UTICA, NY - The No. 9 Utica University women's hockey team battles nearby Hamilton College on Tuesday, December 10 at 7 p.m. The game will take place at the Utica University Nexus Center.
 
Follow Along: Live video link can be found here and live stats here.
 
Last Time Out: Just days after facing off against two top teams down in Florida, the No. 7 ranked Pioneers were faced with yet another big challenge as they traveled to Vermont for a meeting with No. 2 ranked Middlebury on Wednesday, December 4. It was the Panthers, however, who found a late winner with about 10 minutes remaining and salted away the clock to come away with a 2-1 win over a battle-tested Pioneer team. Riley Calhoun (New Hartford, NY/Plattsburgh State University (NCAA DIII)) had the Pioneers' only score of the day, taking advantage of a power play opportunity to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead with her team-leading seventh goal of the season. Autumn Mish (Long Lake, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) and Ally Nolan (Westford, MA/Chatham University (NCAA DIII)) each grabbed an assist on the Calhoun score to register the only other Pioneer points against a stonewall Panther defense. Utica was outshot 32-17 by Middlebury, but once again employed an aggressive counter attacking style of hockey thanks to their stalwart savior in net, Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer). The veteran goalkeeper finished with 30 saves on the day, and was integral in the Pioneers three successful penalties kills vs the Panthers. The Pioneers managed to go 50% on the advantage, picking up a single power play score in two tries, but keeping the Panthers off the board over six total minutes of advantage ice time by the Vermont side. The Pioneers fared well in the battle between Division III's third ranked offense and top-rated defense. Utica had 59 goals entering the contest, while Middlebury had only allowed four all season up to that point. Something had to give, and it was the Pioneers who were felled by an unfortunate third period dagger. Utica fell to 9-3, with all three of their losses coming to currently ranked opponents. They will look towards next week when they face another NESCAC foe, this time at home, in nearby Hamilton College. That game will begin at 7:00 p.m. next Tuesday.
 
In the Polls: The Pioneers bumped down from No. 8 to No. 9 in the weekly national poll after their 2-1 loss against, now No.1 Middlebury. Conference foe Nazareth jumped from No. 15 to No. 12 after their two wins over Wesleyan (CT) and No.13 Trinity.
https://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-womens-poll/
 
Where We Stand: Utica ranks second in the UCHC standings with a 3-1-0 conference record and 9-2-0 overall. The team has eight points, two behind No. 13 Nazareth's 10.
 
Team Leaders: Calhoun has a team-leading seven goals, six assists and three power-play goals. She has two goals, two assists and 14 shots in the last four games against Canton, Norwich, Adrian and Middlebury. Ryder has been a key component for the Pioneer offense, as her four goals and eight assists are second on the team. Nolan has been a fantastic addition to the Pioneers, scoring a steady five goals and five assists with a team-leading 49 shots. She has one goal, one assist and six shots in three games against Norwich, Adrian and Middlebury. Hawthorne has been her usual self, ranking top 20 nationally with a 1.28 goals against average and a .954 save percentage.
 
In the Books: The Pioneers are second in the country behind Adrian with 146 team points (60 goals and 86 assists). The team has 10 power-play goals in 12 games, averaging 1.2 per game and only allowing three against. Utica has outscored their opponents 60 to 13. The Pioneers have also won .570 percent of their faceoffs (282-288), as Modlin, Kowalski, Best and Ryder lead the way.
 
About Hamilton: Hamilton College enters Tuesday with a 2-4-0 overall record and 0-4-0 in the NESCAC. The team has won two consecutive games against SUNY Morrisville (5-1) and SUNY Canton (2-0). Lydia Bullock leads the team with three goals and one assist. The forward has three goals and six shots in the past two games. Against Morrisville, she had one goal, one assist and four two shots and against Canton, she had one goal and four shots. Grace Crowley leads Hamilton with three assists and 21 shots; two of her assists came in the last two games, along with eight shots. Both Teagan Brown and Evie Sheridan have saw time in the net. Brown started the first four games, sporting a 0-4-0 record, 117 saves and a 2.56 goals-against average. Sheridan sports a  2-0-0, as she's allowed only one goal in three games played.
 
Up Next: The Pioneers travel to Williams College on Tuesday, January 7 at 4:30 p.m.