UTICA, NY - The No. 11 Utica University women's hockey team battles Worcester State University on Thursday, January 16 at 6:30 p.m. in Worcester, MA.
 
Follow Along: Live video can be streamed here. Live stats can be found here.
 
Last Time Out: The No. 12 Utica University women's hockey team defeated the SUNY Canton Kangaroos 2-1 on January 11. Five different players registered at least one point: Jordan Hancock (Albuquerque, NM/Belle Tire) (1g, 0a), Ally Nolan (Westford, MA/Chatham University (NCAA DIII)) (1g, 0a), Madison Novotny (0g, 1a), Jordan Kowalski (0g, 1a) and Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) (0g, 1a). Hancock now has three goals in two consecutive games. The Pioneers won the faceoff battle, winning 30 compared to Canton's 25. Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) played in her 90th career game and is 57 saves away from being the all-time program leader. Hawthorne collected 27 saves on the afternoon, making eight in the first, six in the second and 13 in the third. The Pioneers opened the first period with four shots in four minutes compared to Canton's one. With just under 13 minutes to play, Utica killed a power play that allowed zero shots. The Pioneers did an excellent job pressuring the puck and clearing it at a high percentage. Canton's offense's best opportunity came eight minutes remaining as Hawthorne made a beautiful save on Anna Pavlasova. Utica did a great job defensively the whole first period, not allowing many high-danger opportunities. With just under a minute to play, Nolan found Kowalski on a great scoring chance but could not connect as both teams would head into the second period tied at zero and with eight shots a piece. Utica opened the second period with three great chances on a power play as Canton was penalized for tripping. With 15:48 remaining and with 10 seconds left on the power-play, Hancock notched a goal to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead on a great individual effort. The Pioneers scored nearly three minutes later off the rush as Nolan tallied a goal, giving Utica a 2-0 advantage with just under 13 minutes left. Through 15 minutes of play, Utica's defense held Canton to five shots compared to the Pioneer's 16. Utica entered the third period with a 2-0 lead. Canton scored first in the third period as Kylah Small shot the puck down the left side and scored, making it a 2-1 game with 13:05 remaining. Utica killed a penalty late in the period, as Canton had plenty of chances to tie the game at two. During the kill, Hawthorne made three saves, denying all of the Kangaroo's opportunities. The Pioneers held to win their second consecutive game, 2-1.
 
In the Polls: The Pioneers enter this week as the No. 11 nationally ranked team in the USCHO Division III poll. https://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-womens-poll/. The team moved up one ranking after picking up two wins against Williams and Canton.
 
Where We Stand: Utica stands second in the UCHC standings behind Nazareth with eight points compared to Nazareth's 10.
 
Weekly Honors: Jordan Hancock (Albuquerque, NM/Belle Tire) and Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) each earned a UCHC weekly honors after their performances last week. Hancock picked up Player of the Week, while Hawthorne received her third Goalie of the Week award this season. For more information, please click here.
 
Pioneer Numbers: Utica's offense was firing on all cylinders last week against Williams and Canton, combing for eight goals, three of them on power play chances. The Pioneers are tied third nationally with 99 team assists, while Tess Barrett's (Tewksbury, MA/St. Mark's) 11 is ranked 14 nationally, averaging nearly one per game. Utica's scoring margin sits at 3.33, which is third in the country only behind UW-River Falls and Adrian.
 
Getting Hot: Calhoun continues to produce, as she now has three goals and three assists in six games while leading Utica and the UCHC with 16 points and three powerplay goals. Nolan has five points in five games (2g, 3a) and her plus-14 rating leads all forwards on the team and is second in the UCHC. Madison Novotny (Wesley Chapel, FL/Northwood School), Maya Jerome (Belleville, MI/Belle Tire) and Kendall Best (Troy, MI/Troy (Belle Tire)) are tied for second in conference play with two power-play goals. Autumn Mish (Long Lake, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) ranks first in league play with a plus-17 rating, as her presence on the blue line is key for Utica's defensive success.
 
About Worcester State: The Lancers are 6-6 overall and 4-1 in the MASCAC conference. The team started the season with five straight losses but followed it up with five consecutive wins, outscoring their opponents 21 to 6 in that span. The team is led by Madelyn Franta, who has 13 points off six goals and seven assists. Her most came against Framingham St. on November 15, where she tallied three goals and three assists. Kelsey Czerniawski has started eight games between the pipes, posting a 5-2 record and a 2.19 goals-against average.
 
Last Meeting: Utica took down Worcester 4-1 last season behind four different goal-scorers and 21 saves from Hawthorne. 
 
Up Next: Utica welcomes Oswego State on Tuesday, January 28, at 7 p.m. at the Utica University Nexus Center.