UTICA, NY- The Utica College women's hockey team opens its season this weekend with a pair of road games.  The Pioneers will take on Becker College Saturday at 7 p.m. before traveling to New England College on Sunday for a 4 p.m. faceoff.
 
EXHIBITION RECAP: Utica is fresh off a pair of exhibition games last weekend… the Pioneers downed SUNY Canton 3-2 on Friday and then dropped a 6-2 decision to the visiting London Devilettes junior team on Sunday… Elizabeth Dohner (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) had a one goal and one assist to lead the way on Sunday, while Kayla Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks) netted UC's opening goal… Gabrielle Igo (Phoenix, AZ/Northern Cyclones) and Savannah Gutierrez (Huntington Beach, CA/Anaheim Lady Ducks) combined for 31 saves in net on Sunday.
 
WELCOME TO THE SHOW, KID: Freshman Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School) made her presence felt immediately as she had a hand in all five goals for Utica last weekend… On Friday, she had two goals and one assist to lift the Pioneers to the 3-2 victory over the Roos… She followed that up with a pair of assists on Sunday.
 
UCHC COACHES POLL: The Pioneers were picked to finish third in the UCHC coaches poll, released Tuesday… Utica gathered 79 votes out of a possible 100…
 Defending conference champion and national runner up, Elmira was picked to repeat, while William Smith College was picked to finish second… Stevenson (70 points) and Manhattanville (65) round out the top five… Utica went 9-5-2 in conference play last year and the Pioneers advanced to the UCHC semifinals before being knocked out by Elmira.
 
CLAUSEN CLOSING IN: Utica Head Coach Dave Clausen needs one more win to move into sole possession of 25^th place all-time in the history of women's collegiate hockey (Division I and III)… Clausen, who is the only coach in program history, has 252 wins to his credit, all of which came at Utica… Clausen ranks fifth all-time amongst Division III coaches and he has led the Pioneers to 16 playoff appearances in the program's 17-year history.
 
O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN: Senior Colby Begis (Little Elm, TX/Dallas Stars) will wear the "C" for the Pioneers this year… Begis has played in 45 games in her career and will provide veteran leadership… The assistant captains for UC this season are seniors Elizabeth Dohner (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) and Kayla Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks)… Dohner finished second on the squad with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) last season and she ranks second among active players with 74 career games played… Dion has totaled eight goals and 21 assists in 67 games played and has been a staple on the Pioneer blue line since her freshman year. 
 
FAMILIAR FACES BEHIND THE BENCH: Becker College is coached by two Utica alumni… Head Coach Eliza Kelley suited up for the Pioneers from 2007-2011 and then spent three seasons as an assistant coach to Dave Clausen, helping to guide UC to six postseason appearances overall… Becker assistant Megan Myers was an All-American for Utica, who shares the program record with 74 career goals and she ranks second all-time with 143 points.
 
SCOUTING BECKER: The Hawks, who are entering just their fourth season of competition, finished last year with a 4-19-3 overall record and a 2-7-3 mark in the Colonial Hockey Conference… Goalies Madison Rigsby and Julia Johnson each had impressive numbers in net… Rigsby boasted a .951 save percentage and a 2.11 goals against average, while Johnson had a .934 save percentage and a 2.78 GAA.
 
AGAINST THE HAWKS: This will be just the second meeting ever between Utica and Becker… Last year, the Pioneers came away with a 3-0 win over the Hawks… Elizabeth Dohner (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) and Kayla Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks) each had a goal and an assist, while Olivia Hirschy (Fort Wayne, IN/Culver Academies) had the other goal and Rebecca Brown (Steamboat Springs, CO/Norwich University) and Katrina Cornick (Mason City, IA/Rocky Mountain Roughriders) each had one assist… Gabrielle Igo (Phoenix, AZ/Northern Cyclones) made 10 saves to earn her first collegiate shutout.
 
SCOUTING NEC: The Pilgrims finished last year with a 2-22-2 overall record… NEC returns its two leading scorers from last year in Brittany Tierney and Vicki Shaw, who each totaled nine points.
 
AGAINST THE PILGRIMS: Last year, the Pioneers defeated NEC 5-2 at home… Rebecca Brown (Steamboat Springs, CO/Norwich University) had two goals, while Lexi Stanisewski (Lawrence, MA/Boston Shamrocks) had one goal… Danielle Haasbeek (Grand Forks, ND/Balmoral Hall), Kyra Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Holderness), and Noelle Capriglione (New Milford, CT/New Milford) each tallied one assist.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Utica remains on the road next weekend as it opens up UCHC conference play at Kings College… Game time is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.