UTICA, NY- Sophomore Olivia Hirschy (Fort Wayne, IN/Culver Academies) scored a natural hat trick to help lead the Utica College women's hockey team to a 6-0 win over visiting Kings College in UCHC Conference action Saturday afternoon. 
 
With the win, the Pioneers finish the regular season with a 14-9-2 overall record and a 9-5-2 mark in the UCHC.  Utica, which is making its 16^th postseason appearance in the program's 17-year history, clinched the number four seed in the UCHC conference final and will host a first round playoff game next weekend against Neumann University. Game date and time is to be determined.
 
Utica is now unbeaten in its last eight games and is 7-1-2 in its last ten. The Pioneers have also earned four straight shutouts and improve to 10-3 on home ice this season. 
 
Senior Emily Holtshouser (Manchester, NH/Middlesex Islanders) got things going at 16:48 of the first period as she netted her second of the weekend when she buried a loose puck in front to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.  Jennifer Liu (North Saanich, British Columbia/Shaftesbury Titans) and Kirsten Johnson (Brockville, Ontario/RSL Midget Thunder AA) assisted on the opening tally.
 
Utica struck again just 56 seconds later as freshman Lexi Stanisewski (Lawrence, MA/Boston Shamrocks) put in a feed from Carlie Smith (Grimsby, Ontario/St. Catharine's Chaos) to give the Pioneers an insurance tally.  Junior Danielle Haasbeek (Grand Forks, ND/Balmoral Hall) also assisted on Stanisewski's fifth of the year.
 
Utica added two more goals just 31 seconds apart in the second period, the first off the stick of Veronique Lortie (Chambly, Quebec/Berkshire School) and the second by Hirschy to give the Pioneers a commanding 4-0 lead in the second stanza.  Hirschy tacked on two more scores in the third to seal the victory.
 
Rebecca Brown (Steamboat Springs, CO/Norwich University) finished with a team-high three assists on the day, while Haasbeek and Johnson each had two helpers.  Taylor Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks) and Elizabeth Dohner (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) also contributed one assist each.
 
Senior Amanda Lupo (Auburn, NY/Skaneateles) made five saves to earn the shutout, while her counterpart, Emma Zeveney made 58 saves in the loss.