UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's ice hockey team starts a new era this weekend. The Pioneers will finally put blades to ice for a game in their new primary home, the Nexus Center, as they host a pair of UCHC games against Stevenson University at the facility. Friday's game will begin at 4 p.m., and Saturday's matchup starts at 1:30 p.m.
Follow Along: Live video and stats for the game will be available at portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Our New Home: The Nexus Center is a three pad, 169,440 square foot facility that just opened for gameplay last weekend. The Pioneers will play on the Mastrovito Hyundai Feature Rink, which has 1,200 seats.
Where It Stands: The Pioneers are 3-1-1 overall to start the season, and haven't lost since their season opener against nationally-ranked Elmira College. They have a 3-0-1 record in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference, and a shootout win has helped them account for 11 out of a possible twelve standings points. Utica is just one point out of a tie for first between Manhattanville and Nazareth.
Last Time Out: Utica nailed down a road sweep at King's with a pair of 10-0 wins on Friday and Saturday. Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) and Cortney Staniszewski (Buffalo, NY/Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles) had two goals, Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks) had a goal and two assists, while Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School) added on two assists to power Utica to Friday's win. Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) and Lauryn Brown (Eden, NY/Syracuse Valley Eagles) combined to get the win in net. In Saturday's win, Santullo netted a pair of goals while adding an assist, Staniszewski added her third of the weekend, and Modlin scored her second goal of the weekend. Maddie Esposito (Ashburn, VA/Boston Shamrocks) and Breese Burlingame (Binghamton, NY/Northfield Mount Herman) teamed up to get the win while splitting the minutes in goal on Saturday.
The Series: This weekend will bring the tenth and eleventh meetings all-time between the Pioneers and Mustangs. Utica is 6-2-2 all-time against Stevenson, has won the last two, and is unbeaten in their last six games against the Mustangs. The Pioneers swept Stevenson by scores of 8-2 and 3-0 last year. Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) had four goals, including a hat trick, over the course of the weekend.
A Little Lopsided: Through four conference games, the Pioneers have outscored their UCHC peers by a 29-1 margin.
By The Numbers: The Pioneers have continued on their dominant path from last season en route to a 3-1-1 start. Utica holds an average of 6.20 goals per game to rank third nationally in scoring offense. They have conceded an average of just 0.80 per contest to rank fifth nationally and first in the UCHC. They sport the nation's 11th ranked power play at 31.2 percent, and 11th ranked penalty kill at 93.3 percent.
Big Producers: The Pioneers feature five players who rank in the top 55 nationally in points per game. Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) is tenth nationally at 1.80 points per game. Sloan is also ninth in goals per game by averaging a goal a game in her first five appearances of the season. She is just three goals away from the second-highest single season total of her career. Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School) is 21st nationally with 1.60 points per game, and 29th in the nation in goals per game at 0.80. She is also 22nd nationally with 58 faceoff wins, and has led the Pioneers to a #2 ranking in faceoff win percentage in all of Division III. Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks) is 36th at 1.40 points per game, while Holly Silva (Boston, MA/Worcester Academy) and Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) are 55th with 1.20 points per game. Stefanini's average of 1.20 assists per game leads the conference, while also ranking eleventh nationally. Silva is seventh among defenders nationally in points per game.
Between the Pipes: Angela Hawthorne is off to another tremendous start in her junior season. She is currently 2-1-1 with a 1.11 GAA, and a 95.5 percent save percentage. She is fourteenth in both save percentage and goals against average in the nation. She also has her seventh career shutout under her belt this year. Hawthorne has a career record of 20-6-1 in 29 appearances.
About Stevenson: The Mustangs are 4-2 overall, and 2-0 to start the year in UCHC play. They most recently swept Neumann by scores of 3-2 and 5-3 in a home-and-home series last weekend. Cassie Campbell, Meghan Croyle, Karly Aguirre, Kalijo Zagula, and Tea Ferrara had a goal apiece in the Saturday win. Aguirre has a team-best seven points on five goals and two assists. Four different goaltenders have seen time in net for the Mustangs this year.
Up Next: The Pioneers will host Morrisville on Tuesday, November 29th at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
