UTICA, NY- The top seeded and nationally-ranked No. 9/10 Utica College men's hockey team is set to host Elmira College in the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Conference Finals on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Adirondack Bank Center.

Tickets: Tickets for Saturday's UCHC Finals game can be purchased directly at the Adirondack Bank Center's box office or online at www.empirestatetix.com. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for students with ID or children 18 and under

Pioneers All-Access: If unable to attend Saturday's game, be 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.

The Road to the UCHC Finals: In their first year in the UCHC Conference, the Pioneers earned the top seed with a 20-5-1 record while winning 12 of 16 Conference games. After earning a first round bye, the Pioneers hosted Neumann University last Saturday in the semifinals. UC won 5-2 as senior Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) scored the go-ahead and game-winning goal to lift the Pioneers into the conference finals. Junior Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) had a team-high three assists. Elmira earned a spot in the UCHC finals after finishing fifth in the Conference with a record of 15-9-3 (8-5-3). The Soaring Eagles defeated Manhattanville College 4-3 in the quarterfinals and secured a 5-2 win over Stevenson in Saturday's semifinals.

For the Third Time: Saturday will be the third time that UC will face Elmira in the title game.  Elmira has won both championship meetings in 2013-14 (5-2) and in 2005-06 (3-2).

Conference Tournament History: The Pioneers are seeking their first conference tournament title in the 17 year history of the program. This will also be Utica's fourth title game in the last five years and its sixth overall. Last season, the Pioneers hosted Hobart in the 2017 ECAC West Championship and lost 2-1 in overtime.

Against Elmira: UC faced Elmira in two regular season meetings this season where Elmira won both games. Elmira defeated the Pioneers 5-1 in November and also won 5-1 in January's matchup. Elmira also leads in all-time meetings 22-12-6 since '05-06. The last time these two teams faced each other in a title game was in 2014 where the Soaring Eagles defeated the Pioneers 5-2.

NCAA Implications: Utica is currently tied for seventh in the NCAA East Region Rankings. This week's regional rankings are the third of four sets that will be released and used to select NCAA bids and seeding's. On March 4th, the final release will be generated and the NCAA tournament selections will be made March 5th.

National Rankings: Utica is in the top 10 in both the USCHO.com and the D3hockey.com polls. The Pioneers stayed in the No. 10 spot for the second consecutive week in the USCHO.com poll. They are ranked No. 9 in the D3hockey.com poll. 

Ammirato Named Player of the Year: Utica's Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) was named the UCHC Player of the Year following his impressive performance this season as he has registered a career-best 21 goals and 20 assists, totaling 41 points. Nationally, Ammirato is tied for fourth in power play goals (nine), eighth in goals per game (0.81) and ninth in points per game (1.58). Over the course of two seasons, Ammirato has scored 33 goals and recorded 43 assists for 76 points.

Landrigan Named Rookie of the Year: Freshman Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) was named the UCHC Rookie of the Year for his notable rookie season. Landrigan finished fourth on the team with 26 points (13 goals and 13 assists).

UCHC All-Conference: Four UC players earned UCHC All-Conference honors. Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) and senior defenseman Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) were named to the first team. Carter is currently second on the team with 36 points (10 goals and 26 assists). He is also ranked seventh nationally in assists per game (1.04) and is second in points per game by a defensemen (1.44). Sophomore goaltender Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) was a second team all-conference selection with an 11-3-1 record and a 2.27 goals against average. He is also tied for eighth nationally in winning percentage (.767). Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) was selected as a member of the UCHC All-Rookie team.  

Shaking Up the Record Book: Utica has four current players in the top 10 on the College's all-time scoring list.  Senior Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) is tied with current assistant Coach Louie Educate for sixth with 80 career points.  Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) is the top scoring defensemen in UC history and ranks eighth with 79 points.  Anthony McVeigh (Kemptville, Ontario/Carleton Place (CCHL)) and Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) are tied for ninth with 76 career points in the blue and orange. Valenti will also tie the program record for games played (108) by dressing on Saturday night.

Top Offensive Team in Program History: Utica's 362 points this season are a program-best. Their 125 goals are also a new single season record. Utica's average of 4.81 goals per game ranks third nationally and may stand as a new program record.

Plenty of Scoring Threats: Utica has seven players with at least 20 points on the roster this season. Senior Anthony McVeigh (Kemptville, Ontario/Carleton Place (CCHL)) ranks third on the team with 27 points (19 goals, 17 assists). Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) has 25 points, while Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) has 23 points. Senior Mikhail Bushinski (St. Paul, MN/Kenai River (NAHL)) rounds out the 20+ point scorers on the roster with five goals and 15 assists this season.

Dangerous from the Blue Line: Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) leads a group of talented scoring defensemen for Utica.  Sophomore Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) and junior Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)) each have 16 points this season. Senior captain Brett Szajner (Novi, MI/Amarillo (NAHL)) has 15 points in 26 games played.

Cutting Off All Angles: Sophomore Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) has earned the last two starts for Utica and is expected to get the nod in Saturday's conference tournament finale. Virtanen has seen the bulk of the playing time this season with 16 starts.  He has a .921 save percentage and a 2.27 goals against average. Utica has a top ten scoring defense this year, allowing just 2.00 goals per game.

Scoring Margin: Utica ranks second nationally in scoring margin, outscoring opponents by an average of 2.81 goals per game this season.

Special Teams: Utica's power-play unit ranks third in the country, scoring on 27.1% of its chances (35-of-129). The Pioneers combined special teams ranks 13th in Division III (53.8%).