UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's ice hockey team won a fifth straight game on Saturday. An offensive barrage in the first two periods was the order of the day, as the Pioneers delivered seven goals in the first forty minutes of play en route to a 7-2 win over visiting Nazareth at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

The win improves Utica to 5-1 overall, and in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference, where the Pioneers will maintain the conference lead out of Saturday's action. Nazareth falls to 0-9 and resides in eighth place.

The Pioneer power play went 3-for-5 on the night, and finished the two-game set at a 5-for-7 clip. Utica also held a 37-19 shots on goal advantage. Tonight's game also sported 95 minutes in penalties.

Senior forward Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) had a five point night on two goals and three assists, and has had points in his last six games against Nazareth while continuing his astounding twenty-plus game point streak. Brandon Osmundson (Chesapeake, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) had two goals and an assist, and Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) finished his night with a goal and two assists for the first three points of his career. Buster Larsson (Bunkeflostrand, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)) and Brandon Young (Muskegon, MI/Johnstown (NAHL)) also added goals. Joseph Giacobbo (Deptford, NJ/Rockland Nationals (CCHL)) remained undefeated in his career with a 17 save performance to earn the win.

Casey Kubara and Johnny Jackson scored goals for Nazareth. Jackson's goal is locally significant in that he scored his first collegiate goal in the same building that his father, Jim, called 499 American Hockey League games in for the Utica Devils from the late 1980s to early 1990s. Starting goaltender Gage Roberts stopped 15 of 22 shots in the loss for Nazareth.

Utica outshot Nazareth 14-2 in the first period, and the Pioneers took advantage of a pair of power play goals to get the scoring started. Buster Larsson (Bunkeflostrand, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)) torched a one-timer into the cage at 10:01, and Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) walked in with a wrist shot and beat Roberts at 15:35. Osmundson polished off the first period with his fourth goal of the season at even strength, with the time of the goal standing at 18:47. Osmundson's eventual game-winner gave Utica a 3-0 lead after one frame.

The barrage continued early in the second as Landrigan tucked in a wraparound for his second of the night at 1:01. Senior defenseman Brandon Young (Muskegon, MI/Johnstown (NAHL)) enhanced the lead to 4-0 with a short-handed goal as he beat Roberts on a breakaway at 5:09. It was the first goal for Young since the 2019 UCHC Finals. Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) completed a 6-0 run out of the gate as he ripped a point shot to the twine on the power play at 8:06.

Nazareth got its first goal of the night on the power play at 11:21 of the middle period. Veteran forward Casey Kubara was the goal-scorer for Nazareth. Any positive momentum for the visitors, however, was quickly squashed as Osmundson lugged the puck into the slot and netted his second of the night just 33 seconds later for a 7-1 lead after two periods.

Jackson scored the lone goal of the third period off a turnover in the Utica zone.

The Pioneers will be back in action as they complete their suspended game against Elmira on Tuesday. The score is 5-2 Utica going into the third period. That game will be finished at Elmira College by mutual agreement between the institutions.