Article and graphic courtesy of Skidmore Athletics Communication

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College men's hockey team will play in its second championship game in three years after it defeated #8 Elmira, 4-1, on home ice on Saturday night.

• Skidmore (19-6-2), ranked 12^th nationally, will travel to top-seeded and first-ranked Hobart College next Saturday, March 2 in the title game.
• It will be the third year in a row that features a Skidmore vs. Hobart playoff game and will settle a 1-1 tie after both teams claimed semifinal wins over the other in the past two seasons.
• The Thoroughbreds came out of the gates hot with the first 10 shots on goal over the first seven and a half minutes. Skidmore scored twice before the first period ended, both on rebounds.
• Kaeden Patrick got the first one at 10:30 on the power play off a rebound from a Jacob Zwirecki shot. Danny Magnuson had the first of his three assists on the goal.
• Skidmore made it 2-0 with 33 seconds left in the opening period. York beat his mark to the net and jammed in the rebound from a Will Dow-Kenny point shot. Ryan Waltman, who worked the puck up the wall to the Skidmore d-man, picked up the secondary helper.
• Elmira (20-7-1) cut its deficit in half in the middle of the second. The nation's best power play connected on its third chance of the night. Jared Smith scored it for the Soaring Eagles from Chance Gorman and Ryan Reifler.
• The Elmira tally came after Skidmore killed two full minutes of a 5-on-3 just minutes prior. Tate Brandon made five saves for Skidmore to keep the puck out.
• Brandon stood firm between the pipes all night long for Skidmore again. He earned his 19^th win of the year with 23 saves and was tested on several prime Elmira scoring chances down the stretch.
• The Thoroughbreds bounced back and made it 3-1 just over four minutes after Elmira scored. Skidmore stripped the puck free from the Elmira defenseman just inside the zone. Ethan Heidepriem's shot went wide, but Magnuson corralled the puck on the far board and found goal scorer Zack Frisk at the blue line. The winger stepped up and beat the goalie on the blocker side form the high slot through traffic.
• York tallied his second of the night on the empty net late in the third period to complete the scoring. Nick Cozzi and Magnuson assisted after breaking the puck out.
• The win is Skidmore's second over Elmira in three weeks. The Thoroughbreds got a 3-1 victory in Pine Valley on Feb. 9. Skidmore has won three out of four against the Soaring Eagles and have knocked them out of the playoffs in consecutive years.
• Kyle Curtin made 31 saves for the visitors, who will await their NCAA fate after next weekend's championship games.