NEW HAVEN, CT - Utica University's women's hockey team traveled to Connecticut to take on the Albertus Magnus Falcons in the first of a two-game road set with the team. The Pioneers struck early, taking the lead after just a few minutes of play, but the home squad worked back a lead, taking the game 2-1. The teams will rematch tomorrow at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport, CT. Puck drop for game two is set for 5:00 pm.
Senior captain
Tess Barrett (Tewksbury, MA/St. Mark's) netted Utica's lone score of the game. Freshman
Samantha Dobrzynski (Garnet Valley, PA/) notched an assist on the goal, tallying her seventh of the season and tying for the team lead. Dobrzynski continued an incredible stretch at the faceoff dot, winning 20 draws for the second consecutive game, adding just the seventh instance of such since tracking began in 2015-16.
Isabella Boehm (Framingham, MA/) earned the first start of her collegiate career between the pipes, saving 23 of Albertus Magnus' 25 shots on goal.
Four Falcons left the game with one point. Tori Walsh scored the first goal for the host team, followed by Alana Laser scoring the game-winner. Each goal had just one assist on it, with Kurtia Yetman helping set up Walsh's goal, and Blayne Dussold assisting on Laser's. Junior goaltender Christmas Johnson proved pivotal to the Albertus Magnus victory, stopping all but one of the 36 shots she faced.
Barrett opened the scoring just 3:20 into play on a man advantage. Dobryznyski, the center, won back a faceoff to Barrett, who skated around the blue line to find an open angle, capitalizing from range. 11:18 later into the period, Walsh responded with a power play goal of her own to even the score at 1-1. Laser's goal came 6:28 into the second period, and held as the final tally of the night for either side. The Pioneers fought valiantly, even outshooting the Falcons 13-6 in the final frame, but the 2-1 score held, extending the orange and blue's winless streak to 11 games.
The teams will face off again tomorrow night at 5:00 pm at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport, CT. Utica returns to home ice next weekend as part of a home-and-home set with #6-ranked Nazareth University. Game one, on Friday the 23rd at 3:00 pm, will occur in Nazareth's home arena: The Tim Horton's Iceplex. Game two will take place at the same time the following day at the Nexus Center.
