UTICA, NY - The No. 2 Utica University men's hockey team returns to the ice this weekend as the team travels to Purchase, NY for a pair against the Manhattanville College Valiants. The teams will meet at 7 p.m. on Friday before taking the ice again at 3 p.m. on Saturday. 
 
Follow Along: For both games, fans can watch live through https://govaliants.com/watch/?Live=602&type=Live and/or keep up with live stats at https://govaliants.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary. 
 
Last Time Out: Against a team of future NHL stars, the No. 2 Utica University men's ice hockey team just couldn't find a way past. Salvatore Guzzo scored the first two goals of the game to help the home team out to a 4-0 lead, and the Pioneers never caught up as they fell by a 6-2 score to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 Team at USA Hockey Arena. With the game being an exhibition contest, the Pioneers maintained an overall record of 8-2-1 and a nine-game unbeaten streak into 2023. Shots for the game were 33-22 in favor of Team USA. The USA Power Play was 1-for-6, while Utica was 0-for-1. Brandon Osmundson (Virginia Beach, VA/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) and Lucas Herrmann (Elma, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) netted goals for the Pioneers, with Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)), Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)), and Khristian Acosta (Port Monmouth, NJ/Mercyhurst University (NCAA DI)) picking up assists. Team USA was led by a hat trick performance from Salvatore Guzzo, while Will Smith, Ryan Fine, and Alex Weiermair had a goal apiece. In goal, Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) made 27 saves in the loss. Michael Chambre and Carson Musser combined in the winning effort for Team USA. 
 
In the Polls & League: The Pioneers opened the new calendar year No. 2 in the latest USCHO Top 15 Poll where it has held steady since the December 5, 2022 edition. Utica comes out of the break in third place in the UCHC standing with 16 points, one behind Nazareth and Chatham who are tied for first with 17 points. However, both Nazareth and Chatham have played at least two more conference games than the Pioneers thus far. The team leads the UCHC with a 1.5 margin while having scored the most goals (48) and having allowed the third-fewest goals (31) in the league. The Pioneers find themselves atop of the conference in a plethora of statistical categories including assists per game (8.27), points per game (12.64), and shots on goal per game (39.09). 
 
Mic Drop: The team leader in points, Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)), has been nothing shy of consistent throughout the first half of the season. His 12 points puts him third in the conference while his average of 1.20 per game ranks within the top 40 nationally. Curran has recorded at least one point in six of his last seven outings as well as in eight of his 10 appearances on the year. 
 
Five Star Dishes: Connor Fedorek (Bethel Park, PA/Ferris State University (NCAA DI)) has created scoring chances for his teammates ever since the senior suited up for the Pioneers. With 11 assists in 11 games played, Fedorek finds himself as the UCHC leader as well as tied for sixth in the country averaging one per game. He's recorded at least one assist in six of his last seven outings including a three assist night against Wilkes University on November 18. 
 
About Manhattanville: The Valiants enter the weekend slate 6-5-1 overall and 5-3-0 in UCHC play; good enough for fourth with 15 points. While the team's offense has averaged just over three goals per game (39 over 12 games), Manhattanville has surrendered 40 goals over its 12 outings for a minus one scoring margin. The attack is led by AJ Bella, who leads the UCHC with eight goals in 11 games played, while teammate Mason Emoff has netted five goals over 12 appearances. In goal, Sebastian Woods has started a team high eight games and owns a 6-1-1 record with a .919 save percentage. Over 479 minutes, the freshman has allowed 2.75 goals per game while stopping 251 shots. 
 
The Series: The Pioneers lead the all-time series between the teams at 30-23-5. Utica has taken the last six meetings while having posted a 16-2-0 record against Manhattanville since the 2015-16 season. The Pioneers posted a 4-0 home shutout win in the last matchup between the teams on February 26, 2022. The last time Utica made the trip to Manhattanville came on January 15, 2022 which resulted in a 3-2 Pioneer victory. 

Up Next: The Pioneers return home for First Source Night on Friday, January 13 when the team hosts Neumann University. Puck drop from the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium is set for 7 p.m.