UTICA, NY – The No. 13 Utica University women’s hockey team begins a busy week with three games. The team hosts No. 7 Hamilton College on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Nexus Center in a marquee non-conference matchup before heading to Aston, Pennsylvania to face Neumann University on Friday, January 27 at 4 p.m. and Saturday, January 28 at 2 p.m.
Follow Along: Fans unable to attend either game can keep up with live video and/or stats through https://bit.ly/2wtxUV5. Neumann will provide live video through https://bit.ly/3tq0owV and live stats via https://bit.ly/2PYTuMa.
Last Time Out: The No. 13 Utica University women’s hockey team extended its winning streak to 13 straight games with a commanding 3-1 win over Manhattanville on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers outshot the Valiants 53-16 while Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) led the way for Utica with two points in the contest with a goal and an assist. Seven other Pioneers added a point in the victory. The Pioneers controlled much of the first period action as they outshot Manhattanville 17-3 and held the puck for much of the period. Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) and Erica Sheaffer (New Hartford, NY/Wilkes University) both had goals taken away from them after the referees determined Sloan’s shot was kicked in and deemed goalkeeper interference on Sheaffer’s. Despite the Pioneers dominant first period play, they could not find the back of the net as the period ended scoreless. While the Valiants tallied only three shots on goal in the period, Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) made several great saves. The junior goalie stopped Manhattanville’s first shot of the period with an impressive save with her glove and would later stop a breakaway chance as she deflected a shot away from the net. The second period provided much action as Utica tallied three goals and Manhattanville added one of their own. The Pioneers wasted no time in the second as Maggie Rylott (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland) netted the first goal of the game from close range 43 seconds into the period off assists from Carolyn Whitney (Raleigh, NC/Milbrook School) and Ava Suda (Cheektowaga, NY/Buffalo Bisons). Just over four minutes later, Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel) added more fuel to the Pioneers’ momentum as she backhanded in the second goal of the contest. Callie McLaughlin (Centerport, NY/New Hampton School) and Carly Stefanini (Framingham, MA/Brooks School) provided the assist. Manhattanville showed some fight with a goal of its own at the 7:12 mark to cut the deficit to 2-1. This momentum shift wouldn’t last for long for the Valiants as Stefanini brought the Pioneers back to a two-goal lead in the second as she rifled a shot to the back of the net for the Pioneers’ third goal of the period amidst a 5-3 powerplay. Neither team scored in a competitive third period with Utica outshooting Manhattanville 13-10 en route to capping off the series sweep.
Where we Stand: The team is currently second in the UCHC and sports a fantastic 14–1-1 in conference play. The team is on fire in the midst of a 13 game win streak and is second in the UCHC averaging 4.53 goals per game. The team’s defense and goaltending has been phenomenal as it leads the conference in goals allowed per game allowing just 13 goals in 17 games or .76 goals allowed per game average. The team’s offense remains terrific as it is top-two in assists, shots on goal, and shots percentage in the conference.
In the Polls: The Utica’s University women’s hockey team remained at the No. 13 spot in the latest US College Hockey Women’s Top 15. The poll was released on Monday by the national college hockey website. The team accumulated 75 points this week to maintain its spot at No. 13 after receiving 48 points the previous week. Utica is undefeated in the month of January with a 6-0 record. The Pioneers continued their dominance with an outstanding showing on Jan. 20 against Manhattanville College in a 4-0 victory. No. 13 Utica completed the sweep the following day with a 3-1 victory against the Valiants. The full Division III women’s hockey rankings can be found at https://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-womens-poll/.
Whit’s Week: Carolyn Whitney (Raleigh, NC/Milbrook School) turned in a fantastic week scoring a pair of goals and collecting an assist in the team’s sweep over Manhattanville. Whitney’s two goal performance on January 20 was her first multi-goal game this season and was her first goal scored since she netted one against Oswego on January 10. The senior then dished a beautiful assist on January 21 to complete a fantastic three point weekend and helped the team earn a pair of victories over Manhattanville.
History Approaching: Standout Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School) is now just three games away from breaking the games played record in a Pioneer career. Santullo looks to break the record and play in her 110th career game on Saturday, January 28. Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) is also approaching history and has been playing at a historic pace this season. The Santa Clara, CA native is now just two shutouts away from breaking the all-time program record. She is also just eleven wins away from tying the program record of 40 career wins. Hawthorne’s incredible .84 goals allowed average is well ahead of her program record 1.42 goals allowed average which was set last season. The junior also sports a .961 save percentage which would break her program record of .936 which was set last season. Hawthorne was also named the UCHC Co-Goaltender of the Week for her efforts in the series sweep of Manhattanville this past weekend.
About Hamilton: The Continentals are 12-3 this season including 7-1 against ranked opponents this season. The team beat SUNY Cortland 5-1 in its last outing on Saturday, January 21. Hamilton is very balanced with seven players with nine or more points and spreads the puck around very effectively. Nancy Loh is the team’s top goal scorer with ten goals and Mya Berretta is second and has netted six goals. The trio of Claire McGennis, Bobbi Roca, Abby Kunhs each have more than seven assists this year and are terrific at setting up great scoring opportunities. Evie Sheridan is the team’s top goaltender and sports an 8-2 record with 245 saves and a .946 save percentage this season.
A Look at Neumann: The Knights are 5-13 this season and sport a 4-10 record in UCHC play. The team fell to Arcadia University 4-2 on Saturday, January 21. Neumann is led by Lian Sydorowicz who leads the team in points with ten and goals with five. Taylor Ettore and Gia Santorello are the team’s top facilitators as both have five or more assists this season. The team plays both Ally Joly and Michelle Winand-Bacon in net as both have appeared in at least seven games this season. Winand Bacon sports a 3-8 record this season with 369 saves and a .911 save percentage. Joly is 2-4 this season with 237 saves and a .915 save percentage.
Up Next: After this week, No. 13 Utica will host Lebanon Valley College on Friday, February 3 at 4 p.m. at the Nexus Center.
#32 Angela Hawthorne G 5′ 2″ Junior Business Management
#8 Callie McLaughlin D 5′ 8″ Sophomore Health Studies-Physical Therapy
#91 Maggie Rylott F 5′ 4″ Senior Teacher Education and Psychology
#87 Georgiana Santullo F 5′ 5″ Graduate Student Psychology-Child Life
#22 Erica Sheaffer D/F 6′ 0″ Senior Construction Management
#6 Erica Sloan F 5′ 5″ Senior Public Relations and Marketing
#81 Carly Stefanini F 5′ 8″ Junior Criminal Justice
#10 Ava Suda D 5′ 5″ Senior Accounting
#16 Carolyn Whitney F 5′ 7″ Senior Animal Behavior Players Mentioned
#32 Angela Hawthorne 5′ 2″ Junior Business Management G
#8 Callie McLaughlin 5′ 8″ Sophomore Health Studies-Physical Therapy D
#91 Maggie Rylott 5′ 4″ Senior Teacher Education and Psychology F
#87 Georgiana Santullo 5′ 5″ Graduate Student Psychology-Child Life F
#22 Erica Sheaffer 6′ 0″ Senior Construction Management D/F
#6 Erica Sloan 5′ 5″ Senior Public Relations and Marketing F
#81 Carly Stefanini 5′ 8″ Junior Criminal Justice F
#10 Ava Suda 5′ 5″ Senior Accounting D
#16 Carolyn Whitney 5′ 7″ Senior Animal Behavior F
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