Utica, N.Y. (1/26/2012) - The nationally-ranked No. 11 Utica College men's hockey team will take on ECAC Men's West Conference foe Hobart College Friday and Saturday nights. Both contests will begin at 7 p.m. The Pioneers look to find continued success at home on Friday night as the Statesmen travel to the Aud to play in front of the nation's largest crowd. Both teams will jump on the bus and head to Geneva, NY on Saturday night to close out the weekend at The Cooler.
Home Cooking: UC is 10-1-1 at home this year and over the course of the past two seasons the Pioneers have amassed an incredible 22-3-2 record when hosting opponents at the Aud … In 12 home games this season 39,156 fans have come through the turnstiles … With four home games remaining on their schedule, it appears that the Pioneers will eclipse the NCAA Division III record they set last season (48,501) … UC is currently averaging 3,263 fans per home contest.
Stayin' Hot: The Pioneers hope to keep the ball rolling this weekend after posting a 1-0-1 record against two nationally-ranked opponents last weekend … UC tied No. 10 Elmira College at home in front of 3,372 fans at the Aud on Friday night … Utica came right back and earned a convincing 3-0 victory against No. 7 Amherst College on Saturday … The Pioneers improved their overall record to 11-5-1 and they now have seven regular season contests left – all conference games –down the stretch.
It Hertz So Good: Sophomore forward
Trever Hertz (Jaffray, British Columbia/Quesnel Millionaires (BCHL)) leads UC with 27 points on 10 goals and 17 assists … He ranks in the top 20 in the nation with an average of 1.50 points per game … He has ten multi-point games this season and hopes to get back to his scoring ways after being held scoreless last weekend.
Smith Saves the Day: Sophomore goalie
Evan Smith (Penticton, British Columbia/Calgary Royals (AJHL)) was named the ECAC Men's West Conference Goalie of the Week and the College's Male Athlete of the Week on Monday … He registered 51 stops in the crease against national powers Elmira and Amherst … On Friday, the net minder made 39 saves as UC tied the Soaring Eagles … On Saturday, he posted his first collegiate shutout with 12 saves as Utica blanked Amherst, 3-0 … He is 7-3-1 overall and his goals against average of 1.98 ranks him tenth nationally … He currently has 271 saves and a save percentage of .922, good enough for 24th in the nation.
Last Time Out Against Hobart: When UC travel to Hobart earlier this year the Pioneers skated to a 4-2 win over the Statesmen ... Hertz netted two goals for UC, while senior forward
Soichiro Omi (Tokyo, Japan/Bradford (GMHL)) scored the game-winner early in the third period.
All-Time vs. Hobart: The Statesmen lead the all-time series with an 13-11-4 record against the Pioneers … Utica is 3-1-1 in the last five meetings between the two squads.
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