WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The No. 6 Utica College men's hockey team scored another massive win on Friday. In their fifth straight game against ranked opposition, the Pioneers have officially passed every test thrown their way on a nationally prominent string of games. Utica scored the first six goals of the matchup en route to a whopping early second period lead, and the Pioneers hardly looked back against No. 12 Wilkes as they handily dispatched the first place Colonels by an 8-3 score in a United Collegiate Hockey Conference matchup at the Toyota Sportsplex in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
The win improves Utica to 11-2-2, and 5-2-1 in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference. UC is now on a season-long six game win streak, and is now 6-0 against teams ranked in the USCHO Poll. The Pioneers remain fourth in the UCHC standings heading into tomorrow's game with King's College. The team is now 3-0 all-time against Wilkes.
Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) led Utica with his first career hat trick. Defenseman
Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) had two goals and an assist to become the third defenseman in school history to reach 60 career points.
Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) and
Donovan Ott (Lebanon, PA/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (ECAC Hockey)) had a goal and an assist apiece, and
Joey Rutkowski (Rome, NY/Smiths Falls Bears (CCHL)),
Justin Allen (Rochester, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)),
Brandon Osmundson (Chesapeake, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)), and
Kasper Kjellkvist (Vaxjo, Sweden/Curry College (Commonwealth Coast Conf.)) had two assists each. Netminder
Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) had 20 saves for the 28th win of his career, and he is now an impressive 6-1-2 this season. The Utica defense held the nation's leading scorer, Donald Flynn, without a single point.
The Pioneers wasted little time bringing out the heavy artillery to build a huge lead against the conference leaders. Sophomore
Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) continued his triumphant return by opening the scoring at 4:40 of the first period. Osmundson and
Jacob Cuffley (Kanata, ON/Smiths Falls Bears (CCHL)) had the assists. Wilkes's Dylan Kuipers committed a hooking penalty immediately following the goal, and the Pioneers doubled down on their lead on the ensuing power play.
Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) netted his fifth of the year, assisted by Landrigan and Osmundson, and the Utica surge was on from that point forward. Fritz scored his second goal of the night, and Cavanagh and
Jarrod Fitzpatrick (Wakefield, MA/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) each tallied as well before the end of the first period for a 5-0 lead.
Utica outscored the Colonels 3-2 in the second period, with Cavanagh notching two more tallies to complete the hat trick. His hat trick goal was scored with less than ten seconds remaining.
Donovan Ott (Lebanon, PA/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (ECAC Hockey)) struck on the power play at 17:08 to round out the middle frame scoring as the Pioneers led 8-2. Wilkes scored a solitary goal in the third, but a 12-6 shots on goal margin in the final period helped the Blue and Orange close the deal on 8-3 win.
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday against King's College in a game scheduled for 1 p.m.
