UTICA, NY - The #2 Utica Pioneers men's ice hockey team sets its sights on returning to the conference finals for a sixth time in the last seven years as it hosts a United Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament semifinal game at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The top-seeded Pioneers will host sixth-seeded Manhattanville at 7 p.m.
Follow Along: Live Video and Stats are available for all Utica home games are available at portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/, and video is also available on the FREE Empire 8 app available for a multitude of streaming devices. Additionally, the game will be on local radio at WPNR 90.7 FM and PioneerRadio.org. Sports Information Assistant Ray Biggs '13 is back for an eleventh season of play-by-play with the team and will take you through Saturday's game.
The Record: Utica sits at a 23-2-1 overall record and is fresh off the winningest regular season in program history with 22 victories in its first 25 games. The Pioneers are unbeaten in their last seventeen games, which is the second-longest unbeaten streak in program history. The Blue and Orange continues a tradition of excellence with four consecutive 20-win seasons in years where it has been mathematically possible to achieve that mark. The squad has been ranked in the top three of the USCHO Men's Top 15 all season, most recently at number two.
In League Play: The Pioneers were 17-0-1 in league play this season, and captured the UCHC regular season title by seven standings points over second place Wilkes University, who was the only team to put any sort of blemish on the team's conference record with a late season tie. Utica is the first men's team in UCHC history to finish the regular season with an undefeated conference record. The program has won nine regular season conference championships.
How They Got Here: Top-seeded Utica clobbered eighth-seeded Lebanon Valley in the opening round by an 11-1 score on Tuesday. The Pioneers led 4-1 after the first period before shattering any remaining hope for the opposition with a seven goal second period. Fourteen different Pioneers recorded a point in the lopsided contest, and Utica scored five power play goals. Cameron Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL)) and Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) put up two goals apiece for the Pioneers, with Zapata also corralling three assists. Defenseman Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) had a goal and six assists. Justin Allen's (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) two assist night made him the highest-scoring defenseman in program history, as he broke out of a three-way tie with Dalton Carter and Daniel Fritz for the program record at that position. Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) also added on a three-assist night.
Sixth-seeded Manhattanville got a huge first period to lead them to victory in their quarterfinal against third-seeded Stevenson. The Valiants scored three goals in the first 20 minutes to prevail by a 4-1 score in Owings Mills, Maryland. AJ Bella scored twice for the Valiants, including a power play goal that opened the scoring. Josh Fletcher and Raymond Speerbrecker also scored for Manhattanville.
We Meet Again: Utica is meeting the Valiants for the second time in the span of a week. On Saturday, February 19th, the Pioneers hosted Manhattanville and won by a 6-2 score. Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) and Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) each had two goals apiece to lead the Pioneers. Goaltender Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) returned from injury and stopped 22 shots to grab the win. Utica won 37 of the 55 faceoffs in the game, and the Pioneers were a perfect 3-for-3 on the power play. Jarod Lavallee and Josh Fletcher scored the Manhattanville goals. The Pioneers also won the preceding meeting by a 3-2 score in Rye, NY on Saturday, January 15th. Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)), Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)), and Cameron Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL)) scored the Pioneer goals, while Jamie Dorsey and Artem Mateichenko netted goals for the Valiants.
Last Time In This Round: The Pioneers were eliminated in the 2021 semifinals by eventual champion Elmira College by a 2-1 score in triple overtime. That game was the fourth-longest game in Division III history. Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) scored the Utica goal.
The Last Playoff Game Against M'Ville: The Pioneers last saw Manhattanville in a playoff game in the abbreviated 2020-21 season. Utica won that game by a 9-0 score. Former Pioneers Dylan McMahon (Kanata, Ontario/Kanata (CCHL)) and Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) had two goals apiece along with current Utica junior John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)). Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)), Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)), and Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) each had a goal.
The Series: This will be Utica's 61st game all-time against Manhattanville, with the Pioneers holding a 31-24-5 edge in the series. The Blue and Orange has claimed fifteen of the last sixteen meetings, and the Pioneers have not dropped consecutive meetings since the 2011-12 season.
Big Time Numbers: The Pioneers sport the nation's top scoring offense at 5.88 goals per game, the top scoring defense at 1.31 goals allowed per game, and the nation's leading power play at 35.1 percent this season. They are also second on the penalty kill at 91.5 percent.
Dishing Duo: Senior defenseman Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) and junior forward Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) are tied for fourth nationally at 1.12 assists per game. Each member of that pairing has 29 assists this season, and are both one assist away from tying Jimmy Sokol's single season record of 30, which was set in the 2003-04 season.
Between Two Posts: Senior goaltender Sean Dickson (San Francisco, CA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL-Premier)) leads the nation with a 1.26 goals against average, and also is tied for second nationally with four shutouts. The Pioneers' backstop is 14-1 this season and has turned aside 93 percent of opposing opportunities. He has 27 career victories to his name. Fourteen wins is tied for the fourth most ever in a single season at Utica, while Dickson's 27 career wins is fourth-most in school history.
The 40 Club: Before this season, a Pioneer had a 40 point season just seven times over the life of the Utica men's hockey program. This season, three players have eclipsed the 40 point mark for the first time. Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) leads the way with 43 points on fourteen goals and twenty nine assists. He was the first Pioneer this season to eclipse 40 points. Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) has joined Larsson on the list with a team-high 17 goals en route to a 42 point campaign at this point. Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) has 41 points on sixteen goals and 25 assists. All three players have a chance to catch Gregg Burmaster and Jimmy Sokol's shared record for points in a season, which stands at 46. Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (USPHL-NCDC)) and Brandon Osmundson (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) appear to be next in line to hit the 40 point mark at 37 and 35 points, respectively. Osmundson is already on the list after a 42 point rookie season.
News and Notes: Junior forward Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) is the reigning UCHC Player of the Week. He has points in six out of his last seven games, including four multi-assist games over that span. He leads the team with an average of 1.65 points per game. Senior forward Brett Everson (Mississauga, Ontario/Hawkesbury (CCHL)) has scored a goal in his last three playoff games dating back to last season. Sophomore defenseman Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) is now 38th in the nation with an average of 1.23 points per game. Junior forward John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) has a team-leading 18 goals, but is sixth on the team in points with 34. Moncovich is thirteenth nationally at 0.69 goals per game. Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) is second in the nation with eight power play goals,and now has fifteen for his career. Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) recorded the 100th point of his career last weekend. Junior forward Brandon Osmundson's (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) first three career points came against Manhattanville as a freshman. He did so with a natural hat trick to rally Utica to a 5-2 win on November 8th 2019.
About The Valiants: Manhattanville is 10-12-3 overall this season. They have lost three of their last five games under second-year head coach David Turco. They average a solid 3.2 goals per game, and the power play is converting at 22.3 percent. Niko Happo has a team-leading 25 points on seven goals and eighteen assists, while Artem Mateichenko has 22 points on four goals and eighteen assists. Jarod Lavallee has a team-best 12 goals to his name. Last year, the Valiants were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Utica.
Up Next: With a win, the Pioneers will host the Chatham-Wilkes winner in the title game on Saturday, March 5th.
