UTICA, NY- Sophomore Olivia Hirschy (Fort Wayne, IN/Culver Academies) scored two goals as the Utica College women’s hockey team defeated Neumann University 4-1 in UCHC Conference action Saturday afternoon.
Utica improves to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference, while the Knights drop to 5-2-1 and 3-1 in UCHC play. UC will return to action Tuesday as it hosts SUNY Canton. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Pioneers opened the scoring at 13:09 as junior Danielle Haasbeek (Grand Forks, ND/Balmoral Hall) fired a shot from the point that found its way through traffic and into the back of the net. Senior Carlie Smith (Grimsby, Ontario/St. Catharine’s Chaos) won the face off back to Haasbeek who netted her second of the year.
Utica added to its lead at 15:34 as senior Taylor Osowski (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) took a feed in the slot and roofer a shot into the top right corner of the net for her first of the year. Meghan Power (Windsor, Ontario/Southwest Wildcats) and Elizabeth Dohner (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) assisted on the play.
Neumann got one back with just 13 seconds remaining in the first period when senior Bek Lucas took a feed from Jackie Schneider and put in her team-leading 12th of the year.
Hirschy sealed the deal with a pair of goals in the second period to give Utica a commanding 4-1 lead. First, she redirected a point shot by Kayla Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks) at 11:57 of the second to regain the two-goal cushion. Kelly Critzer (West Salem, OH/Ohio Flames) also tallied an assist on the play. Then Hirschy controlled a pass from Lexi Stanisewski (Lawrence, MA/Boston Shamrocks) and rifled a shot into the upper right hand corner for her fifth of the year. Haasbeek registered the secondary assist on Hirschy’s second of the day.
Freshman Gabrielle Igo (Phoenix, AZ/Northern Cyclones) made 15 saves to pick up her fourth win of the year, while Neumann’s Julia Fair made 37 saves.
