#4 Middlebury 2, Utica 1 -
Box Score
Middlebury, Vt. (1/10/2012) – The Utica College women's hockey team fought hard but fell just short, 2-1, at nationally-ranked No. 4 Middlebury College in non-conference play Tuesday night. Sophomore forward
Megan Myers (Las Vegas, NV/LA Selects) netted her team-high seventh goal midway through the third period, but the Pioneers (6-8) could not rebound from a 2-0 second period deficit.
Middlebury (8-0-2) outshot Utica 41-19 on the afternoon as UC sophomore goalie
Jennifer Hamel (Ithaca, NY/Northwood School) stopped an impressive 39 shots to help keep the Pioneers in the game. Utica returns to action in 11 days when they take on ECAC Women's West Conference foe Potsdam State in a home and home weekend series.
Following a scoreless first period which saw Middlebury with a 16-4 shot advantage, the Panthers took a 1-0 lead with a power play goal 7:24 into the second session. Madeline Joyce fed Hannah Bielawski at the right point, as she sent in a shot towards goal. Maggie Woodward tipped in the blast for her fifth of the season. Bielawski picked up her team-best eighth assist on the tally, while Joyce earned her fifth.
The Panthers made it a 2-0 game with a five-on-three power play goal at the 14:58 mark of the second period. Maggie Melberg's shot from the left side was deflected, falling to Sara Ugalde in the high slot. Ugalde gathered the puck and snapped a wrister into the top right corner of the net for her team-leading fourth power play and sixth goal of the season, both team highs. Bielawski earned her second assist of the game, increasing her total to nine on the season. The period ended with Middlebury holding a 31-10 shot advantage and a 2-0 lead.
Utica got on the board 8:39 into the third period, making it a 2-1 game.
Kelsey Dowdall (Smiths Falls, ONT/Nepean)'s shot from the right side was saved by Laura Pinsent, with the rebound falling to
Megan Myers (Las Vegas, NV/LA Selects) who buried her team-leading seventh goal of the year. The Pioneers had an immediate two-minute power play following the goal, but were unable to tie the game up.
Pinsent finished the game with 18 saves to move to 4-0 for Middlebury.
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