UTICA, NY -- The nationally-ranked No. 13/14 Utica College men's hockey team opens up ECAC Men's West Conference play this weekend at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The Pioneers host Neumann University on Friday night for First Source Livin' the Dream Night (7 p.m.) before welcoming Manhattanville College for Alumni Night on Saturday (7 p.m.).
First Source 'Livin The Dream' Night!: For the third straight year First Source will host its 'Dream Come True' contest on Friday night as UC takes on Neumann … To enter, fans can go to
www.firstsourcedreams.org from their smart phone ... Once fans tell us their dream, the First Source Dream Team panelists will be on site and they will evaluate each submission … Based on logistics, creativity, cost, and need, finalists will be narrowed down … One winner will be selected at random, and First Source will fund a portion of, or their full dream up to $700 … Fans can also stop by the First Source table in the Aud concourse to enter there … All contest rules and regulations are detailed at
www.firstsourcedreams.org … Plus the first 250 attendees to Friday night's game will get a First Source Utica College rally towel!
Radio Broadcast: Several Utica College hockey home games will be broadcast over the radio airwaves on ESPN Utica/Rome (1310 AM) by Dave Peroni, in his 40th year of broadcasting, and UC alum Ray Biggs … ESPN Radio will cover both men's hcokey games this weekend and live streaming audio can be accessed on ESPNUR's website,
www.espnur.com ... Listeners can also download the ESPN Utica/Rome App available in the Google Play store and on Apple ITunes by searching "ESPNUR".
Pioneers All-Access: Make sure to catch live video, audio and stats for all home games on Pioneers All-Access:
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/ … Audio is provided by Utica College's student radio, WPNR 90.7 FM.
Tickets: Individual home game tickets are on sale at the AUD ticket office or online at
http://empirestatetix.com/ … Individual game tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for non-Utica College students … Online ticket purchases will incur a $3.50 processing fee per ticket.
Opening Weekend Recap: Utica had a tremendous start to its season last weekend as 11 different players scored at least two points … The Pioneers earned victories over host Fredonia on Friday (6-2) and visiting Plymouth State on Saturday (6-4) … Junior
Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) led the Pioneers with five points on three goals and one assist … Junior transfer
Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) totaled four points on two goals and two assists while
Alex Roberts (Burnaby, British Columbia/Brooks Bandits (AJHL)),
Alex Brissette (Atlanta, GA/Hampton Roads (USPHL)),
Vince Stefan (Pittsburgh, PA/Kenai River (NAHL)),
Connor Schmidt (Monroe, MI/Arizona State (D1-Ind.)) and
Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) each registered three points.
UC Cracks Top 15 in National Polls: The Pioneers moved into the top 15 of both the D3hockey.com and USCHO.com National Polls released Monday … UC is ranked No. 13 by USCHO.com and No. 14 by D3hockey.com after opening the season with two convincing wins over host Fredonia (6-2, Friday) and visiting Plymouth (6-4, Saturday).
Unbeaten: The Pioneers are now 2-0 overall for the sixth time in the last seven seasons … The last time UC started a season 3-0 was back in 2013-14 … UC's best start in program-history is 4-0, a feat it has accomplished twice (2012-13, 2010-11) … Utica is currently one of 13 teams in Division III men's hockey with an unblemished 2-0 record.
Player of the Week: Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) was named the ECAC West Conference Player of the Week and the College's Male Athlete of the Week on Monday … Valenti led Utica with five points over the course of two victories … He netted two goals and added an assist in the Pioneers 6-2 win at Fredonia on Friday night … He also came back with one goal and one assist in the Pioneers 6-4 win at home against Plymouth on Saturday night … His five points are tied for eighth nationally … Two of his goals came on the power-play and his third was shorthanded … Valenti is now the program's active scoring leader with 35 career points, moving past assistant captain
Easton Powers (South Lyon, MI/Port Huron (NAHL)) who entered the season as the active scoring leader (33 career points).
Scoring Machine: Utica's 12 goals last weekend are the second-most combined goals in the first two regular season games in program-history … Back in 2012-13 the Pioneers opened the season with 15 goals in their first two games and eventually went on to earn a spot in the semifinals of the NCAA Div. III National Championships in Lake Placid … UC is tied for fourth in the nation with an average of 6.00 goals per game.
Special Teams Scoring: Utica currently ranks second nationally with six total power-play goals this season … UC has scored on 6-of-16 power-play chances and ranks third nationally with a 37.5% success rate on the power-play … UC leads the nation with three short-handed goals … The Pioneers are tied for seventh nationally in combined special teams (19/32, 59.4%).
In the National Spotlight: Valenti is tied for 11
th nationally with an average of 2.50 points per game … His average of one power-play goal per game is tied for fourth in the country … UC's
Vince Stefan (Pittsburgh, PA/Kenai River (NAHL)),
Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) and
Connor Schmidt (Monroe, MI/Arizona State (D1-Ind.)) are all tied for 13
th nationally in defensemen scoring with an average of 1.50 points per game.
New Faces in Net: Freshman goalie
Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) earned his first collegiate start against Fredonia and recorded 21 stops as the Pioneers' cruised to a 6-2 victory … Junior transfer
Henry Dill (Columbus, OH/UMASS (Hockey East)) registered 28 saves in his first start as a Pioneer against Plymouth State … Dill transferred in this season from the University of Massachusetts where he played in 32 games, starting 26, while earning nine wins and stopping 719 shots over the course of two seasons.
All-Time Against Neumann: UC is now 19-22-5 all-time against Neumann … Utica went 1-1-1 against the Knights last season … The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 2-2 tie at the Aud on Jan. 23, 2016 … The home team has won 25-of-46 matchups all-time in the series.
Scouting Neumann: Neumann is also 2-0 this season … Their last victory came at home on Saturday against Salve Regina University … Senior Jory Mullin, Anthony Pino, junior Liam Board, and freshman Matt Gerber each scored a goal to help the Knights get past Salve Regina, 4-2 … Mullin is the team's leading scorer as he recorded four goals and one assist this season … Senior's Shayne Morrissey and Sam House both lead the team in assists with three … Knights' goalie Matt Gibney made 58 saves in two wins last week.
Recent Success Against Manhattanville: In the last three seasons the Pioneers are 9-2 against Manhattanville, outscoring the Valiants 30-20 in the 11 game stretch … Last year the Pioneers topped the Valiants 4-3 on the road in the ECAC West Conference Tournament Semifinals … Utica is 17-22-5 all-time against Manhattanville.
Scouting Manhattanville: Manhattanville College currently holds a 1-1 overall record after opening weekend … The Valiants dropped a 4-1 decision against Salve Regina on Friday night before defeating Daniel Webster 9-2 on Saturday … Junior forward Kevin Loppatto leads the team with four points this season (one goal, three assists) and three other Valiants registered three points on opening weekend … Kyle Redmond and Tyler Feaver split time in net on opening weekend … Feaver stopped 20 shots in a loss to Salve Regina, while Redmond made 19 saves in a win over Daniel Webster.
Home Stand: Utica's game against Neumann on Friday is the second game of a five home game stand for the Pioneers … Utica will return to the Aud next weekend to host ECAC West newcomers Lebanon Valley College (11/12), and Stevenson University (11/13).
NCAA Div. III Championships: On March 24-25, Utica College and the City of Utica will proudly host the NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championships at the Aud for the first time in program history … The four remaining teams in the NCAA Div. III Tournament will make their way to Utica, NY to participate in the semifinals and the finals at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
Mark Your Calendars: The 12th annual New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss is scheduled for Dec. 17th as the Pioneers host Morrisville State at 7 p.m. … In the last 11 years nearly 30,000 stuffed animals have been collected through the New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss … Fans should make sure to get tickets early because the Teddy Bear Toss has been sold out in five consecutive seasons.
Social Media: Make sure to follow live updates of the game on the Pioneers official Twitter feed: @UCPioneers… If you are at the game and on Twitter, or talking about the game on Twitter, make sure to use #UCMoose… You can also "Like" the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers ... Fans can also follow the Pioneers on Instagram: UCPioneers.
Pioneer Pride Points: Utica Athletics has a fan rewards program to promote fan engagement for all 26 of UC's intercollegiate sports… Powered by SuperFanU, the "Pioneer Pride Points" Fan Rewards app uses GPS tracking to recognize where fans are located at specified home games… Points are earned by attending and "Checking In" to UC athletics games, participating in a variety of contests and interacting with social media platforms through the app… The app is available on all IPhone and Android devices by searching 'Pioneer Pride Points' in the Apple App Store or GooglePlay Market and is free to all Utica College students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and fans.
