UTICA, NY- Three different players scored as the Utica College women’s hockey team downed visiting William Smith College 4-0 in ECAC West Conference action Sunday afternoon at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
The Pioneers improve to 2-2 on the year and 2-2 in the conference. UC returns to action next weekend as it takes on SUNY Potsdam in another ECAC West home-and-home series. The teams will face off in Utica at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, with game two taking place in Potsdam on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Junior Veronique Lortie (Chambly, Quebec/Berkshire School) opened the scoring at 8:13 of the first period as she picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired a shot off the post and in for her first career goal. Meghan Power (Windsor, Ontario/Southwest Wildcats) and Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) tallied assists on the play.
The Pioneers took a 2-0 lead at 5:56 of the second as freshman Olivia Hirschy (Fort Wayne, IN/Culver Academies) netted her first collegiate goal. Hirschy took a feed from senior Emily Coope (Phoenix, AZ/Colorado Tigers) and fired a shot at the top of the faceoff circle. The puck went wide, but bounced off the end boards and deflected off William Smith goalie Devon Strachan and into the net. Senior Jane Pagano (Erie, PA/Tabor Academy) also assisted on the play.
Lortie was not done as she netted her second of the day on a slap shot from the point that went just inside the left post. Sophomores Kayla Dion (Colchester, VT/Boston Shamrocks ) and Lauren Patterson (Burlington, Ontario/Oakville) assisted on Lortie’s second career goal.
Pagano capped off the scoring at 16:08 on a great individual play. She gathered a loose puck just outside the Heron blue line and deked out three defenders before firing a shot through the five hole for her first of the year. Sophomore Elizabeth Dohner (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) tallied her first assist of the season on the play.
Senior Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) made 26 saves for her second straight shutout. Goin now has 11 shutouts in her career, tying her with Sarah Detwiler ’04 for first all-time at UC. Strachan totaled 29 saves for William Smith.
