UTICA, NY - The #6 Utica University men's ice hockey team continues on its seven game Fall homestand this weekend as it hosts Wilkes University for a two-game United Collegiate Hockey Conference series. The series opener, which is also Bonadio Group Night, will be played on Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday's game takes place at 2 p.m. Both games will be held at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Getting Into The Game: Click here to buy tickets online!

Follow Along: Live video and stats will be available at portal.stretchinternet.com/utica. Both games will also be aired on WPNR 90.7 FM and online at pioneerradio.org. 

Where We Stand: The Pioneers are 4-2 overall, with four straight wins following an 0-2 start. The Pioneers are a perfect 4-0 in UCHC play with two overtime wins included. The Pioneers are second in the UCHC standings with ten out of a possible twelve points.

We Meet Again: These will be the twelfth and thirteenth meetings all-time against the Colonels. The Pioneers hold an impressive record of 9-1-1 against Wilkes, with the tie getting also credited as a shootout win. Utica was 2-0-1 against Wilkes last year including that game, which took place in February. The shootout clinched Utica's ninth regular season league crown. Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) and Brandon Osmundson (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) were successful on their shootout attempts, while Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) scored the team's only goal of regulation. Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) stopped 33 shots. The Pioneers won the other two games between the two sides last season. In the regular season, Utica notched a 3-2 win as Jamie Bucell netted the third period winner at home. The Pioneers went on to capture the UCHC Tournament Title against the Colonels with a 7-4 win. Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) scored twice to button up the program's third postseason championship. 

The Weekend That Was: The Pioneers posted a pair of three-goal wins over Chatham by scores of 5-2 and 6-3. In Saturday's 5-2 win, Utica scored two goals in the first 1:27, and five different Pioneers lit the lamp on the way to victory. Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)), Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)), and Lucas Herrmann (Elma, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) scored in the first 40 minutes, while Chatham netted the first two goals they've ever scored at the Aud to stay in contact at 3-2 after two periods. Cameron Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL)) and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) scored third period goals as the Pioneers pulled away. In Sunday's 6-3 win, the Pioneers built another quick 2-0 lead, only to be countered by a pair of power play goals for a 2-2 score after the first period. Utica responded with a four goal run in the second period to put the game away. Cameron Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL)) scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Pioneers, while Josh Kagan (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Powell River Kings (BCHL)) netted the game-winner on his first goal of the season. 

Back In Business: All-American forwards Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) and Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) have reprised their roles from last year as two of Utica's top-scoring forwards. The pair are among three Utica forwards averaging a point per game or more. Zapata has eight points on three goals and five assists this season, while Cavanagh has seven points on four goals and three assists. Zapata's 1.33 points per game ranks 27th nationally, and his next point will be the 90th of his career.  Cavanagh will be very much on milestone watch this weekend, as the fifth-year forward has 97 career points to his name. Sunday's win over Chatham was Cavanagh's 70th consecutive appearance in the Utica lineup. 

I AM OZ: With an assist in Sunday's game, Brandon Osmundson (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) sits on the edge of a huge milestone at 99 career points. His next point would place him as just the fifth player in program history to hit 100 points in their Utica career. This season, he has six points on three goals and three assists, including a pair of multi-point games during the Stevenson weekend. He is tied for 77th nationally in points per game with a point-a-game average.

At The Century Mark: With Osmundson and Cavanagh chasing the milestone, it's worth noting that just one active player on the Utica roster has 100 career points, as Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) currently has 108. 77 of those points came from his three years at Curry College. Curran has an assist in three of his last four games, and has four assists this season in total. He is 62nd nationally in assists per game.

Welcome to the Party: A long-awaited milestone became reality for sophomore forward Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)) on Sunday. At 9:38 of the second period, Murphy netted the first goal of his collegiate career to build a 6-2 lead and polish off the Utica scoring in the game. The goal was also Murphy's first collegiate point. The Oriskany resident has fifteen shots on goal in eight career games. 

Dominating The Dots: The Pioneers are winning a solid 60 percent of their faceoffs so far this season. That figure includes three consecutive games where the Pioneers have won 40 or more draws, including a season-high 48 in Sunday's win over Chatham. Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) is the team's best faceoff man among everyday centers with a 67.7 percent win rate, and he won 22 of the team's 48 faceoff wins on Sunday. 

Service Has Been Restored: After a tough-luck start on the power play, the Pioneers rebounded to bury a pair of power play goals during the Chatham series. Cameron Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL)) and Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) scored the extra man markers as part of a 2-for-4 outing on the power play in a 6-3 win. The goals raised Utica's percentage to fourteen percent this year. 

About Wilkes: The 2021-22 UCHC Runners-Up are off to a tough start without many of the key pieces from their inaugural class. They currently have a 2-3-1 overall record, and a 1-2 UCHC record. Wilkes is coming off a split against Manhattanville in which they won 4-3 in overtime on Saturday, and fell 3-1 on Sunday. Freshman Matt Carlson has four points on two goals and two assists in five appearances this year, while veteran skaters Jimmy O'Kane and Phil Erickson have four points apiece. Former Union College netminder Garrett Nieto has taken the starting job and has stopped 92.1 percent of the shots he's faced this season. 

What's Next: The Pioneers will host Plymouth State and Trine for the Delta Hotels by Marriott Thanksgiving Showcase on November 25th and 26th.