UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's hockey team continues its pursuit of a third straight regular season conference title, and wraps up its eighteenth regular season this weekend as it hosts United Collegiate Hockey Conference opponents King's College and Wilkes University at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The Pioneers will battle the King's Monarchs on Friday, February 15th, and will meet the Wilkes Colonels on Saturday, February 16th. Puck drop for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m.

House of the Good Shepherd Night: On Friday, the Pioneers will host House of the Good Shepherd night. The evening will feature a special national anthem performance and giveaways. The House of the Good Shepherd provides care that changes children's lives in the greater Utica and Watertown areas. They are a leading provider of treatment, education, and support services to the children and families of the community that we serve. We will be known for providing services that are of the highest quality and value, delivered within the context of family, culture and community. Their Utica location is located right next to UC on Champlin Avenue. For more information on the organization, visit ChangingChildrensLives.com

LIVE UNITED Night: Saturday's game will be the annual LIVE UNITED night for the Pioneers, presented by The United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area. LIVE UNITED t-shirts will be available in the concourse with a donation to United Way, and fans can also try to catch a shirt from the t-shirt cannon. If fans are spotted in a t-shirt by the LIVE UNITED Prize Patrol they will have a chance to win prizes. The evening also features a puck shooting contest in the first intermission. The United Way helps 1 in 4 people in the Mohawk Valley by fighting for the three building blocks of strong community: health, education, and financial stability for their friends, families and neighbors. Visit www.unitedwayvgu.org for more information on the organization.

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.

Planning On Next Year?: Utica College athletics and the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium are pleased to announce that season ticket renewals for the 2019-2020 season of Utica College hockey will begin on Friday. The announcement was made on Monday. Members of Division III hockey's largest and finest fan base will have their first opportunity to secure their existing seats for the upcoming nineteenth season of Pioneers hockey beginning at 10 a.m. Friday morning, February 15th. Fans wishing to do so on Friday may visit the arena box office beginning at that time to start the renewal process, and fans will also have the opportunity to renew the same day at that evening's game against King's College for their convenience. Renewals can be done on an ongoing basis in the coming months by visiting the arena box office or calling (315) 790-9070 during open business hours. Ticket prices for the 2019-20 season will remain unchanged, and are $75 per seat ($55 for Utica College faculty and staff and $40 for Utica College students with ID), with "Family Four Packs" available for the discounted total cost of $205. Renewals will close on May 1st.

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 is available on WPNR 90.7 FM and PioneerRadio.org. Sports Information Assistant Ray Biggs '13 brings fans the play-by-play. Fans can also view home games on the free Empire 8 apps available for Roku, Amazon Fire, and AppleTV.

Where We Sit: The Pioneers are 15-6-2, and 12-3-1 in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference going into the final weekend of the regular season. The Pioneers have carried their record to this point on the weight of a recent hot streak, as they are undefeated in their last 7 games, and 11-1-2 in their last fourteen. The lone loss came to Neumann, and the ties against Elmira and Oswego. Utica later won the UCHC 3-on-3 overtime session against the Soaring Eagles to earn an additional standings point at the time.

Inside The Hot Streak: Since a loss to still-unbeaten No. 1 UW-Stevens Point on November 24th, the Pioneers have gone 11-1-2 in the next fourteen games they've played. Only four of those games have had their outcome decided by a goal or less, and that figure includes the loss and two ties along with their 2-1 win against Wilkes in December. In the other ten games of this span, Utica has dominated opponents winning all ten by three goals or more. Utica has also posted three shutouts in this fourteen game time frame, and has held opponents to two goals or less in twelve of their last fourteen games. Opponents have been held to two goals or less throughout the entirety of Utica's active seven game unbeaten streak. Over the last fourteen games, Utica has outscored its opposition 59 to 18.

The Standings Scenario: Utica currently rules the roost in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference with 38 standings points. Two other teams remain in mathematical title contention at this point. Wilkes and Elmira are close behind with 35 each. The Pioneers have clinched a playoff spot and can finish no worse than third, so playoff hockey is guaranteed in some form at home for Utica. Whether Utica's quest for the title begins in next Tuesday's first round or in next weekend's semifinals will be determined by this weekend's results. With three standings points, which can be earned via a regulation or first overtime win against King's, Utica would have a guaranteed three point lead going into the final day with all available tiebreakers won over Elmira and Wilkes, and would be the top seed in the UCHC Tournament while guaranteeing a share of the conference regular season title. The Pioneers can win the title outright on Friday with a win and anything less than three standings points from both Wilkes and Elmira, or any instance where Utica's lead were to grow on both teams going into Saturday. (A 3v3/Shootout win could also accomplish this if both Wilkes and Elmira receive a point or less, and a 3v3/Shootout loss would also clinch if both teams lost in regulation or the first overtime). Utica is also guaranteed the outright title with a win on Friday, and a point of any kind on Saturday.

Back In The Saddle Again: The D3hockey.com poll has the Pioneers returning to the rankings at the fifteenth position, and Utica continued to receive votes in the USCHO Men's Top 15 in the polls released earlier on Monday. Utica was last ranked in the November 12th edition of the D3hockey.com poll. The Pioneers are also presently fifteenth in the current NCAA Pairwise rankings that will be used to select the NCAA tournament field this season. The Pairwise replaces the previous Regional Rankings, and the Pioneers would need to be one of the top four teams in that ranking that does not secure one of the automatic bids from winning their conference tournament. The pairwise through February 11th is available at http://d3hockey.com/rankings/pairwise/men/2019

The All-Time Series Records: Utica is now 3-0 all time against King's College in two seasons meeting the second year program. The Pioneers won their first meeting of the season against the Monarchs by a 3-0 score on December 8th, and won by scores of 6-1 and 8-3 last season. Utica is 1-0 all-time against the Colonels with a 2-1 win on December 7th at Wilkes.

Against The Opponents: In Utica's 3-0 win over King's College, the Pioneers scored three goals in the last 33:24 of the contest to prevail over the Monarchs for a third time in program history. Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) scored Utica's first goal and finished with a goal and two assists, and Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) scored two goals to put the game out of reach as the Pioneers wrapped up the Fall semester on a four-game winning streak. In Utica's 2-1 win over Wilkes, Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) scored both Utica goals, including the game-winner with just seconds to go on the clock to propel the Pioneers past the Colonels. Both goals in that game came on the power play, and Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) made 32 saves.

Will You Be My Neighbor?: This weekend's opponents have an interesting relationship in the sense that their campuses almost directly neighbor each other in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The schools are separated by less than a half mile of street on the Eastern bank of the Susquehanna River, and Wilkes took both games of that rivalry series this season by scores of 3-0 and 4-0.

Last Friday: The Pioneers stormed past Chatham on Friday by a 5-1 score. The Pioneers seized control of the game late in the first period on a goal by Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)), and further asserted that command early in the second period when Shawn Lynch (Syracuse, NY/Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)) zipped a transition wrist shot to the back of the net to score less than a minute into the frame. A shorthanded goal by Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) at 7:26 enhanced Utica's lead to 3-0 through two periods. The Cougars got a goal back to begin the third period, but Tyler Dill (South Lake Tahoe, CA/Charlotte Rush (USPHL-Premier)) scored his fifth of the season and Burmaster canned an empty net goal with 17 seconds remaining as Utica waltzed away with an easy win. Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) made 33 saves.

On Saturday: A hat trick performance by Burmaster was the story as Utica wandered away with a 5-2 road win over Stevenson to improve their unbeaten all-time record against the Mustangs to 6-0. The Pioneers darted out to a rapid 2-0 first period lead as Jarrod Fitzpatrick (Wakefield, MA/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) and Burmaster both scored in the first 5:25 with the latter goal coming on the power play. The Mustangs turned it around in the last eight minutes of the period with a pair of goals of their own to equal the score after one period of play. Burmaster set to work on re-opening the Utica advantage as he scored twice more in the second period for his first collegiate hat trick. The Pioneers withstood a heavy storm of Stevenson power play opportunities in the third and held them off the board while getting a late empty-net goal by Lynch to put the final score on ice at 5-2. The empty net goal was short-handed as the Pioneers scored in that fashion for a second consecutive day. Burmaster had three goals and an assist, Lynch had a goal and two assists, and Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) posted a four assist afternoon. Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) made 31 saves.

Hats Off To History: Saturday's hat trick by Burmaster happened exactly one year after the last one by a Pioneer. Burmaster netted the three goals on February 9th, the first three goal performance since Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) nailed down the trifecta on February 9th 2018. Making matters even more interesting is that both hat tricks happened at Stevenson.

Player of the Week: Burmaster was named the United Collegiate Hockey Conference Co-Player of the Week for his performance this past weekend. The local native guided the way with a total of seven points on five goals and two assists as the Pioneers won both games. On Friday, he posted two goals and an assist, and on Saturday, he had one of the best outings of his career as his three goals and an assist led Utica past Stevenson. He aided in the scoring in all situations as he scored goals on the power play and even strength, and assisted on a short handed goal as well. He scored one of the two game-winning goals, and assisted on the other. He now has a career-high 30 points this season on thirteen goals and seventeen assists, and becomes just the 11th player in program history to eclipse that mark. He now leads the team in goals, assists, and points this season, and is 29th in the nation and seventh in the UCHC with his average of 1.30 points per game.

Fabulous Fritz: With his five assists this past weekend, defenseman Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) is now tied for the team lead in assists with 17. He is tied for 43rd in the nation in assists per game.

Defense Into Offense: Defensemen Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)) and Dan Fritz are both 21st or better nationally in points per game by a defenseman this season. Borsoi sits second on the team with a total of 21 points on nine goals and twelve assists, and is thirteenth in the nation at 0.91 points per game.

Going Streaking: Forward Shawn Lynch (Syracuse, NY/Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)) is saving his best for last. Not only does he have a career-best 20 points this season, but he also has a goal in each of his last three games to buoy Utica down the stretch run of his senior season.

Baggetta Breaks Into The Record Books: Junior goaltender Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) is tied for the school record in shutouts for a single season with goaltender coach Adam Dekker with three. Baggetta has also set a new Utica College goaltending mark for the most consecutive goaltending starts without a loss, as he has gone unbeaten in eleven straight starting appearances and is 11-3-2 overall this season in his sixteen starts overall. He has a save percentage of 94.5 percent, and a goals against average of 1.63, and if both of those remain close to the status quo, he would convincingly set the bar with the best statistical season by a starting netminder at Utica in eighteen seasons.

The Aud Is A Fortress: The Pioneers have been seemingly impossible to beat in their UCHC home schedule so far this season. In seven home conference games, the Pioneers are 6-0-1 and have not failed to get at least two standings points in all seven games. They have outscored opponents 37-6 in those games, and have held the opponent to a goal or less in all but one of those games. In the last two seasons, the Pioneers are unbeaten in their last sixteen conference home games including playoffs with a record of 15-0-1. Utica is 8-2-1 at home this season, and as it turns out, this is just a continuation of recent seasons. The Pioneers have not lost at home to an unranked opponent in 21 consecutive appearances against that opposition. They also have not lost to an unranked non-conference opponent at home since a December 2nd, 2016 loss to Cortland.

You're Killing Me, Smalls: The Utica penalty kill unit has been razor sharp when counted on recently. The Pioneers have thwarted the last 27 opposing power play chances they've faced, and have let up just one power play goal in their entire seven game unbeaten streak, and just one in the last 33 opposing chances. The Pioneers now sport the sixth best penalty kill in the nation at 89.3 percent and are the only UCHC program in the top 20 in that category.

Counting Chips: Utica sports the 10th ranked scoring offense in the nation at 4.00 goals per game, and are eighth in scoring defense at 1.87 goals allowed per game.

The Last Ride: Utica's small group of seniors will play their last regular season home games this weekend. Seniors Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)), Shawn Lynch (Syracuse, NY/Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)), and Justin Derlago (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Selkirk (MJHL)) have all been with the program for all four years, and have won 68 games to this point in their careers in 105 career appearances. They are 36-9-1 in the conference in the last three years, and through those seasons, have not failed to reach the conference championship game while helping Utica win its first conference tournament title last season. They are also two time regular season champions with an opportunity at a third this weekend. Captain Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) has been a two year member of the team since transferring from Colorado College, and rounds out this year's senior class. He has won one regular season and one postseason conference championship, and the team is 36-11-3 overall in his time here. Borsoi majors in Health Studies, Lynch is on track to earn a degree in Business Economics, and Derlago is a Liberal Studies major while currently helping the Pioneers as a student assistant coach with his playing career cut short earlier this season. Burmaster is majoring in Business Economics. Borsoi has played in 104 career games and can tie the school record with appearances in his next four games. He has missed just one game in his whole career. Burmaster now has 60 career collegiate points, which makes him the team's active career points leader when considering his entire collegiate career. Lynch is having a career best season with 20 points.

About King's: The Monarchs are 1-22-0 under head coach and Syracuse, NY native Stephen Mallaro. Mallaro played at Oswego, and spent just over a week professionally with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The Monarchs sit in last place with three points in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference, which they earned earlier this season in the program's first-ever win, which came against Neumann on November 30th. Luciano Bucci leads the team with fifteen points on six goals and nine assists, and goaltender Brandon Daigle has started twelve games for the Monarchs. They were most recently swept 5-1 and 6-1 by Manhattanville and Neumann.

About Wilkes: The second place Colonels are 16-6-1, and 11-4-1 in the UCHC in their inaugural season. They are among the hottest teams in the nation right now at 10-2-1 in their last thirteen games, but are coming off a 5-2 Saturday loss against Manhattanville that cost them the Middle Atlantic Conference regular season crown to the Valiants. They are coached by Brett Riley, a former player at Hobart with a rich family history in hockey coaching. His father, Rob, was the former head coach at West Point and now is an NHL scout. His uncle Brian is the current head coach at West Point, and grandfather Jack coached at West Point for decades and also coached the 1960 US Olympic Team to a gold medal in Squaw Valley. The Colonels are led by Donald Flynn, who has a team-best 35 points on fourteen goals and 21 assists, and Tyler Barrow, who has 34 points to his credit on thirteen goals and 21 assists. Along with Nick Fea's 28 points, the Colonels sport the three most productive freshmen in the nation offensively, with Flynn and Barrow also in the top 16 nationally in points per game among all skaters. Defenseman Michael Gurska is also riding a five game point streak for Wilkes. Goaltender Brandon Gordon is 14-6-1 with a goals against average of 2.71. The Colonel power play has been effective at over 21 percent. Wilkes will go to Nazareth on Friday.


Up Next: The Pioneers wait to see who they will host and when for the United Collegiate Hockey Conference Playoffs. The opening round will be played on Tuesday, and if the Pioneers receive a bye, they would host a semifinal series on Saturday and Sunday, February 23rd and 24th.