UTICA, NY- The Utica College men's hockey team looks to get back on track this weekend as it prepares for two games. On Friday, the Pioneers will travel to Nazareth College for an ECAC West Conference match up against the Golden Flyers. UC will return home on Saturday to take on SUNY Potsdam in a non-conference contest. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. both days.
Radio Broadcast: Several Utica College hockey home games will be broadcast over the radio airwaves on ESPN Utica/Rome (1310 AM) by UC alum Ray Biggs … Live streaming audio can be accessed on ESPNUR's website, www.espnur.com ... Archives of each contest will also be listed on ESPNUR's website for those who cannot listen live … 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 ESPNUR.
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.
Last Time Out: Last Friday night (Jan. 13) was a rough night for the Pioneers as they lost 7-3 at home to the University of New England Nor'Easters… The Pioneers scored two goals late in the second period to cut the deficit to 4-3, but the visiting team scored three more goals in the third period to pull away from the Pioneers… Utica juniors
Riley Egan (Lakewood, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)),
Anthony McVeigh (Kemptville, Ontario/Carleton Place (CCHL)), and senior
Connor Schmidt (Monroe, MI/Arizona State (D1-Ind.)) each scored one goal in that game, while junior
Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) recorded two assists… Freshman goalies
Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) and
Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) combined for 29 saves in the loss.
Receiving Votes: The Pioneers remain in the receiving votes category of the USCHO.com National Polls … UC earned three votes in the USCHO.com poll, released Monday.
Atop the Conference: Despite their recent struggles, Utica is first in the ECAC West Conference with a 6-0 mark in league play… The Pioneers defeated Neumann University, which is currently ranked No. 13 in the USCHO.com national rankings, 5-2 at the Aud on Nov. 4… UC also downed reigning conference champion and current No. 9 ranked Hobart College, 4-2, on the road on Nov. 19.
Ammirato Still on a Role: Junior
Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) is tied for fourth in the ECAC West with an average of 1.38 points per game… He ranks eighth in the conference and first on the team in goals scored (nine)… Ammirato is also sixth in the ECAC West in assists (13).
Power-Play Scoring: Senior
Connor Schmidt (Monroe, MI/Arizona State (D1-Ind.)) is sixth in the ECAC West with nine power-play points this season… He has recorded two goals and seven assists with the man-advantage this season.
Short-Handed Points: Juniors
Vince Stefan (Pittsburgh, PA/Kenai River (NAHL)) and
Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) are now tied for first in the ECAC West in short-handed points… They each have three points when the Pioneers were short-handed.
Scouting Nazareth College: The Golden Flyers are 5-10-2 overall and 4-2 in the ECAC West… Nazareth has now lost three-straight games following an 8-0 shutout at home against the Oswego State Lakers last Friday… Nazareth senior Dominik Gabaj has scored a team-high 11 goals this season… He is also tied for sixth in the conference in power-play goals (4)… Junior Oliver Janzen has recorded a team-high 10 assists this season… On the defensive side, senior goalie Brandon Lane has played in the most Golden Flyer games this season (13)… During his time on the ice, he is 4-7-1 and recorded 348 saves.
Against the Golden Flyers: Utica is 7-2-3 against the Flyers in the past four seasons… Utica was 2-0-1 against Naz last season… UC won 4-1 and tied 2-2 in Rochester on Nov. 6 and 7 last year… Utica finished off the season series with a 5-2 win over the Golden Flyers on Feb. 19.
Scouting SUNY Potsdam: The Potsdam Bears are 5-9-2 overall and are 1-7-1 in the SUNYAC Conference… SUNY Potsdam has won three out of their last four games… The Bears beat the SUNY Canton 6-5 in overtime last Saturday when freshman Bryce Ferrell scored the game-winning goal… He also recorded his first career hat trick (3 goals)… Junior Dylan Vander Esch is the team's top performing player as he leads the Bears in points (15) and goals scored (10)… Vinny Caligiuri, on the other hand, has recorded a team-high eight assists.
Against the Bears: The Pioneers have not played the Bears in their home rink since Dec. 9, 2011… Utica won that game 1-0 when Evan Chlanda netted the game-winner early in the second period… The Pioneers also faced off against SUNY Potsdam on the road last season (1/16/16)… The Bears won that game 2-1.
Social Media: Make sure to follow live updates of the game on the Pioneers official Twitter feed: @UCPioneers… 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.
Looking Ahead: After SUNY Potsdam, the Pioneers will then be on the road the following week to play two ECAC West opponents… Utica will faceoff against Neumann on Friday at 7p.m before playing Manhattanville on Saturday (7 p.m.).
