wrist shot with just under 10 minutes left to play, but the chance went beckoning as the game stayed 3-0. The Knights defending was also strong in the period, shutting the Elmira attack out for the second straight period. Unfortunately, the early first period damage would be enough for the visitors on the day as they skated home with the three goal win.
 
Neumann (9-11-0, 6-5-0 UCHC) will hit the road next weekend looking to get back into the win column. The Knights will take on Alvernia University in their next game on Friday, February 7th at 7:00 pm.