UTICA, NY – The nationally-ranked No. 7/11 Utica College men's hockey team returns to the ice on Saturday night when the Pioneers host United Collegiate Hockey Conference rival Elmira College at 7 p.m.  It's Veterans Appreciation Night at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium as the Pioneers host the Soaring Eagles.

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. 

Welcome Veterans: A special welcome goes out to the Utica College veterans who will welcome us at Saturday night's game with special seating on the stage end … The guest of honor will be Robert Coccaro who is retired from the US Army as a Master Sergeant serving 4-tours in Iraq … He graduated from Utica College's Cyber security programs in 2015, earning his Master's in 2017 … He received a Bronze Star and was a member of the US Army's elite Parachute Team "The Golden Knights." … Robert has had over 2,500 free-fall parachute jumps as a Golden Knight … He recently relocated locally with his wife and children to Deerfield, NY.

Express Employment Veterans Supply Initiative: Express Employment will be collecting donations in front of the Aud to help feed veterans in our area! All donations stay in our community and will benefit local organizations such as Feed Our Vets, The CNY Veterans Outreach Center, and Sitrin Healthcare's Veterans' Rehabilitation programs.

Welcome UC Alums: A special welcome will go out to all of the Utica College hockey alumni in attendance at Saturday's game … Thank you for laying the groundwork for our future Pioneers!

Nationally-Ranked: The Pioneers are ranked in both the USHCO.com and D3hockey.com National Polls released Monday … They jumped two spots and are ranked No. 7 in the latest USHCO.com Poll and they remained ranked at No. 11 in this week's release of the D3hockey.com Poll.

Clean Sheet: Utica remains unbeaten through three games this season with wins over Fredonia, Cortland and most recently Nazareth … The Pioneers topped host Naz 2-1 in the UCHC opener for both teams last Friday night.

Leading Scorers: Senior Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) leads the team and is tied for second in the league with five assists this season … Senior defensemen Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL))  ranks second on the team with four points (two goals, two assists), while classmates Mikhail Bushinski (St. Paul, MN/Kenai River (NAHL)) and Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) each have three points on one goal and two assists.

Scoring in Bunches: 19 different Pioneers have at least one point this season … Justin Derlago (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Selkirk (MJHL)) is tied for the team lead with two goals … Kyle Lajeunesse (South Berwick, ME/New Hampshire (EHL)) and transfer Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) each have one goal and one assist … Defensemen Vince Stefan (Pittsburgh, PA/Kenai River (NAHL)) and Brett Szajner (Novi, MI/Amarillo (NAHL)) each have two assists. 

Goalie of the Week:  Utica sophomore goalie Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) picked up his first UCHC Goalie of the Week honor on Tuesday … Virtanen stopped 26 shots to earn his second victory of the season as the nationally-ranked Pioneers topped host Nazareth College 2-1 in the UCHC opener for both teams last Friday night … He is currently tied for second in the league with teammate Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) with a 2.00 goals against average … He has a .930 save percentage through two games this season.
 
The Hunt for 250: Head Coach Gary Heenan eclipsed 225 career wins in the Pioneers' season opening victory over Fredonia … Heenan was hired as head coach of the program in August 2000 … Since that time, Heenan has led the team to 14 consecutive playoff appearances (2003-2016), five appearances in the ECAC West championship game, four ECAC West regular-season championships and a trip to the NCAA Frozen Four … He currently holds an overall record of 227-155-42 in his 17-year tenure and has guided the Pioneers to seven consecutive winning seasons.

Welcome to the UCHC: The Pioneers enter their first season as a member of the newly formed United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) this season … The United Collegiate Hockey Conference is a collaborative effort between eleven institutions to provide a competitive environment and structure for NCAA Division III men's and women's ice hockey in the Eastern United States … The membership encompasses a wide geographic area spanning from Central and Western New York, to the greater Pittsburgh and Baltimore areas … In its inaugural season, the UCHC will incorporate the efforts of ice hockey student-athletes from Chatham University, Elmira College, King's College, Lebanon Valley College, Manhattanville College, Nazareth College, Neumann University, Stevenson University, Utica College, and William Smith College into their strong, but evolving membership that strives for on-ice excellence while also preparing student athletes for their off-ice futures … In addition, Wilkes University is set to begin men's and women's play in the fall of 2018.

Mark Your Calendar:  The 13th annual New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss will take place on December 9, 2017 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium as the Pioneers hosts Neumann University in UCHC action at 7 p.m. … Fans are asked to bring a new stuffed animal to the game … When Utica scores its first goal, fans throw their teddy bears onto the ice … All toys will be collected by New York Sash and donated to local children this coming holiday season … The annual event is a partnership between New York Sash and Utica College to raise toys for local children in need … Through this event over 30,000 stuffed animals have been donated and distributed to local children in need throughout the holiday season … The annual event has sold out for six consecutive seasons and this year WKTV's affiliate station CBS Utica will televise the contest throughout the Mohawk Valley.