UTICA, NY - The No. 7 Utica University Women's Hockey Team had a quick turnaround on Saturday afternoon, facing their biggest rival on home ice with the goal being redemption for the previous night's defeat. Nazareth was the opponent, the same side Utica faced on Friday night in Rochester. This time around, on home ice, the Pioneers looked to turn the tides. The Pioneers broke through in the second period, taking a 1-0 lead before eventually seeing the visitors knot things up with minutes remaining in the third period. Utica had the last laugh though, with Kaci Ryder (Shrewsbury, MA/Shrewsburg (Lady Flames)) hitting home a game-winner to give the Pioneers a statement 2-1 win over their fierce UCHC rival.
 
The matchup was a clean and fluid contest throughout the first 25 minutes of play, with neither team scoring or accruing any penalty time.
 
That changed midway through the second period though, as the final 35 minutes of the contest were filled to the brim with power plays and penalties of all kinds.
 
Both regulation scores were obtained on the back of power play advantages, with each team converting one such chance in regulation.
 
Utica had three power plays during the proceedings, with every chance coming during the final 25 minutes of play. The Pioneers regulation score came during the first power play off the stick of Maya Jerome (Belleville, MI/Belle Tire).
 
It was on the penalty kill though, that the team showed their class. Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) led a Pioneer penalty kill team that salted away six minutes of penalty time in the final half of the matchup, successfully warding off three Nazareth power plays before eventually succumbing to the Golden Flyers' pressure on their final penalty kill opportunity before overtime.
 
Hawthorne was unbelievable in the contest, making saves from various spots as she threw pads, gloves, sticks, and seemingly the kitchen sink at each shot that entered her vicinity. The veteran netminder recorded 28 saves, notching six of those saves during her four minutes of overtime play. Hawthorne stood her ground in the face of an overwhelming Nazareth attack to begin the extra period, allowing her team time to make some crucial line changes and find the winning score.
 
The other feature stats were pretty similar between both teams, with Nazareth gaining a slight edge in shots by a 29-28 margin. The Golden Flyers also took 35 of the 65 faceoffs in the matchup. Utica's skilled forwards gave them a slight edge in blocks, recording many stops near the blue line during the opposing power plays and ending with a 13-12 lead in blocked shots.
 
Jerome and Ryder had the two Utica goals, while Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks) and Autumn Mish (Long Lake, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) each picked up an assist.
 
Utica improved to 7-1, and 3-1 in conference play.
 
Game Summary: Both teams played a solid first period, combining for 17 shots on goal, nine for Utica and eight for Nazareth. The Pioneers and the Golden Flyers both had solid scoring opportunities, but both goaltenders stood their ground. Nazareth took an edge in the faceoff department, 12 to 6, as both teams would head into the second period scoreless.
 
The Pioneers poured on six shots to start the second period, putting an immense amount of pressure on the Nazareth defense. Midway through the period, Utica's penalty-kill unit made some great saves as the Golden Flyers weren't able to get anything past Hawthorne. The hosts turned that defensive stand into offensive momentum, recording a volley of attempts that resulted in Jerome finding the puck with a wide open net on the back post, putting away the rebound for a 1-0 advantage.
 
The decisive third period began with the Pioneers still holding just a 1-0 advantage. Nazareth held the puck in the Pioneers' defensive zone to begin the period, with the Golden Flyers' top line organizing their attack and looking for an equalizer. The Orange and Blue stood tall on defense though, looking to cause havoc on a few quick counterattacks. One such attempt resulted in the second Nazareth penalty of the night, as the Golden Flyers fell victim to a tripping call in the neutral zone.
 
Utica looked to convert yet another power play opportunity and create a multi-goal gap between them and a scrappy Nazareth squad. The Golden Flyers managed to snuff this Pioneer advantage out though, blocking a barrage of precise shots to return the game to full strength and maintain the single goal separation.
 
Immediately after the Nazareth numbers returned to normal, the Pioneers found a breakaway, with Calhoun getting out in the open ice but eventually seeing the puck get poked away on the doorstep.
 
This back-and-forth feel continued with the Pioneers suffering their first penalty of the third period mere moments after losing out on the previous power play. Up against an all-out offensive, the Pioneer Forwards used superior placement to register an array of blocks near the blue line, fending off another Nazareth power play to keep the game at 1-0.
 
Quickly approaching the 10-minute mark, Utica once again plunged into a player-down disadvantage, picking up their second penalty of the third period due to an interference call. The Golden Flyers lined up 5-Deep along the backline, launching a variety of sets that were all thwarted by the Pioneer penalty kill.
 
Calls continued to fly after the initial penalties, as the two teams alternated power play opportunities starting at the eight-minute mark. The Pioneers' advantage time ended with empty results, as the game's gap remained at one. The Golden Flyers, however, found a breakthrough, scoring off a rebound with around four minutes remaining in regulation to knot the game at one apiece.
 
The next three minutes passed in a blur, sending the game to an overtime period.
 
In the overtime, Nazareth had most of the possession early, tiring out the trio of Pioneer defenders over the first few minutes of the bonus period. Hawthorne managed to make a huge pad save, sending the puck down the ice and giving just enough time for an important line change.
 
Utica took possession of the puck with under a minute remaining in the game, as Ryder drove down the left side of the boards. Ryder sent a centering pass into the middle of the slot which was rejected by a Nazareth defender. The bouncing puck, however, landed right at the skates of Ryder, who bashed it through the outstretched pad of the Nazareth goaltender for the night's defining moment, giving the Pioneers a massive home victory.