UTICA, NY- Freshman Lauren Patterson (Burlington, Ontario/Oakville) extended her season-opening scoring streak to three games to help lift the Utica College women’s hockey team to a 2-0 victory over visiting William Smith College in its ECAC West Conference opener Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers improve to 3-0 (1-0 ECAC West) on the year, marking their best start to a season since 2010. William Smith was handed its first loss of the year as it falls to 2-1 (0-1 ECAC West). Both teams return to action Sunday as they faceoff at William Smith to wrap up the home-and-home series. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Neither team could get anything going in the first 40 minutes of play as the teams headed into the second intermission with the score tied 0-0. Patterson broke the deadlock at 13:23 of the third period as she was able to sneak the puck in between the post and the leg of Heron goalie Maggie Salmon on a wrap around. Senior Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) and junior Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) assisted on Patterson’s second tally of the year.
The Pioneers sealed the victory with just one second remaining as Junior Emily Coope (Phoenix, AZ/Colorado Tigers) put in her second of the year. With five seconds remaining and a faceoff in the William Smith zone, the Pioneers were able to find Coope wide open in the slot to fire it home for the powerplay tally. Patterson and Schnepp assisted on the play.
Utica has now scored at least one powerplay goal in each of its last three games. The Pioneers are second nationally with a powerplay percentage of 53.8 and they have converted on 7-of-13 man advantages. The UC penalty kill unit held William Smith 0-for-3 on the day and the Pioneers have now killed 12-of-13 penalties on the season.
Schnepp and Reed both extended their scoring streaks to three games as well. Schnepp leads the squad with eight points, while Reed has tallied seven through the first three games. Junior Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) was lights out in net as she stopped all 17 shots she faced to pick up her third career shutout. Goin is tied for seventh nationally with a .50 goals against average and a .977 save percentage.
