Box Score Box
UTICA, N.Y. – Visiting Nazareth posted its second shutout win over the Utica Pioneers in as many nights Saturday as the Golden Flyers scored once in each period of a 3-0 women's hockey victory at the Utica Auditorium.
Nazareth also defeated the Pioneers 2-0 on Friday at the Bill Gray's Iceplex and improved to 2-1 both overall and in United Collegiate Hockey Conference games. Utica dropped to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in league play. Juniors
Abbey Luth,
Madison Nichols and
Hailey Redders each netted one goal and one assist.
For the second night in a row, Nazareth enjoyed a decisive advantage in shots on goal. Last night it was 54-19 in the Golden Flyers' favor. Saturday it was 39-20, including a 13-4 edge in the opening period when they scored their first goal.
It came with 1:41 left in the first when Luth stuffed her own rebound past Utica netminder Angela Hawthorne, who finished with 36 saves.
Makenna Wiljanen and Redders were credited with assists.
Nazareth had a 16-6 shots-on-goal advantage in the second period and the Golden Flyers were successful in killing off two minor penalties. Utica nearly tied the score moments after Nazareth was awarded a power play. UC's Hailey Modlin stole the puck right off the face-off and gained a breakaway advantage, but junior goaltender
Noelle Giroux made her best save of the game to keep the Pioneers off the scoreboard.
The Golden Flyers capitalized on the ensuing power play as Redders delivered her first goal of the season when she one-timed a shot from the left face-off circle past Hawthorne.
Delaney Carle made the pass to Redders and
Madison Nichols was also credited with an assist at 8:56.
The shots continued to mount in the third period and Nichols made it 3-0 at 4:47 after receiving a pass from Luth. She skated past a Utica defender and backhanded a shot past Hawthorne.
Giroux, making her first appearance in goal this season, needed to make 10 of her 20 saves in the third period to preserve the sixth shutout of her career.
The Golden Flyers return to action next weekend for a two-game home-and-home series against Chatham. They play at Chatham Friday at 3 p.m. and then are home against the Cougars Saturday at 7.
