PITTSTON, Pa. - The No. 6 Utica College Men's Ice Hockey team can now count its win streak at seven consecutive games. The Pioneers left no doubt that such a streak would be the reality on Saturday in defeating UCHC opponent King's College. Kasper Kjellkvist (Vaxjo, Sweden/Curry College (Commonwealth Coast Conf.)) scored the first three goals of the game for a natural hat trick, and the Pioneers blew the doors off of the Monarchs in the third period with eight goals in the final 20 minutes for a 10-0 win at the Revolution Ice Center in Pittston, Pennsylvania.

The Pioneers remain unbeaten in the 2020 calendar year with the win. They recorded a season-high with ten goals, and also notched their first shutout of the season behind freshman Joseph Giacobbo's (Deptford, NJ/Rockland Nationals (CCHL)) first career clean sheet. Giacobbo made 16 saves between the pipes. Utica wraps up a five game road trip at 5-0 heading into the team's next home games on January 25th and 26th.

Kjellkvist was one of five Pioneers to compile a three point afternoon. Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)), Jarrod Fitzpatrick (Wakefield, MA/Northern Cyclones (EHL)), and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) recorded a goal and two assists each. Donovan Ott (Lebanon, PA/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (ECAC Hockey)) tacked on three assists. Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)), Buster Larsson (Bunkeflostrand, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)), John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)), and Brendan Schultz (Schaumburg, IL/Topeka (NAHL)) each added a goal as well. Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)), Tyler Pietrowski (Curtice, OH/Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL)), and Justin Allen (Rochester, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) logged a pair of assists each.

Utica went 2-of-5 on the power play, while the Monarchs were contained to 0-for-2 on the man advantage. The team went 4-of-9 over the course of the weekend sweep. The Pioneers outshot the Monarchs 51-16.

Utica nabbed the lead early during what was a relatively quiet first period. At 6:46, Kjellkvist canned his first goal of the day at even strength, with Ott and Cavanagh picking up the assists. Utica outshot King's by just a 10-9 margin in the first period.

Sensing that the Monarchs were too close for comfort, the Pioneers dominated time of possession in the second period with a 23-4 shots on goal advantage. They were largely kept off balance by King's netminder Eric Daniel. The goaltender turned away 22 of the 23 shots he faced in an otherwise lopsided frame. In spite of that effort, the Pioneers doubled down on their early lead by way of Kjellkvist. At 11:51 of the second period, Kjellkvist buried his second goal of the afternoon to give Utica more breathing space with a 2-0 lead after two periods.

A close game would not last much longer. Kjellkvist served as the catalyst for the Pioneers in the third, scoring his third of the day with just 23 seconds elapsed in the period for a natural hat trick. The natural hat trick is Utica's second of the season, a feat that has not been accomplished previously by the team in its nineteen year history.

From that point on, the floodgates sprung wide open. Utica scored seven more goals off the tape of seven different scorers, including Brendan Schultz's (Schaumburg, IL/Topeka (NAHL)) first goal as a Pioneer, and the team rode an 18-3 gap in shots on goal to aid them in closing the deal.

UC is now 5-0 all-time against the Monarchs, and has outscored King's 23-1 over the last three meetings.

The Pioneers will return home after more than a month away from the Aud on Saturday, January 25th. Utica will meet UCHC rival Neumann that evening at 7 p.m. On Sunday, January 26th, the Pioneers will host Manhattanville in a reprise of the 2019 UCHC Championship Series. The Manhattanville game will feature a matinee start time of 3 p.m.