Junior Darcy Hier (Aurora, CO/Colorado Selects) scored the game-winning goal early in the third period and assisted on two other scores as Utica defeated Cortland, 3-1, in ECAC West action Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena. The Red Dragons dropped to 3-6 overall and 2-3 in the conference with the loss. The Pioneers improved to 5-4-1 and 3-2-1. The two teams meet again on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Freshman Chelsey Wright (Medford/Suffolk PAL) scored her team-high fourth goal of the season for Cortland. Freshman goaltender Sarah Sitcov (Arlington, VA/Wyoming Seminary) stopped 26 shots.

Junior Jodie Galluzzi (Buffalo/NSA) recorded a goal and an assist for Utica, while freshman Devin Leary (Dorchester, MA/Kents Hill) netted her first career goal and juniors Rebecca Heim (Westwood, NJ/New Jersey Rockets) and Lynny Gonzales (Rochester/New Hampton Prep) each collected an assist. Senior goalie Jill Doherty (Wellesley, MA/Kents) made 18 saves.

Galluzzi opened the scoring at 16 minutes, 52 seconds of the first period when she one timed a cross-ice pass on the left side on the power play. Wright, however, tied the game just 28 seconds later when she forced a turnover in Utica's zone and beat Doherty in close.

The game remained 1-1 after the second period with Sitcov making the best stop of the stanza on a glove save as Utica junior Meagan Sudik (West Bend, WI/Wisconsin Wild) broke in all alone. Hier scored the game winner 16 seconds into the third period when she converted a 2-on-1 with Gonzales. Leary added an insurance goal at the 9:49 mark, stuffing the puck past Sitcov with the skater advantage. Much of the remainder of the game was played with either team short a skater as each took two penalties in the closing 10 minutes.