UTICA, N.Y. – Hailey Redders netted the game-winning goal with 39 seconds left in overtime Friday as visiting Nazareth rallied for a thrilling 3-2 women's hockey victory over Utica.

The victory clinched the regular-season championship in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference for the seventh-ranked Golden Flyers, who improved to 23-1 overall and 19-0 in conference play. Nazareth also will be the top seed for the UCHC Tournament that begins next week. Pairings will be announced at the end of the weekend. Nazareth and Utica play again Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to close out the regular season. Utica is 20-4 overall and 17-2 in the UCHC.

In Nazareth's first overtime game of the season, the teams played 3-on-3 in the extra period and Redders ended the game by flipping a rebound over the pads of Utica goaltender Angela Hawthorne, who had saved an initial shot by Nikolle Van Stralen. Redders' 14th goal of the season capped an exciting comeback for the Golden Flyers, who scored a pair of short-handed goals within nine seconds late in the third period to tie the score at 2-2.

After a scoreless and evenly played first period, Nazareth had a lopsided shots-on-goal advantage in periods two and three yet found itself behind 2-0. Utica's Carolyn Whitney scored off a 2-on-1 break early in the second period and Erica Sloan scored at 8:39 of the third period after breaking past the Nazareth defense after receiving a perfect pass from Georgianna Santullo.

Nazareth's comeback hopes seemed improbable after Utica gained a power play opportunity following a holding penalty to the Golden Flyers' Madison Nichols at 13:15 of the third. At the 14-minute mark, Nazareth's Makenna Wiljanen picked up a loose puck near the red line and pushed a pass ahead to Abbey Luth, who stuck a shot over the left shoulder of Hawthorne to slice Utica's lead in half.

Redders gained possession again off the ensuing face-off and was able to center a pass in front of Hawthorne, where Van Stralen stuffed it in for her seventh goal of the season just nine seconds after Luth's goal. 

A Utica penalty on Santullo with just 16 seconds left in regulation put the Golden Flyers on the power play to start overtime, but the Golden Flyers weren't able to capitalize until the teams were playing with three skaters on each side.

Nazareth ultimately finished with a 52-20 advantage in shots on goal, including a 42-10 edge over the last two periods and overtime. Hawthorne had 49 saves for Utica. Adrianna Brehm had 18 saves for Nazareth.

As the top seed for the eight-team UCHC Tournament, Nazareth will be at home Wednesday for a first-round game against either Alvernia or Lebanon Valley.