UTICA, NY - The No. 11/13 Utica College men's ice hockey team seeks to close the deal on the second conference postseason title in program history and the program's second NCAA tournament appearance when they host the 2019 United Collegiate Hockey Conference Championship Series. The top-seeded Pioneers will attempt to finish their 2018 title defense when they host the third-seeded Manhattanville Valiants on Saturday, March 2nd, and Sunday, March 3rd. Game times at the Adirondack Bank Center at Utica Memorial Auditorium will be 7 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Don't Be Late; Pavia Has Door Prizes: The first 2,500 fans through the turnstiles at game one on Saturday night will receive a UC hockey rally towel courtesy of Pavia Real Estate Services!

What's On The Line: The Pioneers are chasing a second straight conference tournament championship and their second in school history. The Pioneers have appeared in the conference championship matchup for four straight years, and this will be the third straight year that the title will be settled at the Aud. In addition, the United Collegiate Hockey Conference is now an automatic qualifier conference for the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship, and the winner of this weekend's series would advance as the conference's representative. An NCAA appearance would be the first since Utica's run to the 2013 NCAA Semifinals, and this will be the first time the Pioneers are playing for an automatic bid.

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. Season ticket holders had their seats for the regular season reserved for the championship round until Wednesday evening, when the unsold seats get released to the general public for purchase.

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.

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner: Top-seeded Utica advanced to this point by advancing in their semifinal series by a two games to zero sweep over fifth-seeded Nazareth. The third-seeded Valiants topped Lebanon Valley in their opening round game last Tuesday, before prevailing in the minigame 2-1 to win their semifinal series on the road against second-seeded Elmira.

Where We Are: Utica is 19-6-2, and was 14-3-1 in the UCHC regular season. The Pioneers are unbeaten in their last eleven games, and are 16-1-1 in their last eighteen games following a 4-5 start. The Pioneers have just one loss to an unranked opponent this season, with the other three losses coming to either No. 9 Adrian or No. 1 UW-Stevens Point. With a sweep this weekend, Utica would tie the school-record 21 wins recorded by the 2012-13 team, and the 2017-18 conference championship team.

The Streaks Are On The Line: This weekend's series features two teams that have been red hot recently. Utica sports the sixth-longest active unbeaten streak in the nation at eleven games, and Manhattanville is close behind in seventh at a ten game unbeaten streak.

In It To Win It: With this weekend's semifinal win over Nazareth, the Pioneers have now won their last six non-championship conference tournament games.

In Last Year's Championship Game: The Utica power play came out on fire and dominated the game at a 5-for-7 clip as the Pioneers blew out Elmira 8-3 to claim their first UCHC title. Kyle Lajeunesse (South Berwick, ME/New Hampshire (EHL)), Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)), and Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) led the way with a goal and two assists each.

Sunday Summary: With a 1-0 series lead, the Pioneers needed a win or tie to advance, while fifth-seeded Nazareth needed a win on the road to force the minigame. Faced with a 2-0 second period deficit, the Pioneers got a much-needed second period goal from Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)), and a third period equalizer from Dan Fritz to force overtime in game 2. With Nazareth requiring a win, the Golden Flyers executed a rare move by pulling their goaltender in overtime, and Fritz made sure the visiting team's gamble did not pay off as he ripped a deep shot to the back of the empty net to give the Pioneers a 3-2 overtime win. The Pioneers outshot Nazareth 37-33, and Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) stopped 31 shots for his fifteenth win of the season.

What A Comeback!: Utica's thrilling come-from-behind win in Game 2 of the semifinals offers up an intriguing historical parallel to last season's semifinal round. In the 2018 semifinals, the Pioneers were down 2-0 in the final two minutes of the second period against Neumann as the top seed, and got a late second period goal to spark a run of five unanswered goals as Utica advanced by a 5-2 score. This year, Utica was also down 2-0 in the final two minutes of the second period, and Burmaster started a run of three unanswered goals to down Nazareth 3-2 in a decisive semifinal game.

On Saturday: Utica got the better of a three goal first period as they rode a 2-1 first period lead all the way to the final buzzer to grab the advantage in the semifinal series against Nazareth, one game to zero. Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) delivered a power play goal for the Pioneers, and Nick Yzaguirre (Chicago, IL/Charlotte Rush (USPHL-Premier)) helped Utica bounce back right away from Nazareth's 1-1 first period equalizer as he notched his second of the year 43 seconds after the Golden Flyers tied it. From there, the penalty kill and goaltending of Utica defined the matchup in a scoreless stalemate the rest of the way. Utica's penalty kill unit wrapped up the night at a perfect 5-for-5, and Baggetta was strong yet again with 24 saves, including one against a penalty shot attempt by Nazareth's Alex Corvi. The game was Utica's first-ever playoff meeting against Nazareth.

Poll Proddings: Utica has moved up in to 11th in the D3hockey.com poll, and 13th in the US College Hockey Online poll. Both polls were released on Monday. The Pioneers picked up a spot in each poll with their two wins, and NEHC playoff losses by Babson and UMass Boston.

Recent History: The Pioneers have won the last nine meetings with Manhattanville, with their last loss coming on November 21st, 2015. Utica defenseman Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)) is the only active player on the Pioneers' roster to appear in that matchup. The Pioneers took care of business this season against the Valiants, winning 5-1 at home on October 30th, and 6-2 in Rye, NY on January 19th. The Pioneers started their active eleven game unbeaten streak with the road win at Manhattanville.

The First Time Against The Valiants: The Pioneers scored the first three goals of the game, and tacked on a pair more in the second period as they throttled Manhattanville at home by a 5-1 score. Freshmen played a big role as they accounted for four of the five Utica goals in the matchup. Tyler Dill (South Lake Tahoe, CA/Charlotte Rush (USPHL-Premier)), Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)), and Eric Holland (Whitby, ON/Brockville Braves (CCHL)) all scored for the Pioneers in their conference debut, including a two goal night by Cavanagh, and Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) scored as well. Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) made 27 saves for his first career win in his second start filling in for the then-injured Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)).

The Second Time Against the Valiants: The Pioneers scored five times in the first two periods, then held off a late comeback effort and added an empty net goal as Utica rebounded from their last loss to Neumann with a 6-2 win on the road in Rye, NY. It was a day for the defensemen as Brandon Young (Muskegon, MI/Johnstown (NAHL)) notched a career-high two goals, Dan Fritz scored on a first period power play, and Vaden McManus (Fayetteville, NC/Hampton Roads (USPHL)) scored the first goal of his collegiate career in a regular season game. Jarrod Fitzpatrick (Wakefield, MA/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) and Shawn Lynch (Syracuse, NY/Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)) added a goal each, and Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) had two assists. Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) excelled in the Utica net with 40 saves on 42 shots.

Extra Mileage: This weekend, Utica will play its 28th and 29th games of the year. They will tie the school record set by the 2012-13 and 2015-16 Pioneers on Saturday, and set a new one for games played on Sunday. If they all play in both games this weekend, Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)), Justin Allen (Rochester, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)), Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)), and Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) will set a new school record for games played in a season.

At Home: The Pioneers are 12-2-1 at home this season, and have not lost a home game since the opening weekend of the regular season as they've strung together 13 consecutive home games without a loss result since their opening losses to Adrian. They have outscored opponents 67-19 in their home games this season. Utica was undefeated in conference home games this season, and have not lost against a conference opponent at home in their last 22 games against that opposition, dating back to November 11th, 2017. Utica has outscored conference opponents at home 56-12 this season. The Pioneers are 26-3-2 in the last two seasons at the Aud.

It's Been Awhile: This will be the first time since the 2004-05 season that the Pioneers have met the Valiants in the championship matchup, a game which Manhattanville won. That matchup was the first time the Pioneers have appeared in the conference championship, and this will now be Utica's eighth appearance.

Crushing the Conference: In two years of UCHC play, the Pioneers are 30-7-1 and have six of those seven losses on the road. They have outscored opponents 182-69 in conference play over a two year period including playoffs.

The Last Time They Met In The Postseason: Utica and Manhattanville are embarking on their first playoff encounter since February 27th, 2016. The Pioneers prevailed in overtime on an Anthony McVeigh (Kemptville, Ontario/Carleton Place (CCHL)) goal by a 4-3 score. The win came in come-from-behind fashion as Utica spotted a two goal lead to the Valiants on two different occasions, then came roaring back with three unanswered goals to send it to overtime. Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)) had an assist on the first Utica goal, and Shawn Lynch (Syracuse, NY/Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)) also dressed in that matchup.

Your Record Awaits: When he steps on to the ice for his first shift on Saturday, senior defenseman Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)) will make program history as he skates in the 109th game of his career. The milestone is a program record as he currently sits tied with school record holders Kevin Kirisits (Buffalo, NY/Brockville (CCHL)) and Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) with 108 career games played. He has 62 career points. He is second among defensemen in school history for career points, and for points in a season as his 25 total points this season rank him behind former teammate and All-American Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)).

Over The Hill: With his team-leading 41 total points, senior forward Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY/Colorado College (NCHC)) becomes just the fifth player in program history to achieve a 40 point season. He has the second highest point total by a senior in one season in the history of the program, and needs just two more points to tie Roman Ammirato's (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) senior class mark of 43 set in his All-American senior season last year. In addition, a big weekend could help Burmaster towards the school record, which currently stands at 46 points set by Jimmy Sokol. His 18 goals and 23 assists this season are both good for first on the team. Burmaster is 11th in the nation in points per game at 1.52, fourteenth in the nation in goals per game, and 23rd nationally in assists per game. He has a six-game point streak active going into this weekend.

If The Net's Empty, He'll Help Fill It: Burmaster also holds the unique distinction of having a hand in all seven empty net goals the Pioneers have scored this season, with a goal or assist on each one. That includes Saturday's overtime game-winner.

Super Shawn: Senior forward Shawn Lynch (Syracuse, NY/Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)) has definitely saved his best for last, as his ten goals and sixteen assists are both career highs. He has gotten 26 of his 42 career points this season, and has had a career best season by 17 points over his previous best total of nine. His first career goal as a freshman was an overtime game-winner to beat Manhattanville.

The Landy Man Can: Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) has kicked back into high gear for the Pioneers offensively late in the season. The 2018 UCHC Rookie of the Year now has nine goals and nine assists for eighteen points and is averaging one point per game in his last four games. His goals in game one against Nazareth and in the regular season finale against Wilkes both came on the power play.

Double Trouble: Defensemen Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)) and Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) rank quite highly on the national points per game leaderboard for defensemen. Borsoi ranks twelfth among blue liners at 0.93 points per game, and Fritz is close behind at 0.89 points per game.

Glad Bagg: Goaltender Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) continues to tear it up after stopping 55 of 58 shots in two wins this weekend. He is now 15-3-2 overall and is now undefeated in his last fifteen appearances in goal. He is fourth in the nation with a .944 save percentage, fourth in the country in goals against average at 1.62, and is tied for the school record with three shutouts.

Get To The Choppah: The Pioneers are especially strong when they have gotten right down to business offensively to take the early lead. The Pioneers have scored the first goal of the game in nineteen appearances and are 17-1-1 when they do.

Protect This House: Manhattanville has not beaten Utica in Utica since the 2013-14 season, when the Pioneers lost 3-1 on February 22nd, 2014. Their last overall win in the series came in November of 2015 in Rye, NY.

Keeping Tabs: Utica is eighth in the country in scoring offense at 4.11 goals per game, and is one of only nine teams nationally scoring more than four goals per game. The Pioneers are sixth in the country in scoring defense at 1.81 goals allowed per game and are one of ten teams allowing less than two goals. The Pioneers have lost just twice when scoring more than two goals this season, and are undefeated when they allow two goals or less. They have allowed two goals or less in each of their last eleven games. Utica has shut out their opposition a school-record five times, and with 49 goals allowed, the Pioneers could eclipse last year's record of just 55 total goals allowed under the right circumstances.

Power Play: The Pioneers are 22-of-115 on the power play this season, good for a 19.1 percent clip that now ranks 35th nationally. Last weekend, the Pioneers were 2-of-7 with a goal in each of the two series games. They have converted four of their last twelve opportunities and have a power play goal in the last three games, and in four of their last five games. They are 1-for-5 in games against Manhattanville this season, and scored in their lone opportunity in January's road win. Utica was converting at less than ten percent when these two teams matched up for the first time in late October, and has skyrocketed up the national leader board with the extra man during the second half of the season.

Penalty Kill: The Pioneers have allowed just thirteen power play goals this year and have succeeded 88.9 percent of the time, the best figure in the UCHC and the seventh best in the nation. Nazareth's power play went 0-for-8 this weekend, and opponents have scored just twice in their last 41 power plays against Utica.

Magnificent Seven: In Utica's recent seven game win streak, they are outscoring opponents to the tune of a 35-11 advantage in those victories.

Getting Better In Tight Games: Prior to last weekend, the Pioneers were just 1-3 in one-goal games this season, but won a pair of one-goal games to advance and improve to 3-3 in that situation for the campaign.

Better As It Goes Along: The Pioneers are only outscoring the opposition by nine goals this season in the first period, but tend to pull away or rally back in the last two periods as they've outmatched opponents by a total of 53 goals in the final two periods and overtime. The Pioneers were at their best with the long change with 46 of their 111 goals coming in the second period.

Winning Big: The Pioneers are 15-2 when a game is decided by three goals or more.

About Manhattanville: The Valiants are 16-7-5, and finished the UCHC schedule 11-4-3 to finish third. They are paced by UCHC Player of the Year Candidate Matt Lippa, who has 41 points on 17 goals and 24 assists, and the nation's most productive offensive defenseman, Oscar Arfelt, who leads the country in points per game among defensemen with five goals and 26 assists for 31 total points. Lippa is seventeenth nationally in points per game. Defenseman Marco Ferraro and forward Kenny McLean are also twenty point-getters for the Valiants this season. In goal, the projected starter will be Tyler Feaver, who would make his 22nd start of the season on Saturday. He is 11-5-5 with a 2.76 goals against average and a 90.1 percent save percentage and one shutout. They are tenth nationally in scoring offense with 3.96 goals per game. They are seeking their first tournament title since 2010, and their first NCAA appearance since 2008.

Up Next: The Pioneers would advance with a series and championship win to the NCAA tournament.