UTICA, NY- The No. 4 seed Utica College women’s hockey team scored three unanswered goals as it downed fifth seeded Oswego State 5-3 in the ECAC West Conference quarterfinal Thursday evening.
The Pioneers improve to 17-8-1 on the year and stretch their winning streak to eight games. UC also finishes the season undefeated at home (8-0-1) for the first time in program history. Oswego wraps up the season with a 16-8-2 record. Utica will now travel to top seeded Plattsburgh State on Sunday for the conference semifinal. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
The visitors opened the scoring at 4:45 of the opening period as Jacquelin White gathered a puck on the half wall and roofed a shot into the short side corner. Eryn Stewart and Alexa Aramburu assisted on the play.
The Pioneers rebounded less than three minutes later as junior Carlie Smith (Grimsby, Ontario/St. Catharine’s Chaos) poked in a loose puck in front for her sixth of the year. Lauren Patterson (Burlington, Ontario/Oakville) and Jennifer Liu (North Saanich, British Columbia/Shaftesbury Titans ) tallied assists on the equalizer.
Oswego once again took a one-goal lead at 8:24 as Olivia Ellis put in her 14th of the season, assisted by White and Andrea Noss. Patterson single-handedly tied the game at 12:41 as she caused a turnover in the offensive zone and skated in alone. Patterson deked to the right and fired a shot into the left side of the net for her fifth of the year.
Aramburu made short work of a power play opportunity midway through the second stanza as she put in a rebound to the side of the net to once again put the Lakers on top 3-2. Ellis and Noss assisted on Aramburu’s 13th of the year.
The Pioneers responded just 34 seconds later as Elizabeth Dohner (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) redirected a point shot that went off the far post and in for her career-best eighth goal of the season. Kayla Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks ) and Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) assisted on the power play tally. Smith gave Utica its first lead of the game at 16:28 as she knocked in a rebound off a shot from Samantha Husak (Jackson, MI/Grass Lake) for her second of the day. Patterson also assisted on the go-ahead tally.
The Pioneers capped off the scoring at 3:21 of the third period as Schnepp took a long feed from Jane Pagano (Erie, PA/Tabor Academy) and went in on a breakaway. Schnepp fired a shot over the shoulder of Oswego goalie Amber Samonek for her eighth of the year.
Senior Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) made 27 saves to pick up her 15th win of the season, while Samonek and Mariah Madrigal combined for 20 saves in the loss.
