MIDDLEBURY, VT- The Utica College women’s hockey team fell to host and nationally ranked No. 7 Middlebury College 2-1 in non-conference action Friday afternoon. This marks the third straight year the Pioneers have lost to the nationally ranked Panthers by just one point.
The Pioneers fall to 9-5-1 on the year, while Middlebury improves to 6-3-3. Utica has now lost four games to ranked opponents, including three by two points or less. UC returns to ECAC West Conference play next weekend as it takes on SUNY Potsdam in a home-and-home series. The teams will meet in Potsdam on Friday (7 p.m.) before both teams travel to Utica on Saturday for a 4 p.m. faceoff.
Utica opened the scoring at 10:10 of the first period as junior Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) put in a rebound from the left side of the net for her seventh goal of the year. Freshman Taylor Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks) and senior Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) assisted on the play. Middlebury evened the score with just under three minutes left in the opening frame as Rachael St. Clair cleaned up the garbage in front of the net for her first career goal. Katherine Jackson and Elizabeth Wulf assisted on the play.
The Panthers scored the go-ahead at 17:08 of the second period as a shot from the point found its way through traffic and into the back of the net. Katarina Shuchuk was credited with the goal, while Micaela Thibault and Jenna Marotta got the assists.
The Pioneers threatened to get the equalizer in the final minutes of regulation but could not find the back of the net. Freshman Danielle Haasbeek (Grand Forks, ND/Balmoral Hall) hit the post with 1:04 left on the clock, with the rebound bouncing out in front. Despite the resulting scrum in front of the Middlebury net, the puck somehow remained out of the goal.
Sophomore Amanda Lupo (Auburn, NY/Skaneateles) finished with a career-high 31 saves in just her second start of the season, while her counterpart, Kiana Verplancke stopped 25 shots in the win. UC was 1-for-3 on the power play while the Pioneers held Middlebury scoreless on four opportunities with the man advantage.
