UTICA, NY- The Utica College women's hockey team returns to action this weekend as it faces ECAC West Conference foe, SUNY Cortland in a two-game series.  The first contest will be at Cortland on Saturday (2 p.m.) before both teams return to Utica on Sunday for a 3 p.m. face off.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers snuck past visiting Morrisville State 1-0 in non-conference action last Tuesday… Senior Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) scored the lone goal, while junior Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) and sophomore Samantha Husak (Jackson, MI/Grass Lake) had the assists… Junior Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) stopped all 22 shots she faced for her second shutout of the year.
 
OFF TO A GOOD START: The Pioneers are currently 6-2-1 on the year… Utica's two losses came at the hands of conference rival and nationally ranked No. 2 Elmira College on Nov. 21 and 22… UC is currently fifth in the conference standings, just one point behind Elmira and Oswego State. 
 
AMONG THE TOP IN THE COUNTRY: Reed is currently sitting at second in the country and first in the ECAC West Conference in points (19) and points per game (2.11)… She is tied for first nationally in goals (11), and goals per game (1.22)… Schnepp is not far behind Reed, averaging 1.78 points per game, which is good for fifth in the country and second in the conference… Schnepp is also leading the nation in assists (12) and assists per game (1.33).
 
IN THE NET: Goin has been one of the top goaltenders in the ECAC West Conference this season… She ranks fourth in goals against average (1.25), third in save percentage (.952), and second in total saves (198)… She is also tied for eighth in the country with two shutouts.
 
TEAM EFFORT: UC has 15 different players that have recorded at least one point this season… Freshman Lauren Patterson (Burlington, Ontario/Oakville) has burst onto the scene in her first year with the Pioneers, accumulating 13 points on three goals and 10 assists… Junior Emily Coope (Phoenix, AZ/Colorado Tigers) has four points this season on three goals and one assist… Senior Janessa Haasbeek (Grand Forks, ND/Canadian International Hockey Academy) also has four points on two goals and two assists, while Kayla Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks ) is fourth on the team with four assists.
 
SCOUTING CORTLAND: The Red Dragons are off to a 1-4-1 start this season, led by Laura Drew, who has four goals on the season… Kaitlin Ryan is leading Cortland in assists with three… Deanna Meunier has started five games in net, with a save percentage of .890, and goals against average of 3.35.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUPS AGAINST CORTLAND: The Pioneers have gone undefeated against Cortland over their last 11 matchups, going 10-0-1, with their last win against Cortland coming on Dec. 6 of last season by the score of 5-2… UC is 30-2-1 against the Red Dragons dating back to 2001.
 
NEXT TIME OUT: The Pioneers will be on the road for their next game, as they travel to Morrisville State College on Wednesday… Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

SOCIAL MEDIA: Make sure to follow live updates of the game on the Pioneers official Twitter feed: @UCPioneers… If you are at the game and on Twitter, or talking about the game on Twitter, make sure to use #UCMoose… You can also "Like" the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers ... Fans can also follow the Pioneers on Instagram: UCPioneers.
 
PIONEERS ALL-ACCESS: Make sure to catch live video, audio and stats of every home game on Pioneers All-Access: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/ … Audio is provided by WPNR 90.7 FM.