UTICA, NY - Sophomores accounted for five of the eight goals scored by the Utica college women's hockey team in an 8-2 win over Chatham in a United Collegiate Hockey Conference win over Chatham University on Friday. Hannah Keating and Carly Stefanini each netted two scores for the Pioneers.
Despite Utica controlling the majority of the play in the first period, it was Chatham that struck first at 16:31 thanks to a lucky bounce off a Utica defender. Allison Corser-James was credited with the goal, while Cameron Carmody picked up the assist.
The Pioneers responded 1:55 later as Keating controlled a puck in the neutral zone and won a battle with a cougar defender before sliding the puck through the five-hole for her second in as many games.
Utica took the lead at 3:17 of the second when Stefanini took a feed from Erica Sloan and roofed a shot into the top left corner of the net for her eighth of the year. Georgiana Santullo picked up the secondary assist on the powerplay tally.
The lead was short-lived however as Chatham struck back just 40 seconds later when Kaylynn Savoy netted a loose puck in front off a rebound on a shot by Ally Nolan.
Stefanini once again put the Pioneers on top, this time at 7:26 of the second with her second powerplay goal of the game, once again assisted by Sloan and Santullo.
Utica maintained the one-goal lead through the halfway point of the final frame before Keating gave the Pioneers a cushion with her second of the day at 11:50.
The flood gates opened as UC scored four goals in the final 4:33 of regulation, starting with a goal by Molly Pedone. Just 1:05 later, Sloan netted one of her own, and back-to-back shorthanded empty-netters by Rebecca Brown and Abby Lillis iced the game.
The Pioneers were 2-for-4 on the powerplay, while holding Chatham scoreless on three chances. Sophomore Angela Hawthorne finished with 21 saves in the win, while Chatham's Lilly Rogers made 41 saves in the loss.
The teams wrap up the season series Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m.