UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's hockey team came out strong out of the gates on Saturday night, but the visiting University of New England had a bit more firepower on the scoreboard when the night was over. The visiting Nor'easters rode a plus-two advantage on the special teams with two power play goals and a short handed goal as they rallied with four unanswered goals to top the Pioneers by a 4-2 score in a preseason game at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Despite the loss, the preseason game provided an excellent test for Utica as the Pioneers gear up for the regular season with high expectations. The matchup featured two teams ranked in the final 2018-19 polls with UNE ranked ninth, and Utica ranked fourteenth. Both have won a conference postseason title at some point in the last two seasons. 

The Pioneers split their two preseason games this season. The team took a 7-1 victory over Morrisville at Rome's Kennedy Arena on Saturday, October 19th. Utica opens the 2019-20 regular season on Saturday, November 2nd against SUNY Canton in an afternoon matinee at the Aud.

The Pioneers were led by senior Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)), and freshman John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)). Both players totaled one goal and one assist on the night. Rookies Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) and Kasper Kjellkvist (Vaxjo, Sweden/Curry College (Commonwealth Coast Conf.)) each tacked on an assist. Defenseman Chris Jones scored twice for the University of New England.

Shots on goal for the night totaled a 40-32 advantage for the Pioneers. The Nor'easters were 2-for-7 on the power play, while Utica was 1-for-8 on the night. The game featured 34 minutes in penalties, and all of them were two minute minor penalties.

UNE goaltender Ben Churchfield was perfect over the final two periods as he stopped 38 of 40 shots to earn the win, and Utica netminder Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) turned away 28 of 32 in the loss.

After UNE nearly scored on an early rush, Utica wasted little time in getting the jump on the visitors with the game's first goal. At 3:09 of the first period, Fritz launched a shot from the left point that crept in through traffic and behind Churchfield for a 1-0 Pioneer lead. Zapata and Moncovich were credited with the assists.

Utica doubled down on its lead before the end of the first period. With the Pioneers on a power play following a Brendan Donohue interference minor, Dan Fritz again was the trigger man on the back end for the Pioneers' man advantage unit. He would grab an assist at 14:22 of the period when his shot from just inside the blue line knuckled off of Moncovich and in for the freshman's first goal in a Pioneer uniform. Kjellkvist picked up the secondary assist. The Pioneers held a 2-0 lead after one period.

University of New England would turn the game around in the final two periods. The Nor'Easters showcased their special teams to pull even in the second period as Donohue scored shorthanded at 3:58, and Chris Jones notched his first of two goals on the power play at 9:48 for a 2-2 tie after 40 minutes.

The Pioneers outshot the visitors in the third period 15-12, but UNE was the opportunistic side in the end. Chris Jones scored the power play game-winner just 1:36 into the third period, and the lead was finalized on a goal by Derek Macrones as the Nor'Easters took home a 4-2 win.

The Pioneers open the regular season on with their home opener on Saturday, November 2nd against SUNY Canton. Tickets are available at https://ev8.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetGroupList?groupCode=GS&linkID=utica&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=.