UTICA, NY - November arrived in emphatic fashion on Friday night at the Nexus Center in downtown Utica. The new month was ushered in with great applause as Pioneer Women's Hockey returned to the ice for their season-opening contest, a kickoff tournament first round contest against the visiting Suffolk Rams. The two teams had to shake off some early-season rust, with neither team finding a breakthrough during the first 20 minutes. Eventually, it was the #13 nationally-ranked Pioneers who found a huge score late in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. The hosts then rode their stunning defense for the rest of the contest, with huge games from Forward Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Plattsburgh State (NCAA DIII)) and Goalkeeper Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) propelling the Pioneers to a 1-0 victory over the Rams, sealing their spot in Saturday's Championship Game.
 
The Pioneers went six-for-six on penalty kills throughout the matchup, surviving 12 minutes while being at a player disadvantage.
 
Utica had two power plays of their own, but couldn't make the most of them, with their lone goal coming on equal footing with Suffolk.
 
The Pioneers had 32 shots to the Rams 25 on the night, outshooting the visitors despite being a player down for over 10 minutes of play. The Orange and Blue also won the faceoff battle, securing 30 of the 57 faceoff chances for a 53% faceoff win percentage.
 
Kowalski scored the game-winning goal in dramatic fashion, powering through a big hit from a Rams defender and sending home the decisive score while on her knees. Kowalski finished with two shots in the match, getting her important score alongside an efficient outing. The strong Senior was also at the forefront of many Pioneer penalty kills throughout the night, picking up the night's second star after a pristine defensive performance.
 
The night's first star, however, was reserved for the Pioneers' goalkeeping guru in Hawthorne, who tallied 25 saves, stopping Ram shots left, right, and center to earn an impressive shutout victory. Hawthorne single-handedly ended many hopeful Suffolk attacks, covering the backside of the net with precision and willing her team to the season-opening victory.
 
Kelsey Elliot and Madison Richman (Scituate, MA/North Shore Vipers) also each nabbed an assist on the goal by Kowalski.
 
Game Summary:
 
The Rams had a slight edge in the first period, narrowly outshooting the Pioneers by a 16-13 margin. Suffolk also experienced some early power play action, with Utica picking up a tripping penalty eight minutes into the contest.
 
Suffolk also had a slight advantage on faceoffs during the first period, winning nine to Utica's eight.
 
The majority of the period was played in the Pioneers' defensive third; however an experienced defensive duo of Captain Madison Novotny (Wesley Chapel, FL/Northwood School) and Senior Callie McLaughlin (Centerport, NY/New Hampton School) held it down for the hosts. The Pioneers, despite seemingly being on their heels during the beginning of the game, launched many counterattacks during the initial period of play, contributing to their 13 first period shots.
 
Early in the second, Suffolk had a few breakthroughs but were shut down due to some spectacular defensive reflexes from the Pioneers' Goaltender in Hawthorne.
 
During a Suffolk attack, the Rams picked up their first penalty of the season, offering an opportunity for the Pioneers to deal the first blow.
 
Utica saw many chances in front of net during the vital power play, but couldn't push one across, leaving the score at 0-0 despite both teams getting a chance with a player advantage through the first 30 minutes of the contest.
 
The back-and-forth nature of the contest continued late in the second, with Pioneer leader Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks) picking up a cross-checking penalty, leading to another high-pressure defensive moment for Utica.
 
The Pioneer penalty kill stood its ground though, with Angelina Garganese (Winter Springs, Fl/Florida Alliance) and Kowalski trapping the puck along the boards for nearly the entire two-minute penalty.
 
The Pioneers defensive prowess was instantly rewarded, as mere moments after their key penalty kill, Kowalski got in behind the Suffolk defense, securing the game's lone goal to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
 
Play continued with Suffolk immediately threatening to level the game, launching a volley of shots, all of which were deflected by the Pioneers' goal-guardian in Hawthorne. Hawthorne notched four saves over the course of the 20-second attack, deflecting a slapshot and immediately gliding over to cover the backside of the net, swallowing up a Rams attacker that had an opportunity for an easy goal. Hawthorne also stopped two more shots over the 20-second play.
 
The Pioneer goalkeeper was immediately called into action once more, covering the backside on a crossing pass to nab an amazing glove save and make her mark on an important second period.
 
Play began to get chippy as the second period buzzer sounded, with both teams picking up minors as the clock expired.
 
The decisive third period began with a breakaway from Suffolk. The Rams attacker was chased down from behind and dispossessed by a trailing Ally Nolan (Westford, MA/Chatham University (NCAA DIII)), who threw her stick at the puck to miraculously poke it away from the threatening forward.
 
Utica endured another penalty shortly after, with a body check leaving them down both Mintz and Modlin, the latter of which remained in the box after her post-second period minor.
 
Kowalski snuffed out the Suffolk power play opportunity, stealing multiple pucks in the neutral zone and further establishing her defensive dominance.
 
The two teams battled back and forth over the next few minutes, with neither team generating any threatening opportunities.
 
The Pioneers suffered another penalty with 10 minutes remaining in the game, gifting the Rams their fifth power play of the game. Utica successfully warded off the penalty but allowed the sixth Suffolk power play of the game directly after. The Pioneers made it six-for-six though, stuffing the Rams over another two-minute spell and returning to full strength unscathed yet again.
 
Suffolk pulled their goaltender with around two minutes remaining, but couldn't find an equalizer, falling by a 1-0 tally and getting sent to tomorrow's third place game.
 
The Pioneers escaped with a 1-0 victory thanks to stellar defensive play by Hawthorne and a defensive unit led by Kowalski. The Pioneers will meet #5 ranked Elmira College in tomorrow's Championship game which will take place at 4:00 PM in the Nexus Center