Cougars Participate in Laura Hurd Memorial Weekend at Elmira

(Courtesy of Elmira's Sports Information Department)

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Former Elmira College women's ice hockey great Laura Hurd '05 was as good as they came, dominating the NCAA Division III hockey world from 2001-05, while helping the Soaring Eagles capture a pair of national titles in 2002 and 2003. Sadly, we were forced to say goodbye to Laura too soon, as she tragically passed away at the age of 24 in a car accident on the morning of June 23, 2006.

To honor Laura's legacy, Elmira will host the Laura Hurd Memorial Weekend during EC's home-opening weekend of games against Chatham University on Friday and Saturday, November 11th and 12th. Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m., while Saturday's contest is set for 3:00 p.m. Both contests will take place at EC's Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena, located in Pine Valley, New York.

Elmira will hold a special puck drop ceremony prior to the start of the game. Laura's mother Jennifer Hurd and brother Steven Hurd will be performing the ceremonial puck drop at center ice. There will be no admission charge for Friday or Saturday's contests.

About Laura Hurd
Laura arrived on Elmira's campus as a freshman in the fall of 2001 as a member of the first-ever women's ice hockey team in the college's history. It did not take long for her to make a name for herself, as the Kingston, Ontario, native went on to lead all NCAA Division III skaters with 77 points and 40 goals in her rookie debut. The 77-point total not only led the nation in 2002, it also remains as the only 70-point season in Division III women's ice hockey history, which helped Hurd garner AHCA All-American First-Team accolades.

The 2001-02 season was a special one, not only for her individual accolades, but also because the Soaring Eagles went on to win an ECAC West Conference title and the first-ever NCAA Division III National Title in women's ice hockey history; Elmira also became the only team to win an NCAA championship in its first year of competition. The Soaring Eagles repeated as national champs during the 2002-03 season behind Hurd's 55-point season, which included a Division III-leading 33 goals.

Although the Elmira women fell short of winning national titles in 2003-04 and 2004-05, Elmira did however clinch its third and fourth consecutive ECAC West Tournament titles during those seasons. EC bowed out in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament in 2003-04 and reached the title game in 2004-05, but would come up short in the championship game to Middlebury by one goal.

Hurd was spectacular in the final two seasons of her collegiate career and was recognized for her performance with AHCA All-American honors, becoming Elmira's first and only four-time AHCA First-Team All-American recipient. The honors did not stop there, as Hurd was also tabbed as the AHCA Division III National Player of the Year in 2005, an award that was later renamed in her memory as the Laura Hurd National Player of the Year Award.

NCAA DIVISION III RECORDS
POINTS SCORED
Season
77—Laura Hurd,
Elmira, 2002
(40 goals, 37 assists)

Career
237—Laura Hurd,
Elmira, 2002-05 (120 goals, 117 assists)

POINTS SCORED PER GAME
Season
2.75—Laura Hurd,
Elmira, 2002 (77 in 28)

Career
2.15—Laura Hurd,
Elmira, 2002-05 (237 in 110)

GOALS SCORED
Season
40—Laura Hurd,
Elmira, 2002 (28 games)

Career
120—Laura Hurd, Elmira, 2002-05 (110 games); Elizabeth Gibson, Plattsburgh St., 2002-05 (108 games)

ASSISTS
Career
117—Laura Hurd
Elmira, 2002-05 (110 games)

ASSISTS PER GAME
Career
1.06—Laura Hurd
Elmira, 2002-05 (117 in 110)

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