PITTSBURGH, PA - The No. 4 Utica University men's hockey team completed the season sweep of the Chatham University Cougars on Saturday with a 7-3 win.
For the Pioneers,
Michael Herrera (Syracuse, NY/Utica Comets (NCDC)) notched a pair of goals while the other five came from
Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)),
Domenick Evtimov (Northbrook, IL/Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)),
Vladislav Pshenichnikov (Moscow, Russia/Utica Comets (NCDC)),
Aiden Hughes (Mississauga, ON/Milton Menace (OJHL)) and
Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)). For Pshenichnikov it marked the first goal of his collegiate career.
Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) led the team with a pair of assists while
Eric Vitale (Toronto, ON/Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)),
Gabriel Lundberg (Gothenburg, Sweden/Janesville Jets (NAHL)), Pshenichnikov, Herrera and Hughes each had one. In goal,
Ethan Roberts (Cary, NC/University of St. Thomas (NCAA DI)) made 17 saves as he picked up his fourth win of the season.
On the evening, Utica outshot Chatham 38-20 on goal and 72-40 overall. The Pioneers also claimed the faceoff battle as the team controlled 42 of the 74 in the game. Each side tallied a power play goal while Utica also came up with two shorthanded tallies.
In fact, Utica's first goal of the contest came shorthanded via Pshenichnikov in just the third minute of the period with the assist going to Herrera. That would serve as the lone score of the opening frame as the game moved into the second with the Pioneers ahead 1-0.
Much like Utica in the first, the Cougars struck quickly in the second. A mere 48 seconds into the fresh period, Carson Grainer got one past Roberts to even the score 1-1. However, Utica eventually found a way to separate itself from Chatham.
Between 7:22 and 11:19, Utica rattled off three goals to create some breathing room at 4-1. The first of three goals within the four-minute span came off the stick of Herrera, who, like Pshenichnikov, did so shorthanded. The next Pioneer score was thanks to Hughes before Herrera capped off the scoring spree with assists by Pshenichnikov and Lundberg.
In the third, Utica extended its lead to 5-1 with Breault notching his third of the year.
Despite the large deficit, the Cougars refused to back away. Goals at 9:10 and 13:13 brought the game back within two scores. However, the Pioneers ensured that would be as close as their counterparts would get.
Scoville netted a power play goal with under two minutes to play before Evtimov scored on an empty netter to seal the game with a 7-3 win.
Utica (4-0-2, 3-0-1 UCHC) will remain on the road next weekend when the team travels to take on Wilkes University on Saturday and Sunday.
