UTICA, NY - The #3 Utica College men's ice hockey team plays its first road games of the 2021-22 season on Friday, November 12th, and Saturday, November 13th. On Friday, the Pioneers head to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop against Chatham University. On Saturday, an afternoon game is on tap as the Pioneers battle 2021 UCHC finalist Stevenson University at 3 p.m in Owings Mills, Maryland. Both games are United Collegiate Hockey Conference matchups.
Follow Along: Live Video and Stats will be made available by the host institutions this weekend. To watch Friday's game, visit https://pacathletics.org/watch/default.aspx?Live=3032&path=chatham, or download the PAC.TV app available for AppleTV or Roku. To watch Saturday's game, visit https://gomustangsports.com/links/mq8p5m or download the "Stevenson Mustangs Athletics" app available on Roku.
In the Polls: The Pioneers remained at their opening position of third in this week's US College Hockey Online poll. Utica has been ranked in 24 consecutive editions of the USCHO Men's Division III Top 15 dating back to February of 2019.
Off and Running: Utica is now 3-1 overall, with a 2-0 ledger in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference. UC is outscoring opponents 27-7, and has outshot opponents by an average of 27.5 shots per game. The Pioneers have won 29 of the last 34 games they have played against UCHC competition, including playoffs.
Last Weekend: UC took care of business against a pair of conference opponents from the Keystone State by a combined 21-1 margin over two games. On Friday, the Pioneers issued a thunderous welcome to conference play to first-year program Arcadia with a 12-1 shelling of the Knights at the Aud. Head Coach Gary Heenan picked up his 300th win, all of which have happened at Utica. At the heart of the lopsided score was a seven goal second period for the Pioneers. Defenseman Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) led Utica with two goals, with forwards Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) and John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) matching that output. Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) made 10 saves for his first career college win. UC had three power play goals and a short-handed goal in the Friday win.
On Saturday, goaltender Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) made his season debut and tied the UC career record for shutouts with his seventh as the Pioneers blanked Lebanon Valley by a 9-0 score. The Pioneer netminder turned away all 11 shots he faced to earn the win, and is now tied with assistant coach Adam Dekker and predecessor Gianluca Baggetta for the most all-time at Utica. Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) led UC offensively with four points on two goals and two assists. John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) scored two goals for a second straight game, and Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) had three assists. Utica out-shot the Dutchmen 50-11. The UC power play was 2-for-5, while Lebanon Valley was scoreless in its only opportunity.
Player of the Week: Senior forward Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) was named the United Collegiate Hockey Conference Player of the Week on Monday. On Friday, Cavanagh netted two goals and added two assists as the Pioneers downed Arcadia 12-1 in their conference opener. He followed that up with a goal and two assists, including the primary helper on the eventual game-winner in a 9-0 throttling of Lebanon Valley on Saturday. On the season, Cavanagh currently has eight points on four goals and four assists. His next game-winning goal will tie Evan Chlanda's program record of nine career game-winners. Cavanagh is a team-best +9 this year.
Setting the Pace: The Pioneers have picked up where they left off offensively. After leading the nation in goals per game this spring, the Pioneers have surged right back into the national lead after last weekend's games at 6.75 goals per game. UC is also tops in scoring margin, as the Pioneers are deciding contests by an average of 5 goals per game. They have eight skaters averaging over a point a game at this point of the season, helmed by Osmundson's 2.25 points per game, which ranks in a tie for sixth nationally. John Moncovich's (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) 1.25 goals per game leads the conference and is sixth nationally. The junior has a team-high five goals.
Mic Drops: Transfer forward Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) has yet to score a goal for the Pioneers, but has made his presence felt passing the puck with a team-high six assists. He is fifth in the nation in that category while also leading the conference. After being held without a point in the season opener, Curran has a point in his last three outings.
Power On: After a hard-luck start on the power play, Utica got their vaunted man advantage unit back on the rails last weekend. During the opening weekend, UC scored just once in thirteen opportunities against Adrian. This past weekend, the Pioneers were 5-of-12 between the two games. That performance raises UC to 24 percent for the campaign, which ranks 18th nationally. Brandon Osmundson (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) is tied for second in the nation with two power play goals, while John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)), Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)), Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)), and Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) have one power play goal each.
This Just-In: Senior defenseman Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) is off to a terrific start to his season. The Pioneers' Ironman has now played in 72 games without ever being absent from the lineup, and has maintained strong form offensively while forming an anchor pairing on the Pioneers' blue line with sophomore Joey Berkopec (Hamilton, Ontario/Coquitlam Express (BCHL)). Allen has five points on two goals and three assists, and is thirteenth nationally in points per game among rearguards in Division III. His plus-seven rating leads all Utica defensemen.
In Goal: Utica has already put all three netminders it has into games this season as the Pioneers continue to evaluate their options. Louis-Felix St. Jean (Montreal, Quebec/Salve Regina (CCC)) turned aside 85 percent of shots on the opening weekend against Adrian in a weekend split. Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) made 10 saves in his debut for a win over Arcadia, and Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) got the shutout against Lebanon Valley.
Series Records: Utica is 7-0 against Chatham all-time, and 7-1 all-time against Stevenson. The Pioneers defeated Chatham, but did not get to play Stevenson this Spring.
About Chatham: The Cougars are 0-1 after a 3-1 loss to Stevenson to open the season. Zack Conner scored the lone goal for Chatham on a third period power play. Chatham is coached by second-year head coach Michael Gershon.
About Stevenson: Alongside Utica, the Mustangs return one of the most experienced rosters in the conference with over 20 players back from last year's conference tournament runners-up. They are 2-0-1 overall, and 1-0 in the conference. Austin Master, Alex Rivet, Brendan Rylott, and Anthony Starzi have four points each. Ryan Kenny has maintained his hold on the starting job in net and has a GAA under two through his first three games.
Up Next: The Pioneers will head to Nazareth on Friday, November 19th at 7 p.m.
