UTICA, NY - The #3 Utica College men's ice hockey team wraps up the 2021 portion of the schedule on Friday, December 3rd, and Saturday, December 4th with an anticipated home weekend. On Friday, the Pioneers enter an important conference battle against undefeated and nationally-ranked #11 Wilkes. On Saturday, one of the region's favorite holiday traditions returns as Utica hosts King's College in the 17th edition of the New York SASH Teddy Bear Toss. Both games are United Collegiate Hockey Conference games, and puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. both nights at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. 

Follow Along: Live video and stats are available for both games by visiting portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. UC Sports Information Assistant Ray Biggs and WPNR Advisor Doug Croft will have the online and radio call of Friday's game, with the broadcast also available at PioneerRadio.org and WPNR 90.7 locally. Croft will handle Saturday's game with UC student Jeff Kopek. 

Smile For The Cameras: In addition to Friday's options, Saturday's game will also be televised on local TV by WKTV NewsChannel 2. Biggs moves over to the play-by-play chair for WKTV, and will be joined by WKTV sports director Spencer Davidson. That broadcast will be available at https://www.wktv.com/livestream, at over-the-air channel 2.1, or on cable and satellite systems in the Utica area. There is also a free WKTV app available for some streaming devices. 

Time To Warm Up The Arms: At Saturday's New York SASH Teddy Bear Toss, fans will throw their teddy bears onto the ice after Utica's first goal for collection and distribution to local children through Toys for Tots, Operation Sunshine, and the Utica City School District. Close to 50,000 teddy bears have been collected. The game is sold out for a tenth consecutive edition, and is one of the largest of its kind in the United States. The efforts of Pioneer fans have inspired others regionally to take up the cause, with numerous other collegiate and professional teams now participating in their own versions. The 2018 edition of the event was featured on the nationally syndicated TV Show "Inside Edition".

Teddy Bear Toss Reminders: In the spirit of getting the toys to area children as efficiently as possible, teddy bears should be new and clean. For those sitting behind the safety netting on the ends, it is prudent to remove the plastic tag hangers so that the bears do not get caught in that netting. You can bring as many as you'd like. Some fans bring them by the bagful. The occasional giant teddy bear has also been known to show up. Arrive early, as Utica has scored the teddy bear goal within the first two minutes in two of the last three Teddy Bear Toss games to be played, including Dante Zapata's (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) record of 1:01 set in the most recent contest in 2019. 

The 16th Edition: With hockey games shelved last Fall, the Pioneers took the Teddy Bear Toss on the road. Through meet-and-greet opportunities with fans and drop-off locations throughout the Utica area, over 3,000 teddy bears were collected. 

The 15th Edition: Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) smashed the event record by scoring just 1:01 into the game, and Utica went on to win by a 4-1 score over visiting SUNY Morrisville on December 14th, 2019. Nick Yzaguirre (Chicago, IL/Charlotte Rush (USPHL-Premier)), Donovan Ott, and John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) also had goals, and Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) posted a two assist performance. 

The Other Man To Do It: Zapata isn't the only man on the active roster with a Teddy Bear toss goal to his name. Graduate forward Jamie Bucell (Garfield Heights, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) also has one to his name, as he scored the anticipated tally during the 2018 game against Chatham. Bucell did so 1:47 into the second period. 

In Teddy Bear Tosses: Utica holds a 12-2-1 record all-time in Teddy Bear Toss games, and have won their last five editions since a 2014 1-0 loss to eventual national champion Trinity, which marks the only time Utica has ever been shut out in the event. The lone tie in the event occured in 2009 against Castleton. The 2016, 2012, and 2009 games all went to overtime with Utica nabbing the winner in the 2016 and 2012 games with Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) and Adam Graff scoring the deciding goals in those two games respectively. Utica went on to play in a conference championship game or the NCAA tournament in both of those seasons. The event's history began in 2005 with a game against Hamilton, as head coach Gary Heenan bested mentor Phil Grady with a 4-2 win over the Continentals. Colin Kingston scored the first teddy bear goal at 7:30 of the first period in front of 1,713 fans. Kingston is one of three players to score the goal twice in the event's history, as he also did so the following year. Tim Coffman also scored the vital goal in back-to-back seasons by making the toss happen in 2008 and 2009. Ridge Garbutt accomplished the feat in 2011 and 2013, and scored both goals in teddy bear tosses played against Salve Regina. Utica has pitched two shutouts in teddy bear toss history. 

For The Record: The Pioneers are 7-2 overall, and will dive back into conference play with a 5-0 record in the confines of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference. They fell from second to third in the latest US College Hockey Online Division III Men's Top 15 released on Monday. Both of Utica's losses have come to the two teams ranked in front of them currently. The first was a 4-3 loss on opening weekend to #2 Adrian, and the second was Saturday's 3-0 loss to #1 Geneseo. 

Aint No Rest for the Wicked: With Friday's game, four of the Pioneers' first 10 games have taken place against nationally-ranked opposition. 

The Series Marks: This will be the ninth all-time meeting against Wilkes. Utica owns a 7-1 record all-time against the Colonels, with the lone loss coming in the 2020-21 season opener this Spring by a 3-2 score. The Pioneers avenged that loss the following day with an 11-5 thrashing of the Colonels, with Jamie Bucell (Garfield Heights, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) and Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) each having a two-goal, two-assist night. Utica is a perfect 5-0 against Wilkes at the Aud, including the 2020 UCHC Championship. The Pioneers are 6-0 against King's College all-time, with three wins coming by way of shutout. In the most recent matchup in February of 2020, Utica topped King's by a 9-0 score for its fifteenth straight win. Eric Holland (Whitby, ON/Brockville Braves (CCHL)) had a hat trick for the Pioneers. 

Last Time Out: The Pioneers came in second place in the UC Thanksgiving Showcase tournament. Utica opened tournament play with a 3-0 win over Amherst College on Friday. John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)), Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)), and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) scored the Pioneer goals, while Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) set a new UC mark for career shutouts with 16 saves. On Saturday, #1 Geneseo nursed a 1-0 lead into the final minutes before potting two empty-net goals to top UC by a 3-0 score. The matchup was the first regular season matchup between the top two teams in the USCHO poll since the 2017-18 season. 

Goaltender of the Week: Senior goaltender Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) was named the UCHC goaltender of the week on Monday. He allowed just one goal in two games as the Pioneers went 1-1. On Friday, Dickson turned aside all 16 shots he faced to pick up his record-breaking eighth career shutout to become Utica's program leader in career shutouts.  He followed that up with 12 saves and allowed just one goal in a loss to nationally ranked No. 1 SUNY Geneseo on Saturday. On the year, Dickson ranks fifth nationally with a 1.00 goals against average and he also has a .935 save percentage. With Dickson in goal, the Pioneers are seventh nationally in scoring defense. 

In Conference Play: UC is out-scoring UCHC opposition at the present time by a 40-6 margin entering this weekend's games. They have out-shot conference opponents 220 to 75, and have won all five conference games by two or more goals. John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) (7-5-12) and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) (5-7-12) are UC's top two point getters in league play. 

Running the Show: Junior forward John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) leads the country right now in goal scoring after netting his ninth goal in Friday's win over Amherst College. He is only one of nine players nationally averaging a goal a game or better at the present time. He is tied for twelfth nationally with 1.67 points per game. This year, he has nine goals and six assists for fifteen points, and needs just four more total points to tie his single-season high of nineteen set as a freshman. His nine goals match the best single season total of his college career. He is four points from recording the 50th of his career. 

A Balanced Attack: Utica ranks third nationally in scoring offense at 5.44 goals per game. The Pioneers have five players in the top 50 nationally in points per game. Junior forward Brandon Osmundson (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) sets the pace for the team at 1.78 points per game to rank sixth in the nation. He has seven goals and nine assists for sixteen points, and needs three points to hit 75 for his career. Cavanagh and Moncovich are tied for twelfth at 1.67 points per game. Junior Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)) is having an outstanding campaign so far with thirteen points on two goals and eleven assists. He is tied for 27th nationally at 1.44 points per game, and is tied for eighth nationally in assists per game alongside Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) at 1.22 assists per matchup. Curran is averaging 1.33 points per game to rank in a tie for 41st nationally. 

Mr. Teddy Bear Toss: Among Utica's most impressive performers in Teddy Bear Toss games has been graduate forward Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)). In two career Teddy Bear Toss appearances, he has eight points with one goal and seven assists. He had five assists as a freshman against Neumann in 2017. In 2018, he had a goal and two assists against Chatham. In 2019, he was not in the lineup for Utica's win over Morrisville.

Needing a Rebound: Utica's power play units will be looking to rebound after being silenced on nine chances over the two games on Thanksgiving. For the season, Utica is 11-of-50 with the man advantage, good for a 22 percent conversion rate. Brandon Osmundson (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) leads the squad with three power play goals. 

The Last Time it Happened: The Pioneers have been extraordinarily good about not getting blanked at home over the years. Saturday's shutout loss marked the first time since January 8th, 2016 that Utica has not scored a goal in a home game. That day, the Pioneers tied Oswego 0-0. 

Up Next: The Pioneers return following the break to host Curry College on Saturday, January 8th, and Oswego State on Sunday, January 9th.