Live Coverage

Utica, NY (1-9-12) – The Utica College women's hockey team heads to nationally-ranked No. 4 Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT) Tuesday for a non-conference contest against the Panthers.

Game-Time: The game will be held at the Chip Kenyon Ice Hockey Arena with an evening puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.

The UC Squad: Utica is currently 6-7 overall this season including a 3-5 ledger in ECAC Women's West play … The Pioneers had their three-game winning streak snapped Saturday against nationally-ranked No. 12 Manhattanville College.

Last Time Out: UC lost Saturday afternoon to the M'Ville Valiants, 2-1, at the Utica Memorial Auditorium … Utica held Manhattanville's scoring attack in check for over two periods before allowing two goals, late in the final period … The Pioneers got on the board, with under a minute remaining, when junior Meghan McMahon (Gardner, MA/St. Marks (MA)) netted her second goal of the year, however, they fell short of a late comeback as time expired.

Pioneers in Non-Conference Play: This season, UC holds a 3-2 record in non-conference action as they beat New England, Castleton State, and Hamilton College while losing to Williams College, 3-1, and M'Ville, 2-1, respectively … Last season, the Pioneers went 4-3 in non-conference play with all three losses coming by one goal defeats against Manhattanville, Hamilton and Amherst.

The Statistics Report: Sophomore standout Megan Myers (Las Vegas, NV/LA Selects) is off to another stellar season as she leads the team with 18 points on six goals and 12 assists … Myers is ranked tenth nationally in assists (.92 A/Gm) and 14th in points (1.38 P/Gm) … Junior Meghan McMahon (Gardner, MA/St. Marks (MA)) is second on the squad with nine points on two scores and seven dishes … Sophomore forward Brittany DelleChiaie (Leominster, MA/The Winchendon School) is second in goals (five) and third in points (eight) … Four of DelleChiaie's five goals have come on the power-play.

Fending the Net: Sophomore Jennifer Hamel (Ithaca, NY/Northwood School) currently holds a 5-4 record while posting 275 saves, good enough for a .935 save percentage and 13th in the nation … Hamel's 2.12 goals allowed average also ranks 25th in Division III women's hockey.

Scouting The Panthers: Middlebury is currently undefeated at 7-0-2 … The Panthers have outscored their opponents 34-6 in those victories … Their two draws came to nationally-ranked powers Elmira, 0-0, and Manhattanville, 2-2 … Last season, Middlebury won the NESCAC Conference Tournament and went on to finish third in the NCAA Division III Tournament … The Panthers wrapped up the 2010-11 season with a 23-5-1 overall record while posting a 14-1-1 mark in the conference.

Back on the Ice: Following this contest, UC will have an 11 day breather before heading into six straight ECAC Women's West battles starting with a home-and-home series on Saturday, Jan. 21 against SUNY Potsdam … Utica will head to Potsdam on Saturday and then host the Bears at “The Aud” on Sunday … The puck is scheduled to drop at 4 p.m. both days.