UTICA, NY- The second-seeded Utica University women's ice hockey team will continue its United Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs as it hosts the third-seeded Manhattanville College in the semifinal game on Saturday. Puck drop from the Adirondack Bank Center will be at 2 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers defeated Alvernia University 4-0 in the conference quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday. Utica used goals from Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School), Rebecca Brown (Steamboat Springs, CO/Norwich University), Maggie Rylott (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland) and Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) to take down the seventh-seeded Golden Wolves, while sophomore Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) finished with 11 saves to earn the shutout.
 
STATISTICAL SUCCESS: The Pioneers are ranked in the top three nationally in a plethora of statistics. Utica is first in goals (150), assists (248), team points (398), and scoring offense (5.77 goals per game), second in short-handed goals (10), and third in team faceoff win percentage (60.5).
 
CLOSING IN: Senior Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School), who has already set a new single-season goal scoring record, is currently tied with former All-American Deana Weigand for the single-season point record.  Santullo currently has 54 points in 25 games played this year.  Her 28 goals this year lead the conference and rank second nationally.  Santullo is also tied for first in the single-season record book with nine powerplay goals this year and she is tied for second in game-winning goals (five).
 
SUPER SLOAN: Junior Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) is also having a breakout year as she is tied for third in Utica's single-season record book with 52 points (24 goals, 28 assists).  She currently ranks fourth nationally with 2.00 points per game and three shorthanded goals, while she is also fifth nationally in assists per game (.92) and sixth in assists per fame (1.08).  Sloan has scored in nine of her last 10 games. 
 
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Utica ranks 12^th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 1.38 goals per game. Sophomore goalie Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) is ninth in goals against average (1.126) and 10^th in save percentage .946. Her 14 wins rank third all-time in a single season in Utica history, while her six shutouts put her second in a single season in Pioneer history.
 
SUPPORTING CAST: Sophomore Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) is third on the team with a career-high 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists), while Carolyn Whitney (Raleigh, NC/Milbrook School) and Rebecca Brown (Steamboat Springs, CO/Norwich University) are fourth and firth in scoring with 30 points and 29 points, respectively.  Brown leads the squad with 21 blocked shots, while Whitney is second with 17 blocks on the year. 
 
SCOUTING MANHATTANVILLE: The third-seeded Valiants are 16-8-1 overall (15-5-0) and are coming off a 4-1 win over sixth-seeded Arcadia University on Wednesday. Manhattanville is led by junior forwards Gabrielle Cox and Morgan Miller, who have 30 points (19 goals, 11 assists) and 25 points (17 goals, eight assists), respectively. Cox had two goals and one assist for the Valiants in the semifinals.
 
AGAINST THE VALIANTS: Utica split its season series with Manhattanville this year, dropping the first game 3-1, but responding with a 7-2 win on the second day. Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School) scored the lone goal for Utica on Friday, while Rebecca Brown (Steamboat Springs, CO/Norwich University) led the Pioneers with three goals and one assist on Saturday.  Santullo also chipped in with two goals and an assist, and defenders Holly Silva (Boston, MA/Worcester Academy) and Nicole Flak (Middleton, MA/Boston Shamrocks) also scored. This will be just the second time that Utica will take on Manhattanville in the playoffs.  The previous meeting was Feb. 23, 2019, when the Valiants came away with a 3-2 win. 
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal will advance to the championship game on Saturday, March 5.