UTICA, NY - The No. 9 Utica University women's hockey team travels to Purchase, NY this weekend for a two-game showdown against UCHC opponent Manhattanville College on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Those who can't attend Friday and Saturday's games can watch here. Live stats can be found here.
 
Last Time Out: The then-No. 8 Pioneers followed up last Friday's shootout win with a statement victory on Saturday, November 11, defeating the Wilkes University Colonels 7-1. Molly Pedone (Trinity, FL/Shattuck-St. Mary's) led a balanced offensive attack, energizing Utica with two goals on the afternoon. Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks), Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School), Maggie Rylott (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland), Sydney Mintz (Kelowna, BC/Okanagan Hockey Academy) , and Callie McLaughlin (Centerport, NY/New Hampton School) all added goals in the contest. Emma Corbett provided two assists while 12 other Pioneers registered one apiece. A night after breaking the program record for career shutouts, Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) was once again dependable, allowing only one goal, one that came on a Wilkes power play, on 16 total shots. Maddie Esposito (Ashburn, VA/Boston Shamrocks) also provided 20 shutout minutes between the pipes for Utica. After not having any penalties called until overtime of last night's game, Utica drew two in the opening minute of Saturday's contest, giving them a 5-on-3 advantage. Wilkes goalie Audrey Milne held strong amidst this penalty kill, but she couldn't remain heroic for the rest of the period.While making 54 saves last night and not allowing a goal until the shootout, Milne allowed three goals to get by her in the first period. The offensive onslaught was kicked off by Sydney Mintz (Kelowna, BC/Okanagan Hockey Academy) , who scored her first intercollegiate goal just over six minutes into the opening frame. Angelina Garganese (Winter Springs, Fl/Florida Alliance) tallied her first intercollegiate point, assisting on the score. Less than 30 seconds later, Molly Pedone (Trinity, FL/Shattuck-St. Mary's) would score a highlight-reel-worthy goal as she dangled the Wilkes goalie for an incredible breakaway score. She would later commit a penalty but would ultimately avenge herself by sneaking another goal between Audrey Milne's legs from close range with under four minutes to play in the first. Wilkes' lone goal of the first came amidst a power play opportunity where Chayce Hyndman was set up for a perfect one-timer and converted with a rifling shot. This, at the time, made it a 2-1 game midway through the opening period. The Pioneers kept pouring it on in the second, adding three more goals to up the score to 6-1. Early in the period, neither team could find any offense as they battled in the neutral zone. Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) took away a Wilkes scoring chance as she deflected away a shot on a 2-on-1 breakaway chance. In the latter half of the period, it was all Utica. Callie McLaughlin (Centerport, NY/New Hampton School) netted her first goal of the season with a great shot from the right wing. The fourth goal of the night gave Utica all the momentum, propelling them to score two more before the buzzer sounded in the second. Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) and Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks) continued their dominance on the offensive end this season, each scoring in the frame. Modlin's goal was Utica's second of the season during a penalty kill. The duo paces Utica in goals with five a piece through six games. Maggie Rylott (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland) would tack on another goal in the third for good measure to up the team's lead to 7-1. Wilkes used three different goalies in the matchup, but to no avail as the Pioneers were able to score at least one on each goalie who entered the game. Maddie Esposito (Ashburn, VA/Boston Shamrocks) served as the Pioneers goalie in the third frame and made seven saves. Utica nearly doubled Wilkes in shots with a 45-23 advantage. Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Plattsburgh State (NCAA DIII)) took a team-high 14 faceoffs, winning nine of them as Utica won that department 28-25 collectively. 
 
In the Polls: The Pioneers moved back one spot to No. 9 in this week's US College Hockey Online Women's Top 15. The poll was released Monday by the national college hockey website. Utica received 128 points this week to remain in the top-10. The team went 1-0-1 this past weekend against visiting Wilkes University in which the team claimed Friday's game in a shootout before winning in regulation on Saturday, 7-1. The entire Division III women's poll can be found at https://wp-admin.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-womens-poll/. 
 
Gold Ribbon Auction: The No. 9 Utica University women's hockey team will welcome back its Gold Ribbon Game on Tuesday, November 21 at 7 p.m. against Worcester State University. The game will be the 9^th edition of the Gold Ribbon Game for childhood cancer awareness. The Pioneers have dedicated one game each season to raising awareness for this important cause, one which hits close to home for the program. Utica will be wearing special edition uniforms that feature a gold ribbon, the color of childhood cancer awareness. These jerseys are currently being auctioned off online (HERE) as well as in the arena during the game on November 21.  All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Hope in Action Foundation, which is a local non-profit that assists families during all stages of their child's battle with cancer.  In the history of the gold ribbon game, the Pioneers have raised over $30,000 for local families dealing with childhood cancer.
*Minimum Bid - $100
*Buy it Now Price - $300
*Bidding Will Conclude After the 2nd Period of the Worcester State-Utica Game on Nov. 21
*Bids Must be Made in Increments of $5 
 
Steady Hawthorne: Senior goaltender Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) continues her excellent form in the cage. On Friday, Hawthorne shutout Wilkes and earned herself the school record with the 14th of her career, surpassing Keira Goin's mark of 13. She handled 22 shots on net with ease seeing the game out. On Saturday, she faced 15 shots, only allowing one goal off of a Wilkes power play. In the UCHC, Hawthorne ranks fourth averaging 1.03 goals against per game, and third with a .962 save percentage. 
 
More the Merrier: The Pioneers have found their scoring form through the early goings of the season. Utica put seven goals past Wilkes in their last bout on November 11 and, so far this season, the team has recorded 21 goals through its six outings. Entering the weekend, Utica's average of 3.5 goals per game are tied for second in the UCHC. Haily Modlin and Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) are leading the scoring surge as both players have five goals and are tied for second in the league with one another. Modlin currently leads the UCHC in points with a total of nine, while Stefanini leads the UCHC in power play goals with four. 
 
How May I Assist You: Hand in hand with their offensive form, Utica has 38 assists through its first six outings which lead the UCHC. The team is led by Tess Barrett (Tewksbury, MA/St. Mark's) with six assists, Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) with five, Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Plattsburgh State (NCAA DIII)) with five, Haily Modlin with four, and Maggie Rylott (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland) with four. Sharing the love, the team has a total of 16 players who have at least one helper on the year.  
 
About Manhattanville: The Manhattanville Valiants 2-2-0 overall and 2-2-0 in league play and sit fifth in the conference standings with six points. In their opening matchups they swept Wilkes University 3-2 in both games with game one going into overtime. They then dropped two consecutive to Chatham University on November 10 and 11 with the latter also going into an OT period. Graduate student and perennial All-UCHC player Gabriella Cox got off the gates hot early and currently leads the team with five points from four goals and an assist. She is supported by Grace Fellicio and Grace Genest, both with four points.  The team has found great success on face offs this year winning 133 out of 235 total attempts, a mark that ranks third in the UCHC. 
 
The Series: Utica is 10-10 all-time against Manhattanville but has had the upper hand as of late with three straight wins and victories in four of the previous five meetings. During conference play last season, the Pioneers took both games, winning 4-0 and 3-1. The teams would meet again in the opening round of the UCHC playoffs where Utica would handle Manhattanville 7-1. In last year's playoff victory, Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) led the way with four points. Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) and Maggie Rylott (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland) each had three points apiece as well. 

Up Next: No. 9 Utica will return home for its Gold Ribbon Game against Worcester State University on Tuesday, November 21 at 7 p.m.