UTICA, NY - the #9 ranked Pioneers welcomed Hamilton to the Nexus Center on Tuesday night for their final game before winter break. In a clash of crosstown foes, the action remained almost equal throughout the course of the contest save for a second period snafu which gave Hamilton the only and eventually winning score. With no answer for the Hamilton backline, the Pioneers eventually fell in a test of endurance to the visiting Continentals by a 1-0 score.
 
Each team saw three power plays on the evening, although two of the Pioneers' player-up opportunities were short lived due to achieving a quick penalty on one and seeing the time run out on the other.
 
Hamilton managed their only score on the power play, getting their first conversion of the year during an unusual second period passage of play. The goal eventually proved to be the difference.
 
The Pioneers were outshot 30-8 on the night but did a good job warding off the Continentals' attacks, with eight blocks and some outstanding play by their goalkeeping guru Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer).
 
Hawthorne showed out once again, saving 29 of the 30 shots that came her way and making some spectacular plays during a few penalty kills.
 
Utica fell to 9-4 on the night and picked up their first home loss of the 2024-2025 season, a season in which the 2024 portion came to a conclusion with Tuesday's contest. The Pioneers will be off on winter break for a few weeks before returning with a couple more visits to non-conference opponents at the onset of 2025.
 
Game Summary: The action began with both teams ebbing and flowing early on. Both teams battled right out of the gate, alternating possessions with only three whistles over the first six minutes of the crosstown throwdown.
 
The first notable moment of the night occurred when the Pioneers were sent to their first disadvantage at around the six minute mark, receiving an early slashing penalty to gift Hamilton their first 5-on-4 advantage in the matchup.
 
The Pioneers were up for the challenge early against the battle-tested NESCAC side, as an orange and blue penalty kill unit with a 91.4% conversion rate claimed another tally for its resume, salting away their initial two-minute disadvantage.
 
Following their 32nd successful power play defense in 35 tries, the Pioneers began to apply pressure, rattling off four-straight threatening attempts over a two-minute span, none of which managed to draw net.
 
Play continued uninterrupted for the next five or so minutes, with the contest quickly becoming a marathon as well as a test of both squads line-shifting ability. The hosts managed to exploit a weakened Hamilton backline, forcing a penalty out of the Continentals and embarking on their first power play of the night.
 
A pesky Hamilton front line managed to disrupt all of Utica's tactics during the penalty time though, holding the puck for a majority of their player-down disadvantage to keep their season penalty kill number perfect, improving to 12-for-12 on the disadvantage
 
The Continentals hadn't allowed a power play goal up to this point in the season, but also hadn't scored on the power play either, meaning that Hamilton preferred to settle their disputes with even strength 5-on-5 action. This narrative held true as the first period buzzer sounded, seeing the game head to a first intermission at 0-0 despite power play chances from both sides.
 
Another factor contributing to the scoreless first period could have also been the amount of stoppages that both teams experienced, as the whistle was blown only eight times over the first 20 minutes, meaning the two teams played an average of two and a half minutes in between every stoppage, a tiring affair.
 
Nonetheless, both teams got a 15-minute rest and headed back out for the second period still tied at zero.
 
The two teams spent the first five minutes of the second period fighting for the puck in between the blue lines, with the majority of the action occurring in the neutral zone. It wasn't until the five-minute mark of the second period that the next noteworthy moment occurred, with Hamilton gaining the first penalty call of the middle 20 minutes.
 
The Pioneers' player-up favor didn't last long though, as the hosts quickly procured a penalty of their own, sending the game to a 4-on-4. The unusual even strength was then immediately done away with, as back-to-back calls on the Pioneers flipped the script and gave Hamilton an almost unheard of 4-on-3.
 
After the release of the initial penalized Continental player, Hamilton had a 5-on-3 for around 45 seconds, a period of time in which Hawthorne once again displayed her excellence in net, somehow stonewalling a Continental unit with two extra skaters.
 
Hawthorne notched an unreal eight saves during the stand, but as the Pioneers released one of their penalized players, the visitors took advantage of the confusion, getting the puck past Hawthorne for a 1-0 lead on the first power play goal of the season.
 
After an unusual few minutes as far as numbers go, play returned to 5-on-5 at around the midway point of the meeting.
 
Down 1-0 entering their final 30 minutes of play in the calendar year, the Pioneers looked for an answer. Despite their continued efforts in the neutral zone, the leveling score wouldn't come in the second period as a steady Hamilton backline muted any offensive progress by the hosts, sending the game to the third period with the Continentals still possessing a 1-0 lead.
 
With the Pioneers' spotless home record at stake, the grey-clad hosts looked for a big push in the final 20 minutes to try and get back into the proceedings.
 
Utica looked to rally the troops early on, trying to organize their ranks in their own defensive zone for a unified attack on a strong Hamilton defense. Despite their combined strength, the Pioneer offense saw every progression halted by the Continentals back line, as the 1-0 scoreline remained through the first half of the third period.
 
Hamilton continued to dominate possession in the final period, as the time ticked down in the Tuesday night contest. Save for some Continental counterattacks, there was no significant action in front of the net for the majority of the third period.
 
The clock ran under one minute in the match with the score still 1-0 in favor of Hamilton. As the final seconds ticked away, the Continentals collected a late penalty, gifting Utica one more chance to change their fortune.
 
Following a Pioneer timeout, the home team lined up for one final push, but saw their effort come up empty due to Hamilton holding the puck along the boards for the remaining 19 seconds of the third period. As the final buzzer sounded, Hamilton came away with an upset 1-0 victory on the road.