UTICA, N.Y. (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – The Utica Women’s Ice Hockey team is set to hit the ice for the first time on Friday, October 21st in an exhibition game against SUNY Canton, and they will do so with a new face behind the bench, the team announcing today the addition of longtime Syracuse Women’s Ice Hockey assistant and associate coach Brendon Knight to its’ staff as an assistant to head coach, Dave Clausen.

Knight has served three separate coaching tenures since graduating from SUNY Potsdam in 2001, assisting at his alma mater for three seasons before taking an assistant role at Hamilton College in 2005-06 and being promoted to head coach at the school the next season. In six seasons at the helm of the Continental’s program, the team made the postseason in all six. After the 2011-12 campaign Knight then moved to the Syracuse Women’s Ice Hockey coaching staff as an assistant, a position he held until 2018-19 when he was promoted to Associate Head Coach.

The Syracuse women have played seven games already this season, going 1-6 overall, including a 3-0 loss to #6 Colgate on September 24th. Utica’s season is yet to start, the first regular season game for the Pioneers is next Friday at Elmira, they are currently receiving votes in the USCHO DIII Women’s Poll, the first team out of the top 15.