UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's ice hockey team has a very busy week ahead to wrap up the 2020-21 season. In the midst of a stretch that features five games in nine days, the Pioneers will finish their suspended game against Elmira on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Murray Athletic Center in Elmira. On Wednesday, the team will head to Hershey, Pennsylvania to battle Lebanon Valley at 5 p.m. at the legendary Hersheypark Arena. On Saturday, the Pioneers polish off their regular season with a duel against Neumann University. Game time is labeled for 5 p.m. at the Ice Works complex in Aston, Pennsylvania.

Follow Along: Live video and stats of Tuesday's game completion, if available, will be at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/elmira/. Wednesday's game can be seen at https://godutchmen.com/showcase?Live=931, with live stats at https://godutchmen.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary. Live video for Saturday is located at https://atlanticeastnetwork.com/neumann/, with live stats at https://www.neumannathletics.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary.

What's Going On Tuesday: Tuesday will be the resumption of a previously suspended game, and will be played in Elmira by mutual agreement between both schools. Utica and Elmira were halted after two periods on Saturday, March 6th. The game has been suspended at that point, with the Pioneers holding a 5-2 lead entering the third. Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) has recorded what will be officially his 100th career point during the game and has two goals and an assist through two periods. Jamie Bucell (Garfield Heights, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) has scored a pair of goals, and John Moncovich has the remaining Pioneer goal. Joseph Giacobbo (Deptford, NJ/Rockland Nationals (CCHL)) has nineteen saves. All game stats will be added to each player's current totals following the game, and any numbers mentioned going forward in this preview reflect the totals not including this game.

An Alumni Update: Congratulations are in order for former Pioneer forward Nick Miglio (San Antonio, TX/Bismarck (NAHL)). Miglio won the south division scoring title in the German Oberliga with the Selber Wolfe this season. He had 67 points on 35 goals and 32 assists in a 36 game season. His 35 goals led the league overall.

From Where We're Sitting: The Pioneers are 5-1 overall and in conference, and sit in a tie for first alongside Stevenson with an 83.3 percent points percentage. A regular season title would be the fifth straight for the Pioneers and the eighth overall.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers delivered a pair of thunderous victories over the weekend in a home-and-home series against Nazareth College. In Friday's game, the Pioneers got four goals in the third period to pull away in a wire-to-wire shutout win by a 6-0 score at the Bill Gray's IcePlex in Rochester. Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) and Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) each scored twice for the Pioneers, and each added an assist. Utica's power play was flawless against a struggling Nazareth penalty kill unit with a 2-for-2 performance. Jamie Bucell (Garfield Heights, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) and Brendan Schultz (Schaumburg, IL/Topeka (NAHL)) scored the remaining UC goals, while Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) nailed down a shutout for the second time this season with 11 saves. The Pioneers also went on to score the first six goals in Saturday's game, which ended with a 7-2 score. Landrigan had an outstanding five points to pave the way for UC, and now has points in six straight games vs. Nazareth. Defenseman Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) had a goal and two assists for the first three points of his career, and Brandon Osmundson (Chesapeake, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) had two goals and an assist. Joseph Giacobbo (Deptford, NJ/Rockland Nationals (CCHL)) had 17 saves to remain undefeated in his career.

The Big Shot: Utica sports the current national leader in points per game. The leading man is senior captain and 2020 All-American Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)), who has points in every game this season and continues to string together multi-point games as well. He has an active point streak of over 20 consecutive games played. He is averaging 2.67 points per game for a commanding lead over the rest of the nation, and he has five goals and 11 assists for sixteen points. He is also the national leader at 1.83 assists per game. Landrigan has five goals and eleven assists for sixteen points, and will officially be looking at at least nineteen points after Tuesday, which will improve his averages. He also leads Utica in power play goals with three.

Down The List: Including Landrigan, the Pioneers have five players in the top 30 nationally in points per game. Zapata is tied for third in his sophomore season at an even 2.00 points per game with five goals, seven assists, and twelve points. Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) is thirteenth at 1.60 as he has four goals and four assists. Sophomore Buster Larsson (Bunkeflostrand, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)) is seventeenth at 1.50 points per game, and Brandon Osmundson (Chesapeake, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) is 27th, just like his jersey number, with 1.33 points per game.

But Wait, There's More: Landrigan, Brandon Osmundson (Chesapeake, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)), and Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) are all tied for twelfth nationally in goals per game. The trio has five apiece and an average of 0.83 goals per game.

Dishing It Out: The Pioneers also have six players in the top 50 nationally in assists per game, again led by Landrigan at 1.83. Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) are both averaging an assist a game or better, while Justin Allen (Rochester, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)), Buster Larsson (Bunkeflostrand, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)), and Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) all comprise the rest of the UC contingent in the top 50 of that category.

The Goaltending Has Gelled: The Pioneers are getting stronger goaltending as the weeks roll on this season. After recording two shutouts in his last three appearances, Sean Dickson (Millbrae, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) now has the second best goals against average in the entire nation at 1.01, and the fifth best save percentage at 95 percent. He is one of three goaltenders in the nation with multiple shutouts this year.

We're In Charge: The Pioneers lead the nation in scoring offense at an average of 6.00 goals per game. They are also fifth in scoring defense at 1.83 goals allowed per contest. The power play is now second nationally at 38.5 percent, and the penalty kill is a steady eighteenth at 84 percent.

What's Next: After this week's games, the Pioneers will await their UCHC Quarterfinals opponent. That game will be played on Wednesday, March 31st.