UTICA, NY - The #3 Utica College men's ice hockey team overcame a stern test to win on Sunday. Visiting Cortland State pushed Utica to its limit, taking a scoreless game into the third period. Junior forward Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Syracuse Stars (NCDC)) broke the stalemate with a goal at 1:10 of the third period, and graduate student Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) added insurance with an empty net goal to disrupt a spirited comeback try as the Pioneers won 2-0 in a non-conference game at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Utica improves to 11-2 this season with the weekend sweep. They finish their six-game homestand with a 5-1 record. Cortland falls to 9-5-1. 

For a 31st time in 32 games, Utica out-shot its opposition. This time, it was to the tune of a 46-30 count. The Pioneers power play was 1-for-6 in a game which showcased 34 minutes in penalties. The Red Dragons were held to 0-for-2, as the Utica penalty kill silenced opponents for an eleventh straight contest. UC was credited with eleven blocked shots and won 37 of 63 faceoffs. 

Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) had two assists, while Larsson and Everson had the goals. 

Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) extended his school-record with his ninth career shutout. He made 30 saves to out-duel Cortland's Luca Durante, who turned away 44 shots. 

The first 40 minutes of the game were back-and-forth gridlock. Utica had the vast majority of the play in their favor in the first period, to the tune of a 15-6 shots on goal advantage. Cortland held a slight edge in shots through the second period, as the teams misfired on two power play chances apiece. 

A physical standoff at the end of the second period allowed the opening stages of the third period to change everything. A roughing minor on Cortland's Jona Hildreth, and an additional unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Johnny Facchini put Utica on an eventual 4-on-3 advantage once a second period penalty to Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) had expired. Just over a minute into the period, Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) wired a pass to the bottom of the right circle for a shot by Zapata. Durante stacked the pads to stop the Zapata chance, but Larsson blasted in the rebound to break the tie and grab a 1-0 lead. The goal was Larsson's sixth of the season. He now has a goal in four consecutive games. 

Cortland made an energetic comeback bid with the extra attacker on, but numerous timely shot blocks and some key saves by Dickson bought time for the Pioneers to put the matter to rest. They did so with under 30 seconds to play on an empty net. Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) blocked a shot by Cortland's Nick Grupp at the point and it found Zapata on the wing. With a backchecker hustling back to break up the play, Zapata slid it back across to Everson, who scored on the empty net for his first goal of the season as Utica polished off a 2-0 win. 

The Pioneers will be back in action on Friday, as they kick off a four game road trip at Neumann. Start time for the conference game is set for 7 p.m. in Aston, Pennsylvania.