UTICA, NY - The #3 Utica College men's ice hockey team continues a four-game conference road trip on Friday, January 21st and Saturday, January 22nd. On Friday, the Pioneers renew their long-running series with Lebanon Valley in a game that starts at 7 p.m. at the HersheyPark Arena in Hershey, Pa. On Saturday, the team pays its first visit to Arcadia to round out the season series against the Knights. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. Both games are United Collegiate Hockey Conference contests.
Follow Along: Live video and stats will be available for both games. Friday's game can be viewed at https://godutchmen.com/watch/?Live=1044, while Saturday's game link will be available on the day of the game.
Just For The Record: Utica is now 13-2 overall, and has won its last six contests. Over that winning streak, they are out-scoring opponents 33-9. In conference play this season, the Pioneers are now 9-0 and leading the UCHC standings by seven standings points over second place Wilkes.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers turned in two drastically different performances, but got the winning result in both games to continue their conference dominance. On Friday, UC had its second-best offensive outing of the season as they crushed host Neumann University by an 11-3 score in Aston, Pennsylvania. The Pioneers scored an astounding six power play goals and out-scored their hosts 6-0 in the second period alone. Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) led the way with a hat trick, while Cameron Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL)) scored twice. Utica got goals from eight different players over the course of the night. Saturday was far from a walk in the park. Utica acquired a 3-1 lead on a pair of early second period goals, then held a 3-2 lead for the final 32:38 in a win at Manhattanville. Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)), Cameron Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL)), and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) logged the Pioneer goals.
Player of the Week: Senior defenseman Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) was named the United Collegiate Hockey Conference Player of the Week on Monday. Allen finished with a four-point weekend in a pair of wins for Utica. On Friday, he had a goal and two assists as the No. 3 Pioneers topped Neumann 11-3. He followed that up with an assist on the game-winner as UC downed Manhattanville 3-2 on Saturday. Allen has scored two goals and six assists during his current five-game point streak.
Rookie of the Week: Freshman forward Cameron Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL)) was named the United Collegiate Hockey Conference Rookie of the Week after his breakout performance over the weekend. He had three goals over the weekend for Utica. On Friday, he netted a pair of goals to help the Pioneers down Neumann 11-3. He followed that up with the opening goal in Utica's 3-2 win over Manhattanville on Saturday.
The Big O: Utica continues to pace the nation with an average of 5.47 goals per game. The Pioneers have scored three or more goals in thirteen of their fifteen games to date, and have lost just once when scoring three goals. The Pioneers are also winning games by an average of 3.47 goals per game to lead the nation in scoring margin. UC has six players in the top 50 nationally in points per game. John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) (13-12-25), is seventh in the nation at 1.67 points per game, while also ranking second nationally in goals per game at 0.87. Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) (10-14-24), is ninth in the country with an average of 1.60 points per game, and is tied for eighteenth in assists per game. Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) (7-15-22) is 18th nationally at 1.47 points per game, and is tied for ninth nationally alongside Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) in assists per game at an average of one per contest. Brandon Osmundson (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) (9-12-21) is 21st in the nation at 1.40 points per game. He is 17th nationally with four power play goals. Defenseman Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) (6-14-20) is averaging 1.33 points per game to rank 29th nationally amongst all skaters. He is third in that category among defensemen. Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) (3-15-18) is 46th with 1.20 points per game.
Special Teams: The Pioneers have been fortunate enough to put up great numbers on both ends of the special teams battle this season. Utica is second in the UCHC and seventh nationally on the power play with a 28.4 percent success rate. On the penalty kill, Utica went eleven straight games without allowing a goal before that streak ended Friday. They are third nationally with a 91.8 percent success rate.
Who Ya Gonna Call: With his goal and three assists over two games this past weekend, Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) has continued on his mid-season tear. The junior is now on a six-game point streak which includes five goals and four assists. This season, he also has two game-winning goals to his name.
Between Two Pipes: Senior goaltender Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) is 10-1 in eleven decisions this season. The Pioneer backstop currently leads the UCHC and is third nationally with a 1.29 goals against average, and also has a conference-best 93 percent save percentage.
Opponents' Records: Lebanon Valley is 2-11 overall, while toting a record of 1-7-0 in the UCHC into Friday's game. Blake Tosto and Alex Borowiec have fourteen total points each to lead the Dutchmen. Arcadia, in its inaugural season, is 3-12 overall, and 1-7 in the UCHC. James Spaargaren has a team-best seven points.
The Series Marks: This will be the second time Utica plays Arcadia, with Utica winning the lone game by a 12-1 score back on November 5th. Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)), Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)), and John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) scored two goals apiece to pace the Pioneers past the Knights. This will be the 26th all-time meeting against Lebanon Valley, with Utica holding a commanding 21-3-1 edge all-time. Utica has won the last two, and is undefeated in the last four outings against the Dutchmen. The Pioneers won the earlier meeting this season against LVC by a 9-0 score. Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) tied the college's record for career shutouts in the win, while Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) had a four-point night with two goals and two assists. That series dates back to Utica's inaugural season. Utica got its first win over Lebanon Valley that year.
Up Next: UC returns home to face Stevenson and Chatham on January 29th and 30th.
