Utica, NY - The Utica College men's hockey team returns to home ice for a second time this week on Saturday as they host Neumann University in a United Collegiate Hockey Conference Matchup. The game will be AmeriCU Credit Union night, and game time at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium is set for 7 p.m.

AmeriCU Night: The Utica College men's hockey team will once again join forces with AmeriCU Credit Union to support the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY through their AmeriCU Jersey Night initiative. The Pioneers are currently auctioning off their collector's edition AmeriCU/Carol M. Baldwin game jerseys from now until Saturday's game. You can bid on a jersey by sending an e-mail to men's hockey Assistant Coach Nick Therrien (nitherri@utica.edu), with your name, address and amount you would like to bid. Fans can also bid on the jerseys on the day of the game at the Utica Memorial Auditorium beginning at 6 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY. Fans can view the bidding progress prior to Saturday's game by visiting https://ucpioneers.com/sports/2010/9/30/americu.aspx

Get Your Tickets: Tickets to see the Pioneers are available through multiple methods. Fans can purchase tickets online at EmpireStateTix.com in advance of any UC home game. In addition, fans can purchase tickets at the Aud box office during regular business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The box office is also open longer on game days for all of your walk up ticketing needs. Adult tickets are $8, Children are $4, Children aged three and under are free, and UC Students can obtain a free ticket with their valid student ID card at the box office.
 
Follow Along: Live video and stats for all UC Home Games are available at portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. In addition, radio coverage of home games will be returning soon on WPNR 90.7 FM. Sports Information Assistant Ray Biggs '13 returns for his eighth year of play-by-play with the Pioneers on commercial or college radio, and will be joined by UC student Ryan Van Laere on Saturday night. Fans can also view home games on the free Empire 8 apps available for Roku, Amazon Fire, and AppleTV.
 
Last Time Out: After a tough weekend where the Pioneers were dealt 3-1 and 3-2 defeats by new D3hockey.com No. 2 Adrian, the Pioneers came out firing as they beat Manhattanville for an eighth consecutive time 5-1 in their UCHC Opener. Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) struck just 4:54 into the matchup to give Utica an early lead, and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) flushed a centering pass from Eric Holland (Whitby, ON/Brockville Braves (CCHL)) to give the Pioneers the lead for good. Holland and Tyler Dill (South Lake Tahoe, CA/Charlotte Rush (USPHL-Premier)) each scored as well, and Cavanagh's second goal off the back of Manhattanville goaltender Tyler Feaver rounded out the scoring in a 5-1 rout. The Pioneers have outscored the Valiants by a 12-2 score in their last two meetings. Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) stopped 29 of 30 Manhattanville shots to earn his first career collegiate win. The four year members of Utica's senior class are now 8-1 all-time against Manhattanville, and the loss came in their first game against Manhattanville on November 21, 2015. Of the 21 players who dressed that night, just two remain on the current roster.

We Don't Just Set The Bar, We Are The Bar: Utica's win over Manhattanville has the Pioneers in first place to begin the season, as the two teams got a jump start with the Tuesday game due to an event at the Aud on Friday night.

Stayin Alive: While Utica did begin the season with two losses, they remained ranked in both national polls released Monday. The Pioneers moved from No. 6 to No. 8 in the D3hockey.com poll, and from No. 7 to No. 11 in the USCHO poll. Utica is the only UCHC team currently ranked or receiving votes in either poll. Elmira was receiving votes before getting swept against Hobart this past weekend.

The Magic Number is Four: Head Coach Gary Heenan collected his 246th career NCAA win as a head coach on Tuesday, and needs just four more to hit the 250 win milestone. He is presently the 41st winningest head coach in Division III history and needs just three wins to tie former UW-Superior coach Steve Nelson for the 40th spot. Heenan would find himself in excellent company, as Nelson went to seven Division III Frozen Fours in 14 years with the Jackets. Only 39 coaches in Division III history have ever broken the 250 win barrier, and the wins record currently stands at 742 victories.
 
The Series: Utica and Neumann have met each season as conference opponents since the inception of Utica's program in the 2001-02 season. The Pioneers and Knights met three times last season, with Utica posting a lopsided 9-1 win on home ice in the 2017 edition of the New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss. Josh Haskin (Troy, NY/P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (USPHL)) scored the first goal for the Pioneers to trigger the furry flurry. It was a different story later in the regular season at IceWorks, where Neumann rallied out of an 0-2 hole with three straight to go on to win 3-2. Still, the Pioneers had the last laugh as they turned the tables on the Knights in the playoffs by rallying out of an 0-2 deficit of their own. The Pioneers scored five unanswered after spotting Neumann a 2-0 lead to win 5-2, and advance in their successful conference tournament efforts on the way to their first title. Returners Dan Fritz, Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)), and Jacob Gerson (Colorado Springs, CO/Hampton Roads (USPHL)) all scored for UC in the rally. Saturday could also preview a potential conference playoff matchup as the two teams have met in the conference semifinals the last two years. Utica is unbeaten in their last six home meetings with Neumann with a 5-0-1 record when the game is played at the Aud over that time.

Good Power Play Knights: Utica's power play scored in two of three meetings against Neumann last year, and the Pioneers were 4-of-7 in their win at home, and 5-of-15 overall in the three contests.
 
Great Fuel Economy: The Pioneers have yet to hit the road this season after the exhibition series against Endicott, the weekend against Adrian, and Tuesday's game were all played at home. The Pioneers wrap up the six game home residency on Saturday, and currently sit at 3-2 in that span counting the opening exhibitions.

Fast Start a Big Help: The Pioneers were shut out in the first period in their opening weekend, but that didn't stop them from getting out to a flying start against Manhattanville on Tuesday. Utica scored its first three first period goals of the season that night, doing so in a span of just under fourteen minutes as Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)), Tyler Dill (South Lake Tahoe, CA/Charlotte Rush (USPHL-Premier)), and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) all scored. The Pioneers started this year looking for more first period production as they topped opponents by just thirteen goals in the opening period last year. Utica was 19-4-1 last year when even or leading after the first period. The Pioneers scored twice in just under 15 minutes in their previous meeting against Manhattanville, a 7-1 home win. Utica has scored first in two of three games to begin the season.

Right Place, Right Time: Utica got a four assist effort by Josh Haskin (Troy, NY/P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (USPHL)) in their win over Manhattanville on Tuesday. The four assist game is the most by a Pioneer since Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) put on a five assist clinic in last year's Teddy Bear Toss win over Neumann.

Fresh Pickles: Freshman forward Tyler Dill (South Lake Tahoe, CA/Charlotte Rush (USPHL-Premier)) has gotten off to a terrific start to his college career at Utica, as he already has two goals and an assist to stand in second on the team. On Tuesday, Dill made a brilliant play to set the first goal of the game up as he stepped over a diving defender and fed the puck across to Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)), and later added a goal of his own. He scored Utica's first goal of the season in a 3-1 loss to Adrian.

Third Line Goes For Nine: In Tuesday's win, the line of Josh Haskin (Troy, NY/P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (USPHL)), Eric Holland (Whitby, ON/Brockville Braves (CCHL)), and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) was the team's most effective grouping as they combined for nine points, three goals, and a collective +9 rating.

Mr. Plus: Freshman defenseman Cameron Bartkoski (Dallas, TX/Amarillo Bulls (NAHL)) was Utica's blue line leader on the plus/minus Tuesday as he posted a +3.

The Goaltender Gossip: Freshman goaltender Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) has emerged as a reliable option out of the gate to start off his rookie season, as he has turned away 66 of the 70 shots he has faced since coming into the third period for an injured Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) on Friday night against Adrian. Dickson made 35 saves in his first career start, and followed that up with 29 stops on 30 shots to earn his first win. Dickson is 1-1 with a 1.89 goals against average and a 94.3 percent save percentage. Baggetta is likely currently on track to return to action in the near future after backstopping the Pioneers to the two wins against Endicott.

Twice as Nice: Utica has three players even at two goals apiece, as Dill, Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)), and Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) have all lit the lamp twice in the first three games.

We Get The Point: The Pioneers have twelve players currently with a point so far this season. The goals have come from five different players, and seven others have at least one assist.

Extra, Extra Read All About It: The NCAA instituted a rule change this offseason permitting teams to dress a nineteenth skater in a normal game, and the Pioneers have used that spot to add depth with three different players through the first three games. Utica has dressed a seventh defenseman twice as Brandon Young (Muskegon, MI/Johnstown (NAHL)) and Cameron Bartkoski (Dallas, TX/Amarillo Bulls (NAHL)) have both been penciled into the extra spot, and they have used a thirteenth forward once when Eric Holland (Whitby, ON/Brockville Braves (CCHL)) dressed for Saturday's game against Adrian.

Re-Connect the Power: Through three games this season, the Utica power play has yet to return to the optimally efficient 29.4 percent rate it converted at last year. The Pioneers are just 1-of-16 to start the year, with their lone extra man strike coming off the tape of Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)).
 
Conference Play: The Pioneers play in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference, now in its second year of competition. Built around the footprint of the former ECAC West, the conference will play an 18 game conference slate this season that includes games against Manhattanville, Neumann, Stevenson, Lebanon Valley, Chatham, Elmira, Nazareth, King's, and UCHC newcomer Wilkes University. The Pioneers are the defending regular season and postseason champions of the conference that features teams from a wide area stretching from Rochester and Utica, to Pittsburgh and Maryland.
 
Changes are Afoot: New for this season is a change in the men's conference points structure and men's overtime policy that will give all UCHC teams a greater opportunity to earn standings points. A win in regulation time or the standard five minute overtime is now worth three points, and a loss in that time frame remains worth zero. If the score is still tied, the game is a tie on each team's overall record and the game will proceed into a five minute three on three period and a shootout if necessary. The winning team in the three-on-three period or shootout will receive two standings points, while the losing team will net one point. The changes are being used on a one-year trial basis for UCHC men's conference games only. The women's schedule is not affected.

About Neumann: The Knights are currently 0-2 to begin the season under the direction of second year head coach Kyle Mountain, and will play Nazareth on Friday before Saturday's game. They were 10-15-2 last year, and 8-6-2 in the UCHC to qualify for the UCHC tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Knights topped third seeded Lebanon Valley in the opening round before falling victim to a Utica rally in the semifinals at the Aud. Defenseman Connor Annett has a goal in his last two games played against the Pioneers. This season, the Knights have been outscored 12-3 in their first two non-conference games as a late rally fell short against Brockport in a 4-3 loss, and they were beaten handily by current No. 3 Geneseo 8-0. Thomas Mansbridge, Richie Brusco, and Clayton Boyd each have one goal apiece, and senior goaltender Sammy Bernard has stopped just north of 84 percent of the shots he's faced and is allowing 6.06 goals per game in two starts to begin the year. Neumann's power play is 1-for-16.

Who's Next: The Pioneers will be on the road on Friday, Nov. 9 as they take on Nazareth in a UCHC game. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.