UTICA, NY- The nationally ranked No. 4 Utica College men's hockey team continued its tear Friday night as it cruised to a 6-0 win over visiting Chatham University in UCHC Conference action.
 
The Pioneers improve to 18-2-2 on the year (12-2-1 UCHC) and move into a tie for second place in the league standings with Stevenson University.  Utica will meet the Mustangs in a critical conference match up on Saturday at the Adirondack Bank Center.  Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
UC wasted little time getting things going as sophomore Cameron Bartkoski (Dallas, TX/Amarillo Bulls (NAHL)) found the back of the net just 1:58 into the opening period.  Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) and Kasper Kjellkvist (Vaxjo, Sweden/Curry College (Commonwealth Coast Conf.)) picked up assists on the opener.
 
Utica extended the lead with two goals just 1:29 apart later in the first period.  The first came off the stick of John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) as he deflected a shot from Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) for his fifth of the season. Justin Allen (Rochester, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) also picked up an assist on the insurance tally. Then, Tyler Dill (South Lake Tahoe, CA/Charlotte Rush (USPHL-Premier)) buried a feed from Buster Larsson (Bunkeflostrand, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)) and Brendan Schultz (Schaumburg, IL/Topeka (NAHL)) to send the Pioneers into the first intermission with a 3-0 cushion.
 
UC kept its foot on the gas in the second as it doubled its lead.  Senior captain Jarrod Fitzpatrick (Wakefield, MA/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) got his name on the scoresheet as he put a shot on goal that Chatham goalie Ricardo Gonzalez was able to get a piece of, but the puck rolled over the goal line for Fitzpatrick's fourth goal of the year.  Landrigan and Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) were credited with assists on the shorthanded tally.
 
Freshman Brandon Osmundson (Chesapeake, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) continued his sensational rookie campaign as his shot from just above the goal line somehow found its way in for his 11^th of the season.  Landrigan and Fritz again picked up assists on the play.  Osmundson has now recorded a point in 10 of his last 11 games.  
 
The Pioneers capped off the scoring at 17:42 of the second when Fritz scored one of his own to inch closer to the career record for scoring by a defenseman at UC.  Fritz has 75 points as a Pioneer, just seven shy of 2018 graduate Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)), who was named an All-American in his senior season. 
 
Senior Gianluca Baggetta (Maple, Ontario/North York (OJHL)) and sophomore Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) combined for 19 saves in the shutout, while Ricardo Gonzalaez and Karl Zodda made 20 and 27 saves for Chatham, respectively. The Pioneers have shut out opponents in back-to-back games.