Utica, NY - One of the area's premier holiday traditions returns for a fifteenth time this weekend as the Utica College Men's Ice Hockey Team hosts Morrisville in the 2019 New York SASH Teddy Bear Toss game at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The fifteenth annual event is sold out for a ninth straight year, and will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 14th.

Smile For The Cameras: Saturday's sold-out Teddy Bear Toss game against Morrisville will be televised by WKTV NewsChannel 2 for a third straight year. The telecast will also stream live online via https://www.wktv.com/about-us/livestream/ and the new WKTV NewsChannel 2 Roku App. UC Sports Information assistant Ray Biggs '13 will have the call alongside WKTV Sports Director Spencer Davidson, who won a state high school hockey championship with New Hartford. 

Follow Along Online: Live video and stats for the game will be available at portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/ and on the Empire 8 digital applications this weekend with live audio from WPNR 90.7 FM, Utica College Pioneer Radio. Full over-the-air radio coverage returns this weekend, and that can be heard on local airwaves or online at pioneerradio.org. Douglas Croft and Abin Boris will have the call.

Time To Warm Up The Arms: At Saturday's New York SASH Teddy Bear Toss, fans will throw their teddy bears onto the ice after Utica's first goal for collection and distribution to local children through the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program and Operation Sunshine, among others. The game is sold out for an ninth consecutive season. Well over 30,000 toys have been collected and distributed over the last 13 years of the event, which has become one of the largest of its kind in the United States. The efforts of Pioneer fans have inspired others regionally to take up the cause as the AHL's Syracuse Crunch and UC rivals Elmira and Oswego have all started Teddy Bear Tosses of their own. Last year's event was featured on the nationally syndicated TV Show "Inside Edition".

Teddy Bear Toss Reminders: In the spirit of getting the toys to area children as efficiently as possible, teddy bears should be new and clean. You can bring as many as you'd like, and even the occasional giant teddy bear has been known to show up. Arrive early, as Utica has scored the teddy bear goal as early as 1:25 into the game, which Josh Haskin (Troy, NY/P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (USPHL)) scored two seasons ago in a win over Neumann. Please remove any plastic tag hangers from your bear if you are sitting behind safety netting, as the bears may get caught easily in that netting and become more difficult to retrieve. Additionally, please be sure that the referee has signaled a confirmed goal before throwing your bear. Above all, have fun!

Where We Sit: The Pioneers are No. 11 in the latest USCHO Men's Top 15. They are 6-2-2 in their first ten games of the regular season, and are 4-2-1 in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference with a total of 13 points at the break. They are fourth in the conference standings, trailing Wilkes's first place total of 21 points after the Colonels began 7-0. Stevenson is in second, and Elmira is in third. The Pioneers are undefeated in non-conference play at a record of 2-0-1, and are 3-1-2 in six games at home. Utica looks for a second straight win, and a fourth in five games on Saturday.

Last Weekend: Utica split the weekend in United Collegiate Hockey Conference play on their longest conference road trip of the season, a trip that spanned over 1,000 miles from beginning to end. The Pioneers dropped a 5-4 decision to a 9-1 Stevenson side on Friday. Stevenson scored five goals in the final two periods, then held off Utica late as Kasper Kjellkvist (Vaxjo, Sweden/Curry College (Commonwealth Coast Conf.)) made it a one goal game with just 11 seconds to go on an extra attacker strike. Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) had a goal and an assist in the game. His goal was the team's lone power play goal of the night, and marked his 50th career point. On Saturday, the Pioneers made a late break of their own as they scored the last five goals of the game in a 9-3 demolition of Chatham. Brandon Osmundson (Chesapeake, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) had a hat trick for the Pioneers, Kjellkvist tallied a goal and three assists, and Fritz compiled three assists to finish off a five point weekend. Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) had 18 saves to snag the win.

Another Look: Utica is set to make a second appearance against Morrisville this year after throttling the Mustangs 7-1 in an exhibition game played in Rome, NY in October. Utica gashed open a 1-1 tie with six unanswered goals and outshot the Mustangs 52-13 as the Pioneers cruised to the win. The game had a decidedly hometown feel to it, as all four Rome natives on the roster contributed to the victory. Goaltender Ethan Siderine (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) stopped the only shot he saw in goal in his first start, JT Entelisano (Rome, NY/Markham Royals (OJHL)) and Jaxon Rutkowski (Rome, NY/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL Premier)) each had a goal, and Joey Rutkowski (Rome, NY/Smiths Falls Bears (CCHL)) had an assist. Freshman Buster Larsson (Bunkeflostrand, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)) had a pair of goals. Nick DeVito netted the lone goal for Morrisville.

In Teddy Bear Tosses: Utica holds a 11-2-1 record all-time in Teddy Bear Toss games, and have won their last four editions since a 2014 1-0 loss to eventual national champion Trinity, which marks the only time Utica has ever been shut out in the event. The lone tie in the event occured in 2009 against Castleton. The 2016, 2012, and 2009 games all went to overtime with Utica nabbing the winner in the 2016 and 2012 games with Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) and Adam Graff scoring the deciding goals in those two games respectively. Utica went on to play in a conference championship game or the NCAA tournament in both of those seasons. The event's history began in 2005 with a game against Hamilton, as head coach Gary Heenan bested mentor Phil Grady with a 4-2 win over the Continentals. Colin Kingston scored the first teddy bear goal at 7:30 of the first period in front of 1,713 fans. Kingston is one of three players to score the goal twice in the event's history, as he also did so the following year. Tim Coffman also scored the vital goal in back-to-back seasons by making the toss happen in 2008 and 2009. Ridge Garbutt accomplished the feat in 2011 and 2013, and scored both goals in teddy bear tosses played against Salve Regina. Utica has pitched two shutouts in teddy bear toss history, with the most recent one coming last year.

A Second Appearance: This will be Morrisville's second appearance in Utica's marquee game. The Mustangs last appeared in the Teddy Bear Toss in 2016, with the Pioneers winning that edition of the matchup in overtime on a goal by Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)), who went on to play every game of his college career. Kevin Kirisits (Buffalo, NY/Brockville (CCHL)) scored the first goal of the game for the Pioneers. A special connection to this event exists behind the Mustang bench as Morrisville is coached by former Utica College captain Kevin Krogol. Krogol was a junior forward at the time when Utica debuted the Teddy Bear Toss event.

In Last Year's Teddy Bear Toss: Jamie Bucell (Garfield Heights, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) netted the coveted Teddy Bear toss goal at 1:47 of the second period, and made history by becoming the first player in event history to score it shorthanded. Bucell's goal was the game-winner as the Pioneers romped past UCHC rival Chatham by a 5-0 score. Bucell, Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)), Shawn Lynch (Syracuse, NY/Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)), Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)), and Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) scored goals in the game, and Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) made 30 saves for his first career shutout. Burmaster and Everson both had a goal and two assists, while Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)) recorded two assists of his own.

Complete Destruction: The Pioneers have dominated their opposition in the last two teddy bear toss games, which have also been the only two to be contested as conference games in the history of the event. The Pioneers have outscored 2017 opponent Neumann and 2018 opponent Chatham by a combined score of 14-1. They had a 9-1 win over Neumann two years ago, before blanking Chatham last year by a score of 5-0.

They've Done It: Utica has two players on the active roster who have scored the first goal of the Teddy Bear Toss game. Josh Haskin (Troy, NY/P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (USPHL)) did it in 2017, and Jamie Bucell (Garfield Heights, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) did it in 2018. Both were underclassmen at the time. 

The Ringleader: Freshman forward Brandon Osmundson (Chesapeake, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) continues to rip the opposition to shreds in his first semester of collegiate hockey. He is leading the 2019-20 Pioneers through the first ten games of the season with team highs in goals, assists, and points. Osmundson has nine goals, nine assists, and eighteen total points. With 40 percent of the regular season in the book, he is on pace to have one of the best seasons in program history. Osmundson is on a five game point streak, and has a point in nine out of ten games to start his career. He has six multi point games. He is second overall in the UCHC, and fourth in the nation in points per game at 1.80 points per game. Only 20 players in the nation are averaging 1.50 or better. Just two freshmen are in the top 50, and Osmundson continues to lead the nation in freshman scoring as well. He is seventh nationally in goals per game. Last weekend, he had four goals, including his second career hat trick against Chatham. No Pioneer has ever recorded two hat tricks this early in their career, as he previously had one against Manhattanville.

Welcome To The Club: Senior defenseman Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) recorded his 50th career point over the weekend, and went on to a five point weekend overall. He becomes just the fourth defenseman in program history to hit the milestone with 13 goals and 41 assists for a total of 54 points in 65 games with Utica. He also surpassed Scott Leygraff for third on the career defenseman points list, as Leygraff had 53 points in four years. Fritz has the best points per game average currently of any blue line player to appear in three or more seasons at Utica, as he holds a narrow lead over Dalton Carter's (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) 0.78 points per game. He has four goals and seven assists, and ranks second on the team with 11 points this year. He is fifth in the nation in points per game among defensemen this season.

Junior Jottings: Junior transfers Kasper Kjellkvist (Vaxjo, Sweden/Curry College (Commonwealth Coast Conf.)) and Donovan Ott (Lebanon, PA/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (ECAC Hockey)) have been stable contributors through their first ten games as Pioneers. Both players have four goals and five assists for nine points since joining the squad. Kjellkvist had points in both games this past weekend, while Ott had a goal against Chatham. Ott was the most valuable player of the Utica College Thanksgiving Showcase tournament the previous weekend, and has recorded a point in two of his last three. Ott is a transfer from Division I RPI, and Kjellkvist joined the team from Curry College.

Copper Top: Rome, NY native Joey Rutkowski (Rome, NY/Smiths Falls Bears (CCHL)) has been impressive lately on the Pioneer offensive blue line. He did not play in the win over Chatham, but has a goal in his last three appearances in the lineup, and a point in each of his last four. He had ten total points last year, and is on pace to go ahead of that with six points in his first ten games played.

Mr. Teddy Bear Toss: Among Utica's most impressive performers in the last two teddy bear toss games has been junior forward Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)). In two career Teddy Bear Toss appearances, he has eight points with one goal and seven assists. He had five assists as a freshman against Neumann in 2017.

In Goal: Sophomore Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) has gotten the last three starts for Utica, and has won in two of them while working in the starting role in Gianluca Baggetta's (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) absence. He is 3-1 with a 90.5 percent save percentage, and a goals allowed average of 2.33. Freshman Joseph Giacobbo (Deptford, NJ/Rockland Nationals (CCHL)) is also a possibility to dress on Saturday, and won his only start of the year with 24 saves against Neumann.

Shooting Gallery: Utica has outshot the opposition in eight out of ten games this season, and has eclipsed 40 shots five times. Opposing goaltenders tend to bring their best amidst the relentless offensive pressure, as the opposition's netminders have totaled 40 or more saves in four of those games.

On Offense: The Pioneers are ranked ninth in the nation at an average of 4.10 goals per game. They have ten players with five or more points this season. 

On Defense: Utica is 24th in the nation in scoring defense at an average of 2.30 goals per game. They are undefeated when allowing three goals or less.

On Special Teams: Utica is 10-of-45 on the power play this season at a percentage of 22.2 percent. That unit scored in both games over the weekend. Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) leads the Utica power play with four goals. The penalty kill has turned away 38 of 48 opposing extra man chances, good for a 79.2 percent success rate.

About Morrisville: The Mustangs are 6-5 in their first eleven games to start the year under former Pioneer Kevin Krogol. Nick DeVito has been the guiding offensive force for a Mustangs attack that averages 2.64 goals per game. DeVito has five goals and a team-leading nine assists for a team-best fourteen points. Freshman Eric Melso has a team-best eight goals. Netminder Jared Young has a record of 6-3 in nine starts, and is the only netminder on their roster to have a win against Utica. They most recently lost to Potsdam 6-2 after topping the Bears the day before with a 3-2 overtime win.

Up Next: The Pioneers return from the break to meet nationally-ranked Adrian for a two game set in Adrian, Michigan. The games will be played on January 4th and 5th, and are the start of a five game road trip. The Pioneers are not home again until January 25th.