Utica, NY (2/7/15)- Sophomore Emily Coope (Phoenix, AZ/Colorado Tigers) netted the game-winner with less than one second remaining in regulation to lift the Utica College women’s hockey team to a 4-3 victory over Chatham in ECAC West action Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Utica picks up the series sweep of the Cougars. The Pioneers improve to 8-8-4 overall and 6-5-3 in the conference. UC jumps Buffalo State for fourth place in the conference standings, one point ahead of the Bengals, who dropped a pair of games at Elmira this weekend. The Pioneers face a tough test next weekend as they travel to No. 2 Plattsburgh State. The teams will face off at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
After a scoreless first period, the teams exploded for five goals in the second period. Utica freshman Taylor Osowski (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) broke the deadlock at 3:35 of the second with her third of the year. Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) and Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) assisted on the play. Chatham scored the next two goals, as Kasandra Petersen scored her first of the season, on the power-play and Kaitlyn Perris put in her first of the year. Utica rebounded at 16:41when Emily Coope (Phoenix, AZ/Colorado Tigers) netted her first of the game as she picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired a shot past Chatham net minder Megan Buchanan. However, Perris capitalized on the power play with ten seconds left in the second stanza to regain the lead.
Facing a 3-2 deficit, Utica came out of the locker room firing. Freshman Carlie Smith (Grimsby, Ontario/St. Catharine’s Chaos) scored the tying goal just over five minutes into the period, assisted by Allison Buch (Alexandria, VA/Reston Raiders) and Victoria Pelton (Sterling Heights, MI/Belle Tire). Then, with less than ten seconds remaining in regulation, the Pioneers won a faceoff in the Chatham zone. Senior Samantha Pucci (Pearl River, NY/Connecticut Polar Bears)’s initial shot was blocked, but the rebound came right to the stick of Coope, who roofed a shot into the net right before the buzzer sounded to clinch the victory. Samantha Husak (Jackson, MI/Team Detroit) also assisted on the play.
Sophomore Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) had 25 saves in the win, while Buchanan had 28 saves in net for Chatham.
