UTICA, NY – The Utica College women's ice hockey team will hit the road this weekend for a pair of UCHC conference games, kicking off on Saturday against William Smith College for a 4 p.m. puck drop. It will round out its regular season in a 3 p.m. contest at nationally-ranked Elmira on Sunday.
Follow Along: Live video and stats for Saturday's game against the Herons can be found here, and Sunday's matchup with the Soaring Eagles here.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers closed out there home slate in style, scoring 10 unanswered goals as they shutout King's College 8-0 on Friday and Wilkes University 2-0 on Saturday. Junior Lexi Stanisewski (Lawrence, MA/Boston Shamrocks) reached a career milestone over the weekend, surpassing the 50 point plateau, now sitting at 52 after three points on an assist and two game-winning goals. Senior Bria Reilly (Hamden, CT/Brewster Academy) earned both shutouts, padding away 30 shots in Saturday's Senior Day victory.
Stacking Up: UC is currently fourth in UCHC North standings with a record of 9- 4 -1 in league play, 9-13-1 overall. Captain Olivia Hirschy (Fort Wayne, IN/Culver Academies) leads her team in assists and points, with marks of 13 and 17, respectively. Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School) trails close behind in the points race with 16, while leading the squad in goals with nine.
Scouting William Smith: The Herons are currently ranked second in conference, with a record of 12-2 and 16-7 overall. Despite being dealt a 7-0 loss by then-No. 3 Elmira earlier in the season, William Smith was able to pull off an impressive 4-3 overtime win over the Soaring Eagles on Sunday. It took Julia Mings just 30 seconds into the extra period to find the back of the net, helped along by Jules Kennedy. Freshman Izzy Freidman was named the UCHC Rookie of the Week after posting two assists in the victory.
All-Time with the Herons: Despite falling in their last two meetings, the Pioneers own a 7-3 all-time series lead over William Smith. The last meeting took place at the Aud earlier the season, as the visitors were able to record a 1-0 win. Reilly collected 24 saves.
Scouting #4 Elmira: The Soaring Eagles are currently first in the UCHC with a record of 12-2, going 17-4-2 overall. After falling in a crazy contest with William Smith, Elmira returned to its winning ways with an 8-0 decision over Wilkes. In goal, Elizabeth Hanson made her 12th start of the season and amassed 13 saves as she moved to 10-2-1 on the season.
Up Next: The Pioneers have officially locked up the fourth-seed in the UCHC tournament and will return to action in quarterfinals, set for Saturday February 29th. The opponent and location will be decided after this weekend's events are concluded, as there is currently a three-way tie between Elmira, Nazareth and William Smith for the top-seed.
