ROCHESTER, NY - Even after a pair of weeks away from competition, the beat goes on for the Utica College men's hockey team. The Pioneers showed very few signs of rust after the layoff, as they grabbed the lead at 15:11 of the first period and got a massive third period to ensure a wire-to-wire win by a 6-0 score over host Nazareth College at the Bill Gray's IcePlex in Rochester.
The conference win was Utica's fourth straight victory, and pushes the Pioneers to a 4-1 record overall and in conference. It also moves Utica into first place at night's end as the Pioneers currently hold an 80 percent points percentage to narrowly overtake previous leader Stevenson in the standings. The Mustangs were idle tonight and will play Chatham on Saturday. Utica plays Nazareth again on Saturday at 7 p.m. inside the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
The game marked the second shutout in a three game period for Utica, and also marks the third time this year that the Pioneers have scored six goals or more. UC outshot their hosts 32-11, and were a sparkling 2-for-2 on the power play.
Individually, the Pioneers got the second shutout of the season from junior goaltender
Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) with an 11 save blanking. Additionally,
Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) and
Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) continued their recent hot streaks with two goals and an assist apiece. Landrigan has a point in over twenty straight games, and Zapata has a point in the last four games completed. Landrigan cracked the 100 point mark in his career with the update to his cumulative totals tonight, although his true 100th point came in the suspended game against Elmira, which will be completed on Tuesday. Regardless of timing, he is just the fourth player in school history to achieve that milestone.
Jamie Bucell (Garfield Heights, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) also continued his roaring senior season with a goal.
John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) had an assist and has a point in every game this season.
The lion's share of possession belonged to the Pioneers in the first, as they silenced the Golden Flyers en route to a 7-1 shots on goal advantage. It paid off just past the fifteen minute mark when
Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) redirected a shot from the point for a 1-0 lead and the only goal of the first period.
Buster Larsson (Bunkeflostrand, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)) and
Vaden McManus (Fayetteville, NC/Hampton Roads (USPHL)) grabbed the assists.
In the second period, it was the power play's turn to broaden the Pioneer lead. After Nazareth's Matteo Capriotti was seated for interference, the Golden Flyers learned the hard way about giving
Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) time and space to shoot the puck. Landrigan looped down to the hashmarks and stickhandled his way into a window to shoot the puck, then flicked it past Nazareth netminder Rafael Provencher for a 2-0 lead. Zapata got the lone assist on the only goal of the second period. UC out-shot Naz 13-7 with the long change.
A 2-0 lead transformed into a comfortable one in the third period as the Pioneers erupted for a quartet of goals. Landrigan got the scoring started with a positively vicious wrist shot to the short side of the net at 1:43.
The momentum snowballed quickly as the Pioneers jumped right back on the offensive after the early third period strike.
Jamie Bucell (Garfield Heights, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) danced his way past Provencher for a goal eighteen seconds later, a goal that increased the lead to 4-0 and would close out the night for the Nazareth starter. With Nazareth reserve netminder Gage Roberts in, the Pioneers would score twice more as Zapata netted the team's second power play goal, and Schultz finalized the scoring with his second of the season to complete the 6-0 rout.
The Pioneers host Nazareth at the Aud on Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
