UTICA, NY - The No. 13 Utica University women's hockey team gears up for the UCHC conference semifinal against three-seeded Manhattanville University on Saturday, March 1 at 2 p.m. This game will be played at the Utica University Nexus Center.
Follow Along: Live video can be found here and live stats here.
Last Time Out: The team put on a show with an 11-0 victory over Chatham University on February 22 in the Utica University Nexus Center. Utica saw 11 different goal scorers and 12 players with at least one assist. Point Producers: Kendall Best (Troy, MI/Troy HS / Belle Tire) (one goal and two assists), Molly Pedone (Trinity, FL/Shattuck-St. Mary's) (one goal and two assists), Sydney Mintz (Kelowna, BC/Okanagan Hockey Academy) ( one goal and two assists), Riley Calhoun (New Hartford, NY/Plattsburgh State University (NCAA DIII)) (one goal and one assist), Angelina Garganese (Winter Springs, Fl/Florida Alliance) (one goal and one assist), Emma Corbett (Rochester, NY/Adrian College (NCAA DIII)) (one goal and one assist), Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) (one goal and one assist), Madison Novotny (Wesley Chapel, FL/Northwood School) (one goal), Kelsey Elliott (Attleboro, MA/East Coast Wizards) (one goal), Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Westfield) (Chicopee, MA/Westfield) (one goal), Tess Barrett (Tewksbury, MA/St. Mark's) (one goal), Ally Nolan (Westford, MA/Chatham University (NCAA DIII)) (two assists), Autumn Mish (Long Lake, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) (two assists), Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks) (one assist), Jordan Hancock (Albuquerque, NM/Belle Tire) (one assist) and Cameran Evans (Emsworth, PA/Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) (one assist). Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) started the game, collecting her 15th win of the season. Newcomer, Alex Venning (Courtice, ON/Ottawa Jr. 67s) played the entire second and third periods, totaling four saves. The Pioneers won 48 of 60 faceoffs, dominating offensive zone time. Best, Kowalski, Modlin and Garganese combined for 38. Utica scored four goals in the first period while outshooting Chatham 15 to three. Hawthorne only needed to make three saves as the Pioneer defense did a great job staying in shooting lanes and clogging the slot. Utica entered the second with a 4-0 lead. The Pioneer offense was consistent, scoring another four goals in the second period and outshooting the Cougars 20 to three. Utica took an 8-0 lead into the third period. Utica scored three goals in the third frame, ending the regular season on a high note with an 11-0 win.
In the Polls: The Pioneers remained No. 13 in this week's USCHO Top 15 (Nazareth is No. 14). Utica received 46 points this week to hold the No. 13 spot in the poll. The Pioneers took care of business in the final regular season series against Chatham, beating them in two games by a combined score of 18-0.
A Look at the Bracket: The four-team 2025 UCHC Women's Hockey Championship Tournament will take place with semifinal action on Saturday, March 1 and the championship on March 8. The UCHC Champion receives an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Championship Tournament. The other semifinal includes (1) Nazareth hosting (4) Chatham on Saturday at 3 p.m.
(2) Utica vs. (3) Manhattanville
(1) Nazareth vs. (4) Chatham
Playoff History: The Pioneers qualified for their eighth straight UCHC Tournament, having made each postseason trip since the conference began in 2017-18. Utica sports a 6-7 tournament record and will play the Valiants for their fifth all-time meeting in the UCHC tournament.
About M'Ville: The Manhattanville Valiants are 13-11-2 overall and finished the year 12-6-2 in UCHC play to earn the three-seed. The Valiants are led offensively by Junior Catrina Chinetti, she is the team's leading scorer with eight goals this season. It did not take long for Freshman Ali Joly to make an impact for the team as she logged five goals and six assists, making her the team's leading point leader in her first collegiate season. Olivia Cimorelli is the team's starting goaltender, logging a total of 510 saves with a save percentage of .914. Manhattanville is entering the UCHC tournament as the third seed for the fourth year in a row. They currently hold a 2-2 post-season record against the Pioneers.
Series Slate: The Pioneers have a 15-11 all-time record against the Valiants. This season, Utica has faced off against Manhattanville four times, with a record of 3-1. In their last matchup, Manhattanville managed to come out on top in a tight 2-1 overtime affair. This game will be a repeat of last year's semi-finals matchup, as the two teams faced off in the same round last post-season. That game ended with Utica coming out on top 5-1 and advancing to the UCHC finals against Nazareth University. Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) led the Pioneers that game with a total of three points, logging a goal and two assists. Abby Lillis (West Seneca, NY/Buffalo Bisons) was not far behind Sloan as she recorded two points with a goal and an assist.
Firepower: Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Westfield) and Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) have been the Pioneer's offensive leaders over the past four games. Kowalski earned herself UCHC Player of the Week as she scored four goals and logged 24 face-off wins against Chatham. Stefanini also has been a key factor in Utica's offense as she registered four goals and two assists for a total of six points.
Ready For More: Hawthorne enters postseason play with a 1.19 goals against average and a .954 save percentage. In her last five games played, she's allowed only three goals on 47 saves. In 25 games played, the most goals she's allowed in one game was three and it happened only four times this season.
Looking Ahead: UCHC champion receives an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Tournament.
