Utica, NY (2/3/14)- The Utica College women's hockey team takes on nationally ranked No. 2 Middlebury College Tuesday night at Middlebury's Kenyon Arena.  Face off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers swept SUNY Cortland in non-conference action last weekend… Senior Vanessa Maines (Boxborough, MA/Boston Jr. Shamrocks) led the Pioneers with three points on the weekend (two goals, one assist), while freshman Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) had two goals… Freshman Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) stopped 17-of-18 shots in her first collegiate start for her first career win. 

WHERE WE SIT: The Pioneers (13-5, 6-4 ECAC West) are currently fifth in the ECAC West standings, trailing both Oswego State and SUNY Potsdam by just one point… Utica received nine votes in Monday's USCHO.com national rankings, which keeps the Pioneers right outside the top-10 for the second straight week. 

TOUGH COMPETITION: Middlebury, currently ranked No. 2 in the latest national polls, is the fourth ranked opponent the Pioneers will play this season…  UC has fallen to ECAC West opponents, No. 1 Plattsburgh State and No. 3 Elmira College twice each… UC also dropped a nail biter, 4-2, to No. 4 Norwich University on Jan. 11, which snapped the Pioneers' eight-game winning streak. 

LEADING THE WAY: Senior Megan Myers (Las Vegas, NV/LA Selects) leads the team with 14 goals and 25 points… She is tied for tenth nationally with .78 goals per game, while her 1.39 points per game rank 11th in the country…   Sophomore Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) is second on the squad with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists), while freshman Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) is right on her heels with nine goals and nine assists… Schnepp is also tied for fifth nationally in freshman scoring with 1.00 points per game. 

SCOUTING MIDDLEBURY: The Panthers have been ranked second in every poll since Nov. 4… They are 13-1-3 on the season and are coming off a sweep at Hamilton last weekend… Seven players have tallied at least ten points on the season, led by junior Emily Fluke, who has nine goals and 11 assists so far… Utica is 0-6 al-time against Middlebury, including a 4-1 loss to the Panthers last season.

LOOKING AHEAD: Utica returns to ECAC West play this weekend as it hosts ECAC West rival, Neumann University on Saturday and Sunday… Both games are at 4 p.m.


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