UTICA, NY - Utica University's women's hockey team began its 2026 calendar year schedule by hosting Wilkes University in the semifinal round of the Utica University Kick Off Tournament. The Pioneers and Colonels battled in a hard-fought contest, with Wilkes finishing the game up 3-1. Utica outshot Wilkes and over doubled their minutes on the power play, but a stout Colonel defense led to a defeat for the home team. SUNY Cortland and Colby will now battle to see which team will join Utica in the 1:00 pm consolation game tomorrow, and which will face off with Wilkes in the championship game.
Grace Joscelyn (Loudon, NH/), a defender in her first season with Utica, scored the Pioneers' lone goal. Fellow first-year Pioneer defenders
Nora Pollestad (Stavanger, Norway/) and
Veronica Houk (Richboro, PA) each added an assist on the score.
Maya Jerome (Belleville, MI/) and
Elliana Lasher (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) led Utica with five shots on goal apiece, followed by Joscelyn as the final Pioneer with more than three.
Alex Venning (Courtice, ON/) earned the start in net, saving numerous high-danger chances and 24 of 27 shots total.
Wilkes' offense saw balanced scoring, as only one of their seven total point scorers earned a second point. Chayce Hyndman scored the game-opening goal, followed by Drew Hayhurst with the game-winner, and Jordan Ferry with the final of the game. Gianna Pacilio added an assist on Hyndman's goal. Nina Hudakova was the lone multi-point scorer of the game, tallying assists on both Hayhurst's and Ferry's goals. Haylee Bouchard and Lily Zingaro notched primary assists on the later two goals. Audrey Milne continued her reign between the pipes for Wilkes, saving all but one of the 32 shots she faced.
The visitors struck early, taking a 1-0 lead just 4:33 into the game. After a collision with an official in Utica's defensive zone, a loose puck found its way to the stick of Paciolo, who quickly passed to Hyndman, who buried the shot from the slot. Wilkes extended their lead on a 5-on-3 power play at the 13:34 mark of the 2nd period. The scoring play began with a shot wide of the net by Hudakova from the blue line. After hitting the boards, the puck was quickly corralled by Bouchard, who passed into the netfront area, finding the stick of Hayhurst and the back the net. The Pioneers were unable to respond until the 9:23 mark of the 3rd period. On Utica's fifth power play of the game, Joscelyn netted the first Pioneer goal with assist from Houk and Pollestad. Wilkes extended their lead back to two just 5:10 later, with Ferry scoring the goal from Zingaro and Hudakova.
Utica will now await the result of the SUNY Cortland versus Colby College matchup to determine their opponent tomorrow, January 4th. The Pioneers will face off with the losing team at 1:00 pm. The winning team will meet with Wilkes University in the championship game at 4:00 pm.
