UTICA, NY -- The unbeaten and nationally-ranked No. 9/11 Utica College men's hockey team continues its five game home stand against two ECAC West Conference newcomers this weekend at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.  The Pioneers host Lebanon Valley College on Saturday afternoon for Express Employment Day (1 p.m.) before welcoming Stevenson University on Sunday at 3 p.m. 

Express Employment Day: The Pioneers and Express Employment are encouraging fans to bring non-perishable food items to Saturday's game against Lebanon Valley … The Express Employment Veterans Food Truck will be accepting donations prior to the game from 11:30-1 p.m. at the Labbatt Blue Ticket Entrance to the Utica Memorial Auditorium … All items will go in the Express Employment Professionals Veteran's supply vehicle to be donated to the Feed Our Vet's organization, based in Utica and Watertown.

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 Sunday's men's hockey game 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.  

Climbing the National Polls: After a 2-0 weekend in ECAC West Conference play, the Pioneers have risen in the USCHO.com and D3hockey.com National Polls released Monday … The Pioneers cracked the top ten and rank No. 9 in this week's USCHO.com National Poll … UC also moved up three spots and is ranked No. 11 in the latest D3hockey.com National Poll.

Unbeaten: Utica is 4-0 overall and 2-0 in ECAC West play … The Pioneers are 4-0 to start the season for just the third time in program history … The last time Utica started a season 4-0 was back in 2012-13 when the Pioneers finished the year with a program-best 21-6-1 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship Semifinals in Lake Placid for the first and only time in program-history … UC is currently one of just six teams nationally with an unblemished record and the Pioneers join Oswego State as the only two teams in the country with four wins as of Monday. 

Fun to Watch: Utica has scored at least five goals in each of its first four games this season … UC is currently tied for sixth nationally with an average of 5.50 goals per game … The Pioneers rank sixth nationally in scoring margin, outscoring their opponents by an average of .325 goals per contest.

Taking Advantage of the Power-Play Chances: The Pioneers rank second nationally on the power-play, scoring on nine of 24 power-play chances (37.5%) this season … UC also leads the nation in combined special teams (33/52, 63.5%).

Goalie of the Week: Junior goalie Henry Dill (Columbus, OH/UMASS (Hockey East)) was named the ECAC Men's West Conference goalie of the Week on Monday … Dill stopped 30 shots as the Pioneers earned a 5-1 victory over visiting Manhattanville on Saturday night … Utica was outshot 31-30 on the afternoon, but the UC defense also held the Valiants to a 0-for-5 effort on the power-play …Dill is now 2-0 in two starts for the Pioneers and leads the team with a .921 save percentage … Dill and teammate Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) are the only two goalies in the ECAC West with unblemished 2-0 records.

UC Athlete of the Week: Junior forward Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) was named the College's Male Athlete of the Week on Monday after his impressive performance in two wins for the Pioneers over the weekend … Ammirato registered a team-high five points in two games as the nationally-ranked Pioneers topped Neumann and Manhattanville in consecutive nights at the Utica Memorial Auditorium … He registered one goal, one assist and was +1 in the Pioneers 5-2 win over Neumann in ECAC West play on Friday … He added one goal and two assists, playing a part in all three of the Pioneers' third period goals, as UC earned a 5-1 conference victory over Manhattanville on Saturday night … The Union College transfer currently leads the ECAC West and is tied for third nationally with an average of 2.25 points per contest.

In the National Spotlight: Ammirato is tied for third nationally in points per game (2.25) … Ammirato and freshman Jarrod Fitzpatrick (Wakefield, MA/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) are tied for 13th nationally in goals per game (1.00) …  UC's Vince Stefan (Pittsburgh, PA/Kenai River (NAHL)) is tied for the national lead with two short-handed goals this season … Senior defender Connor Schmidt (Monroe, MI/Arizona State (D1-Ind.)) is tied for 20th nationally in defensemen scoring with an average of 1.25 points per game … UC goalie Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) ranks 29th nationally with a goals against average of 2.01.

Active Leading Scorer: Junior forward Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) is the program's active leading scorer with 36 career points (12 goals, 24 assists) … Valenti ranks second on the team this season with six points on three goals and three assists.

Lending a Helping Hand: Utica's Mikhail Bushinski (Woodbury, MN/Kenai River (NAHL)) is tied for the team lead with five assists this season … He is also tied for second on the team with six total points … Four of his six points came in the two ECAC West victories last weekend. 

Two-Headed Monster:  Utica goalies Henry Dill (Columbus, OH/UMASS (Hockey East)) and Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) have split time in net this season … Virtanen leads UC with a 2.01 goals against average … Dill leads the team with a .921 save percentage … Dill has 58 total saves, while Virtanen has 44 saves. 

Point Production: 20 different players have at least one point this season for the Pioneers … Alex Brissette (Atlanta, GA/Hampton Roads (USPHL)), Vince Stefan (Pittsburgh, PA/Kenai River (NAHL)), Alex Roberts (Burnaby, British Columbia/Brooks Bandits (AJHL)) and Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) each have four points … Jarrod Fitzpatrick (Wakefield, MA/Northern Cyclones (EHL)), Riley Egan (Lakewood, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) and Easton Powers (South Lyon, MI/Port Huron (NAHL)) each have three points. 

Scouting Lebanon Valley: Lebanon Valley returns to the ECAC West Conference this season after a six year hiatus … The Dutchmen disbanded its Division III men's hockey program following the 2009-2010 season … LVC is currently 0-3-1 overall this season … The Dutchmen lost a pair of ECAC West games at home last weekend against Hobart (6-2) and Elmira (8-6) … Sophomores Brian Hovanec, Brad Nolan and Travis Acker lead the team with four points each … Zach McKown and Brett Johnson each have three points … Goalie Brenden Manquen has played in three games this season and has a 4.77 goals against average to go along with an .853 save percentage. 

All-Time vs. Lebanon Valley: Utica and Lebanon Valley played each other 21 times between 2001 and 2010 … Utica currently holds a 20-1-0 lead in the all-time series … Lebanon Valley's lone win over Utica came in the Pioneers first season of varsity hockey back in 2001-02.

Scouting Stevenson: Stevenson is in the midst of its first NCAA Division III men's hockey season and is off to a hot start, winning its first three games before falling to nationally-ranked Hobart College last Saturday … The Mustangs swept a pair of games against Morrisville to kick off their first varsity season and also topped Elmira 4-3 in overtime last Friday … The Mustangs are led by junior captain Mike Davis who transferred to Stevenson from Neumann University … Davis is tied for the team lead with five points this season and in 57 collegiate games he has 58 points (35 goals, 23 assists) … Freshman Nick Bohatiuk has made an instant impact and is tied with Davis for the team lead with five points … Jacob Caffrey and Dustin Moyer have split time in net this season … Caffrey leads the team with a 1.84 goals against average and a .941 save percentage.

Welcome Home Coach Dawes: The Mustangs are led by Utica native and former Utica College assistant coach Dominick Dawes … Dawes was hired at Stevenson to start the varsity hockey program in August of 2015 … He previously spent seven seasons as a head coach at Neumann University where he won a national championship with the Knights in 2009 … He is Neumann's all-time winningest coach, compiling a 107-62-25 record.

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 Saturday, 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.