Utica, NY (3/5/15)- The No. 4 seeded Utica College women’s hockey team heads to Elmira this Saturday to take on the top-seeded and nationally ranked No. 1 Elmira College Soaring Eagles in the ECAC West Conference Tournament Semifinal game…Game time is scheduled for 3 P.M.
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers are coming off a 4-1 win over Buffalo State in the ECAC West Quarterfinals on Saturday… Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) had three goals and senior Kelsey Dowdall (Smiths Falls, ONT/Nepean) had the other tally… Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) had two assists, while Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire), Samantha Pucci (Pearl River, NY/Connecticut Polar Bears), and Kelly Critzer (West Salem, OH/Ohio Flames) each had one helper… Sophomore Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) made 26 saves in her eighth win of the season.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: Utica lost both games against the Soaring Eagles back in November… In the first game, Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) had the Pioneers’ lone goal and Mackenzie Roy (Clinton, NY/Clinton) chalked up the only assist in the 4-1 loss… In the series finale, the Soaring Eagles scored two goals in the final 2:19 of the game to earn the victory… Five different players scored for Utica including seniors Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School), Nicole Schwartz (Danville, CA/San Jose Sharks), and Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Lysander Lightning), junior Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy), and sophomore Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire)… Utica is 1-1 against Elmira in postseason games in the last five years.
QUARTERFINAL QUEEN: Junior Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) netted her third career hat trick in Saturday’s win over Buff State… It marked her second postseason hat trick as she also accomplished the feat in 4-1 ECAC West Quarterfinal win over Potsdam last year… Reed is the program’s all-time leader in playoff points with 10 (eight goals, two assists) in five postseason games.
STEELE-NORTON HEATING UP: Senior Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) has seven points in her last four games on one goal and six assists… It marks her longest scoring streak this season… On the year, she ranks second on the team with 10 assists and a career-high 18 points.
STILL GOIN’ STRONG: Sophomore Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) has compiled a .926 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average on the year… She has allowed two goals or fewer in 14 starts this season, while collecting three shutouts.
HUSAK EARNS ECAC WEST HONORS: Freshman Samantha Husak (Jackson, MI/Team Detroit) was named to the ECAC West All-Rookie team, released last week… Husak totaled two goals and eight assists in 24 games this season… She also helped the Utica defense that allowed just 2.2 goals per game.
200 CLUB: Head Coach Dave Clausen recently picked up his 200th career win… Clausen, who is the only coach in UC history, has collected all 200 wins with the Pioneers… He now has an overall record of 201-141-26 in 14 seasons at the helm.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Elmira, the nation’s top ranked team for the last five weeks, finished the season with a 23-1-1 overall record, and an unblemished 18-0 mark in the ECAC West… Utica currently holds an 11-10-5 overall record and finished the regular season with a 7-7-4 record in the conference to earn the fourth seed in the ECAC West Tournament.
SCOUTING ELMIRA: The Elmira Soaring Eagles are led by ECAC West Player of the Year, Ashley Ryan who has 56 points off of 17 goals and 39 assists in 25 games this season… Senior Ashton Hogan is second with 45 points, off of a team-leading 30 goals and 15 assists… The Soaring Eagles also boast the Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, Brooke Wilgosh, and Coach of the Year, Dean Jackson… Wilgosh claimed her second consecutive ECAC Defensive Player of the Year nod after tallying 31 points this season… Jackson, who is in his third year guiding the women’s squad at Elmira, has led the Soaring Eagles to three straight 20+ win seasons, including an NCAA National Championship in 2012-13.
THE OTHER SEMIFINAL: The second semifinal on Saturday will feature second seeded Plattsburgh and No. 3 seed, Oswego State… The Cardinals finished the season with a 21-2-2 overall record and a 16-2 mark in the ECAC West… Plattsburgh’s only losses this season came to Elmira… Oswego picked up the No. 3 seed after going 12-5-1 in the conference (19-6-1)… The Lakers downed SUNY Cortland 2-1 in the ECAC West quarterfinal last weekend.
LIVE OPTIONS: The Elmira Athletics Communications office will provide live stats and live video for Saturday’s match up between the soaring Eagles and the Pioneers… Live stats can be followed at http://www.sidearmstats.com/elmira/whockey/ … Live video can be accessed at athletics.elmira.edu/watch/.
LOOKING AHEAD: The winners of Saturday’s semifinal games will face off on Sunday March 8 in the ECAC West Conference Tournament Finals… The winner of that game automatically earns a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
