UTICA, NY- The Utica College women's hockey team hits the road this weekend as it travels to Middlebury, VT for the annual Panther/Cardinal Classic, hosted by Middlebury College.  The Pioneers will take on Middlebury on Saturday at 2 p.m. and will face either Plattsburgh State or Adrian College on Sunday.
 
LAST TIME OUT: UC is coming off an impressive 6-1 win over visiting SUNY Potsdam in ECAC West Conference action on Saturday…  Six different players scored for UC, led by junior Meghan Power (Windsor, Ontario/Southwest Wildcats), who had a team-best three points on one goal and two assists… Senior Jane Pagano (Erie, PA/Tabor Academy) and sophomore Kayla Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks ) each had one goal and one assist, while Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) totaled two helpers…  Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) made 23 saves in net.
 
LEADING THE WAY: Senior Jane Pagano (Erie, PA/Tabor Academy) and junior Meghan Power (Windsor, Ontario/Southwest Wildcats) are tied for the team lead with five points (two goals, three assists) each… Sophomore Kayla Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks ) has four points on one goal and three assists...  Veronique Lortie (Chambly, Quebec/Berkshire School), Olivia Hirschy (Fort Wayne, IN/Culver Academies), Emily Coope (Phoenix, AZ/Colorado Tigers), Elizabeth Dohner (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects), and Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) each have three points.
 
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Senior Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) ranks sixth nationally with a .966 save percentage and she is also seventh in goals against average (.80)… Goin is one of only seven goalies in the country with two or more shutouts this season… As a team, the Pioneers rank fifth nationally in scoring defense… UC is also sixth in the country in penalty kill, killing off 27-of-28 of opponent's power play opportunities.
 
SCOUTING MIDDLEBURY: The Panthers are currently ranked No. 5 and they are coming off a pair of overtime wins over Trinity in their first games of the season last weekend…Middlebury finished fourth at the NCAA Division III Championships last season…The Pioneers lost to Middlebury 2-1 one year ago.
 
SCOUTING PLATTSBURGH: The defending national champion Cardinals are 7-1 on the season and 5-1 in the ECAC West…Senior Jordan Lipson and junior Kayla Meneghin lead the team with 13 and 12 points, respectively… Utica was 1-2 against Plattsburgh last season, including handing the Cardinals their only loss of the year.
 
SCOUTING ADRIAN: The Bulldogs are ranked No. 3 in the latest USCHO.com national poll after starting the season 6-0… Seniors Kristin Lewicki, Kaylyn Schroka, and Sarah Shureb lead the nation in scoring with 20 points, 19, and 14, respectively… The last time Utica faced Adrian was Nov. 6 and 7, 2009, when UC won 4-3 and 4-2.
 
SAVE THE DATE: Utica returns home on Saturday, Dec. 3 to take on Morrisville State at 2 p.m. in the 5th annual Gold Ribbon Game for childhood cancer awareness… Both teams will be wearing special edition gold ribbon uniforms that are currently being auctioned off online with all proceeds being donated to a local family who has a child currently battling cancer… For more information about the game and the jersey auction, click HERE.