UTICA, NY - The #2 Utica College men's ice hockey team plays its lone single game weekend of the 2021-22 season on Friday. The Pioneers will head down Interstate 90 for a United Collegiate Hockey Conference game against longtime UCHC travel partner Nazareth College. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Bill Gray's IcePlex in Rochester.
Follow Along: Live Video and Stats are available for Friday's game at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/nazareth/.
NYSCOPBA Jersey Auction: The Utica College men's hockey team will join forces with the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) to honor our military veterans with the Salute to Veterans Night on Saturday, November 27th. The Pioneers are currently auctioning off their collector's edition game jerseys from now until the November 27th game. More information is available at https://ucpioneers.com/sports/2021/11/16/AmeriCU.aspx.
A New High Mark: Utica moved up to second in the latest edition of the US College Hockey Online Division III Men's Top 15 released on Monday. The updated ranking marks the highest ranking in program history for a national Coaches' and Media poll. The previous best was third in the USCHO poll, and the now-defunct D3hockey.com poll on multiple occasions dating back to Utica's remarkable 2012-13 season. Utica has been ranked in 25 consecutive editions of the USCHO Men's Division III Top 15 dating back to February of 2019.
Where We Sit: Utica is now 5-1 this season, and 4-0 in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference. The Pioneers have won four straight since splitting a pair of one-goal games with current #3 Adrian College on opening weekend. In conference play, Utica has absolutely smashed its opposition, out-scoring opponents by a 36-5 margin. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Utica has out-scored conference opponents in regular season games by a 185-54 margin.
Last Weekend: Utica rolled over Chatham 10-1, before toppling Stevenson by a 5-3 score on the road.
Going Back-to-Back: Senior forward Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) has opened the season by playing the best hockey of his college career, and the United Collegiate Hockey Conference has responded by naming him Player of the Week in consecutive weeks. Cavanagh recorded six points over two games this weekend including four points on three assists and one goal in the team's 10-1 win over Chatham on Friday. In Saturday's 5-3 win over Stevenson, Cavanagh netted the tying goal in the first period just 18 seconds after Stevenson took a 1-0 lead in the first period. The senior then assisted on Eric Holland's (Whitby, ON/Brockville Braves (CCHL)) goal with 1:31 left in the first period to give UC a 2-1 lead. On the season, Cavanagh leads the UCHC with 14 points while finding himself tied for second with six goals. He is third nationally with 2.33 points per game. The next game-winning goal of his career will be his ninth, which will tie Evan Chlanda's school record.
Climbing the Ladder: Senior goaltender Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) is 3-0 this season, raising his career total to 16 wins at UC. He is now in sole possession of seventh on the program's list for career victories, and needs two wins to tie Evan Smith and Anthony Luckow for fifth. Earlier this season, he tied predecessor Gianluca Baggetta and goaltending coach Adam Dekker with his seventh career shutout, creating a three-way tie for the program's career record. In three appearances this season, he has a goals allowed average of 1.33.
Keys In The Ignition: The Pioneers have picked up where they left off last season offensively. UC has powered through its first six games at an average of 7 goals per game, and an average scoring margin of 5.17 goals per game, with both of those figures leading the nation. Twelve Pioneers are currently averaging a point a game or better, while five members of the team are over the ten point mark through the first six games. Utica's 12 goal outburst against Arcadia, and 10 goal eruption against Chatham are the two highest totals in a single game for a Division III Men's Ice Hockey team this season.
Paging Hampton Roads: Junior forward duo John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) and Brandon Osmundson (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) have been a pain for opponents to deal with at the start of this season. The former junior teammates have eight-game point streaks going, which date back to last year's postseason. Moncovich's seven goals lead the United Collegiate Hockey Conference, and he has five assists for a total of twelve points. He is third in the nation in goals per game. Osmundson has six goals and seven assists for thirteen points. Osmundson, the 2020 USCHO Rookie of the Year, is tied for fourth nationally in points per game. '
The Allen Wrench: While playing top pairing minutes defensively alongside Joey Berkopec (Hamilton, Ontario/Coquitlam Express (BCHL)), senior defenseman Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) has become a balanced offensive juggernaut this season. He has four goals and six assists for ten points, and his five point outing against Chatham is one of just three five-point games by any skater in the country this year. He has a pair of multi-goal games to his credit this season after racking up 11 assists in last year's 10 game campaign.
Get These Guys A Quarterback Helmet: Two Pioneer forwards have been absolutely torching the assist charts this season. Senior transfer Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) has nine assists, including at least one assist in his last five games. He has three multi-assist games this season, and has seven of those assists since he was included on a line with Moncovich and Osmundson for the Arcadia/LVC weekend. Junior forward Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)) has a team-best ten assists to go with two goals. He is second nationally in assists per game.
The Series: This will be the 27th meeting between Utica and Nazareth. Utica has won 18 times, including a 7-3 win in the most recent meeting this Spring. Nazareth has won five times, with the most recent Golden Flyer win happening in November of 2018. UC has won the last nine contests between the two. They have tied five times since the series began in 2012.
About Nazareth: Nazareth is 2-3-1 to begin their season. They most recently took a 5-2 loss against Chatham. Mitch Culver, Ray Falso, and Cole Moore lead the team with four points each. Matt Sayles has an 89.4 percent save percentage in five appearances.
Up Next: Utica will host #15 UMass-Boston, Amherst, and #1 Geneseo in the Utica Thanksgiving Tournament. The Pioneers will play Amherst on Friday at 7 p.m., before playing one of the two remaining teams the next day.
