Utica, NY (2/4/13)- The Utica College women's hockey team looks to get back on track Tuesday as it travels to nearby Clinton, NY for a non-conference match up against local rival, Hamilton College.  Face off is set for 7 p.m.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers are fresh off a 0-1-1 weekend at nationally ranked No. 1 Plattsburgh State last weekend…  The Pioneers played the Cardinals to a 3-3 tie Saturday night, before falling 3-0 to Plattsburgh on Sunday… Senior Mary Fusco (Enfield, CT/Salve Regina University), junior Brittany DelleChiaie (Leominster, MA/The Winchendon School), and sophomore Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) each scored for UC, while Carmen Johnson (Falls Church, VA/Washington Pride), Meghan McMahon (Gardner, MA/St. Marks (MA)), Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy), Kelsey Dowdall (Smiths Falls, ONT/Nepean), and Courtney May (Oxford, MI/Belle Tire) each added one assist.

Around the League: The Pioneers (10-7-2, 8-4-2 ECAC West) are currently third in the ECAC West Conference standings behind nationally ranked No. 1 Plattsburgh (20-0-2, 12-0-1 ECAC West) and No. 3 Elmira (18-3-1, 12-2 ECAC West)… Oswego sits in fourth place with an 8-4 conference record, followed by Cortland (6-8), Neumann (4-8), Potsdam (3-7-1), Buffalo Sate (2-10), and Chatham (0-12).

Recent Success: Prior to Sunday's defeat, UC was unbeaten in eight straight games… The Pioneers are now 6-1-2 in their last nine contests… UC has outscored opponents 25-10 over the stretch, including four shutouts… The Pioneers are also receiving votes in the latest USCHO.com online poll… Utica collected four votes to put them amongst the top 15 teams in the nation… The team also ranks first in the nation in penalty killing, after successfully killing 93-of-100 penalties.

Hamel Honored: Junior Jennifer Hamel (Ithaca, NY/Northwood School) was named ECAC West Goalie of the Week, Monday after helping the Pioneers tie No. 1 Plattsburgh… Hamel made 30 saves in the tie… On the season, she ranks fifth in the conference with a 1.73 goals against average and has compiled a .922 save percentage.

May Helping Out: Sophomore Courtney May (Oxford, MI/Belle Tire) is tied for third in the conference and tenth in the country with .74 assists per game… She is also fourth in the conference in scoring amongst defensemen.

Myers Closing In: Junior Megan Myers (Las Vegas, NV/LA Selects) needs eight points to become just the third player in school history to score 100 or more points in a career… Myers is fifth in the conference in goal scoring (11) and has played in five fewer games than anyone ahead of her.

Spreading the Wealth: 19 different Pioneers have tallied at least one point on the season and 13 different players have scored one goal or more… Sophomore Nicole Schwartz (Danville, CA/San Jose Sharks) is third on the team with 11 points (three goals, eight assists), while freshman Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) has ten points (four goals, six assists) and senior Meghan McMahon (Gardner, MA/St. Marks (MA)) has scored three goals and added five assists.     

Scouting Hamilton: The Continentals are 11-7-1 (5-6-1 NESCAC) and coming off a split against Wesleyan over the weekend…  Hamilton has four players with ten or more points including senior Katie Zimmerman and junior Nikki Haskins… Zimmerman has a team-high 16 goals and 21 points, while Haskins has netted nine goals and seven assists. 

All-time Series: The Pioneers are 8-8-2 all-time against the Continentals… Six of the 16 meetings have gone to overtime… Hamilton defeated UC 3-1 earlier this season… Sophomore Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) scored Utica's only goal. 

Looking Ahead: UC travels to Buffalo State this weekend for a series against the Bengals… This is the final league weekend of the regular season… Saturday's contest will be at 4 p.m. while Sunday's is set for a 2 p.m. faceoff.


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