Utica, NY (2/19/15)- The Utica College women's hockey team wraps up the regular season this weekend as it travels to Buffalo State for an ECAC West series.  Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utica is coming off two losses to nationally ranked No. 2 Plattsburgh State last weekend… Senior Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) led the Pioneers with one goal and one assist, while freshman Taylor Osowski (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) netted her fifth goal of the year, and classmate Samantha Husak (Jackson, MI/Team Detroit) chipped in with one helper… Sophomore Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) and senior Marissa McNamara (Camillus, NY/Lysander Lightning) combined for 73 saves on the weekend. 
 
WHERE WE SIT: Utica is currently 9-10-4 overall and 6-7-3 in the conference… The Pioneers have clinched a playoff spot, but this weekend's games will determine the final seeding… Buff State is currently in fourth place, one point ahead of UC… If the Pioneers get at least one win and one tie, Utica will lock up the No. 4 spot in the league standings and host a first round playoff game. 
 
LEADING THE WAY: Junior Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) leads the team with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 23 games… Sophomore Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) is second on the squad with 14 points on five goals and nine assists. 
 
BANNER YEAR: Senior Samantha Pucci (Pearl River, NY/Connecticut Polar Bears) and sophomore Emily Coope (Phoenix, AZ/Colorado Tigers) are in the midst of the best seasons of their careers… Pucci has two goals and seven assists, and has racked up as many points as she did in her first three years combined… She also leads the team with a plus-7 rating on the season…  Coope has matched her five-goal output from a year ago, but has added a career-best six assists on the season… She has totaled four points (two goals, two assists) in her last five games.
 
CLAUSEN CLOSING IN: Head Coach Dave Clausen needs just one more win to reach the 200-win milestone… He currently holds a career record of 199-141-25, which he has compiled in 14 seasons at UC… Clausen, the only coach in program history, has led the Pioneers to 13 ECAC West Tournament appearances and has been named the ECAC West Coach of the Year twice… He has coached a school-best four All-Americans including Deana Wiegand (2006-07), Stephanie Price (2006-07), Megan Myers (Las Vegas, NV/LA Selects) (2012-13) and Jill Nolan (2005-06).
 
SCOUTING BUFFALO STATE: The Bengals are 10-11-2 overall and 8-8 in the conference… They are coming off a split against Cortland, winning 3-1 and falling 1-0… Senior Kara Goodwin leads the team with 20 goals and 25 points on the year… Utica downed Buff State 5-1 in each of their meetings last season… Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) had a goal and three assists in the series, while Nicole Schwartz (Danville, CA/San Jose Sharks) had one goal and two assists on the weekend.  


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