UTICA, NY - The No. 14 Utica University women's hockey team gears up for the UCHC conference championship against the top-seeded Nazareth University Golden Flyers on Saturday, March 8, at 3 p.m. This game will be played at the Tim Horton's Iceplex in Rochester, NY.
 
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Last Time Out: The team won in shutout fashion with a 3-0 win over the Manhattanville Valiants in the semifinal round of the UCHC Tournament this past Saturday. Three different Pioneers landed inside the goal column, including Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks) with a power play goal on four shots, Madison Novotny (Wesley Chapel, FL/Northwood School) also with a power play goal on four shots and an assist, and Molly Pedone (Trinity, FL/Shattuck-St. Mary's) with a goal and three shots. Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Westfield) tallied two assists with 14 wins from the faceoff dot, while Ally Nolan (Westford, MA/Chatham University (NCAA DIII)) was able to dish out an assist as well. Riley Calhoun (New Hartford, NY/Plattsburgh State University (NCAA DIII)) led Utica with six shots but was unable to find the back of the net. Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) nabbed 13 saves in the shutout victory.
 
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 7-7 tournament record and will play the Golden Flyers for the fourth time in tournament history.
 
Conference Honors: The Pioneers had a successful year, earning a total of 12 UCHC Conference awards. Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Westfield) earned Co-Player of Year and First-Team Forward. Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) earned her third Goaltender of the Year and First-Team Goaltender Honors. Riley Calhoun (New Hartford, NY/Plattsburgh State University (NCAA DIII)) garnered First-Team Forward. Autumn Mish (Long Lake, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) won First-Team Defense. Kaci Ryder (Shrewsbury, MA/Shrewsbury (Lady Flames)) earned second-team forward. Madison Novotny (Wesley Chapel, FL/Northwood School) collected second-team defense. Kendall Best (Troy, MI/Troy HS / Belle Tire) captured All-Rookie Team Forward. Jordan Hancock (Albuquerque, NM/Belle Tire) earned All-Rookie Team forward. Maya Jerome (Belleville, MI/Belle Tire) collected All-Rookie Team defense. Melissa Lamanto earned Co-Coach of the Year.
 
About Nazareth: The Nazareth Golden Flyers are 19-6-1 overall and finished the year 10-2-0 in UCHC play to earn the top seed. The Golden Flyers are led offensively by UCHC Co-Player and Rookie of the Year Amy Laskowski, she is the team's leading scorer with 13 goals and 13 assists, totaling 26 points this season. Following behind Laskowski is UCHC Defensive Player of the Year Allie Zack, who tallied 21 points with six goals and 15 assists. Mckinley Hoff is the team's starting goaltender, logging a total of 385 saves with a save percentage of .946. Nazareth is entering the UCHC tournament as the top seed for the fourth year in a row and will face Utica in the championship for the third year in a row. The Golden Flyers hold a 3-0 record against the Pioneers in the postseason.
 
Series Slate: The Pioneers have a 3-15-1 all-time record against the Golden Flyers. This season, Utica has found success against Nazareth under new head coach Melissa Lomanto going 2-2 in her direction. In their last matchup, Nazareth managed to come out on top in a tight 1-0 victory. This game will be a repeat of last year's championship as Nazareth came away with a 2-1 win.
 
Ryder Magic: Kaci Ryder (Shrewsbury, MA/Shrewsbury (Lady Flames)) has two game-winning goals this season against the Golden Flyers. One came in an overtime victory 2-1 and the other in the second period of regulation in another 2-1 victory. Ryder looks to be the hero again for the upcoming matchup between the two.
 
Between the Pipes: Hawthorne entered  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 60 saves. In 26 games played, she's allowed 25 on 536 saves.
 
Looking Ahead: UCHC champion receives an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Tournament.