UTICA, NY – Two Nexus Center games, two wins for the Utica University women’s hockey team. Led by Maggie Rylott’s (Cobourg, Ontario/West Northumberland) hat-trick, the Pioneers shutout the Stevenson University Mustangs 8-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Utica opened its scoring spree just over five minutes into the contest. Madison Novotny (Wesley Chapel, FL/Northwood School) capitalized on a pass from Georgiana Santullo (Woburn, MA/Boston Shamrocks/Woburn High School) for her first goal of the year and a 1-0 lead. Roughly four minutes later, Molly Pedone (Trinity, FL/Robert Morris) found the back of the net on an unassisted goal as the Pioneers took a 2-0 lead midway through the first period. Stevenson recorded seven shots throughout the first, the most the team would have in a period on the afternoon, but Angela Hawthorne (Santa Clara, CA/Meijer) denied each one to preserve a 2-0 lead after one.
The Pioneers lit off fireworks in the second period. Rylott scored the first two Utica goals of the second at 1:43 and 9:32 while Erica Sloan (Potsdam, NY/St. Lawrence Steel), Kelsey Elliott (Attleboro, MA/East Coast Wizards) and Hannah Keating (North Andover, MA/HPNA) added on following Rylott’s pair to give Utica a convincing 7-0 lead entering the third.
Rylott added one for good measure at the 8:47 mark in the third period for the hat-trick and 8-0 lead. Utica only allowed six shots on goal over the final 40 minutes of play as the team cruised to a weekend sweep of Stevenson.
Rylott’s three goals came on three attempts while for the game, Utica scored on nearly 19 percent of its shot attempts (8-for-44). The Pioneers also dominated on face-offs as the team took 33 of 50 led by Santullo’s 16-for-19. In goal, Hawthorne totaled 10 saves over two periods while Breese Burlingame (Binghamton, NY/Northfield Mount Herman) took over in the third period and made three saves.
Utica (5-1-1, 5-0-1 UCHC) will host Morrisville State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 29 from the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
