UTICA, NY - The Utica College women's hockey team is set to meet UCHC foe Elmira college in a non-conference meeting on Wednesday, March 17. The puck drops at 7 p.m. at Elmira's Murray Athletic Center. 

Follow Along: For fans looking to watch the Pioneers in action while they are on the road, Elmira's athletic department will have a live stream of the event at portal.stretchinternet.com/elmira/. Coverage of Wednesday's game will be provided by Elmira Athletic Communications.

The Series with Elmira: This will be the third meeting of the season with Elmira, with the Soaring Eagles coming out on top in the last two meetings by fending off two of Utica's best efforts this season. Utica dropped the home leg of the series 3-2 despite the first multi-goal game of Alexa Carlon's (Lakewood, NY/Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles) career. The following day, two Elmira goals in the first minute of the second period were enough to make the difference in a 4-2 loss. Utica took the early lead with the first goal of both matchups. 

Last Time Out: Utica swept Wilkes last weekend in a home-and-home series of conference play, after winning 9-1 on Friday, and 5-2 on Saturday. Nine Utica players found the back of the net across the weekend series. Maggie Rylott (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland) led the way with three goals. Cortney Staniszewski (Buffalo, NY/Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles), Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel), and Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School) each scored twice, with Staniszewski scoring the first two goals of her career. Erica Sheaffer (New Hartford, NY/Wilkes University), Rebecca Brown (Steamboat Springs, CO/Norwich University), Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School), Morgan Leib (Farmington Hills, MI/Little Caesars), and Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks) had a goal each. Modlin scored her first career goal, while Sheaffer scored at the expense of her former team. Junior goalie Savannah Gutierrez (Huntington Beach, CA/Anaheim Lady Ducks) made 17 saves on Friday to pick up her first win of the season, while freshman goalie Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) made 10 saves on Saturday's home win. Rylott and Sloan each had nine points for the weekend.

Player of the Week: Sophomore forward Maggie Rylott (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland) was named the UCHC's Player of the Week on Tuesday. She had a nine point weekend as the Pioneers swept Wilkes. The sophomore had a crisp effort in Friday's 9-1 win, as she had six points on two goals and four assists. She had a goal and two assists in Saturday's home win, which included the team's first shorthanded goal of the season and an assist on the game-winning goal. 

Speedy Santullo: Junior forward Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School) recorded a four point weekend with two goals and two assists, and was particularly notable on the power play with a hand in all three advantage goals scored during the weekend by the Pioneers. Santullo's next point will propel her to the 50 point mark for her career, and she is two goals away from hitting 25 career goals. This season, she has nine points on three goals and six assists.

Super Sophomores: Fifteen of the team's 32 goals have come by way of the sophomore class during this campaign. Additionally, the team's top three point getters are all sophomores. Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) and Maggie Rylott (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland) each have thirteen points, with Sloan logging five goals and eight assists, and Rylott posting four goals and nine assists. The pair are tied for 24th nationally in total points. Carolyn Whitney (Raleigh, NC/Milbrook School) has ten points on three goals and seven assists.

It Comes From Everywhere: Utica has gotten production out of over a lineup's worth of players in just eight games. 20 different skaters have recorded at least one point for the Pioneers this season. Just four skaters to appear in a game this season do not have a point.

Keeping it Tidy: Goaltenders Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) and Savannah Gutierrez (Huntington Beach, CA/Anaheim Lady Ducks) continue to keep things fairly clean for a team averaging two goals allowed per game, a mark good for fifteenth in the nation in scoring defense. Hawthorne has a save percentage of 92.1 percent, a GAA of 2.01, and an overall record of 4-2 in her rookie season. Gutierrez is 1-3 to start the year, but has turned aside 94 percent of opposing shots to rank twelfth nationally in save percentage.

The Power is On: Utica scored three power play goals over the weekend to boost their percentage to 20 percent. They have nine goals on 45 chances this year to stand at one of their best percentages in years. Utica has not had a power play finish at 20 percent or above since the 2016-17 season. They currently have the twelfth best percentage nationally among the 45 teams that have played a game this season.

Up Next: The Pioneers are currently penciled in for a 2:30 p.m. Saturday game against Neumann University at the Aud.