UTICA, NY - The No. 4 Utica University men's hockey team is set to travel to Wilkes-Barre, PA to clash against (RV) Wilkes University on Saturday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 19 at 3:30 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Wilkes will provide live video here and live stats here. However, there will be a fee of $14.99 to stream the games this weekend through FloSports. This fee will be charged by way of going through the Landmark Conference website. Subscription prices for FloSports may vary depending on how one registers. If one does not wish to continue the service following this weekend's games, be sure to cancel your FloSports subscription to avoid future billing. 
 
Last Time Out: No. 4 Utica completed the season sweep of the Chatham University Cougars last 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. 
 
In the Polls: The Pioneers remained No. 4 in this week's US College Hockey Online Men's Top 15. The poll was released Monday by the national college hockey website. Utica received 256 points, including three first place votes, to hold steady at No. 4 spot. Utica went 2-0-0 last weekend with a pair of wins at Chatham University. Utica bested the Cougars 6-2 on Friday night before completing the series sweep on Saturday with a 7-3 victory. The entire poll can be found at https://wp-admin.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-mens-poll/. 
 
Weekend of Excellence: Michael Herrera (Syracuse, NY/Utica Comets (NCDC)) had a fantastic weekend against Chatham University, as the team went 2-0-0. He recorded five points with seven shots on goal over the two-game weekend. In Friday's game, he provided two assists, and in Saturday's game he came in clutch, scoring two goals in the second period with his first coming on a short-handed opportunity. 
 
Spread the Wealth: On the season so far, 20 different Pioneers have recorded at least one point for the team. Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) leads the team with eight points and also is the team leader in goals with four. He is also tied for the team lead in assists along with Khristian Acosta (Port Monmouth, NJ/Mercyhurst University (NCAA DI)) with four. The Pioneers also have 19 different players with an assist on the season, 16 of which have two or more. 
 
Conference Dominance: In UCHC rankings, the Pioneers have dominated faceoffs, winning 58.1 percent. This incredible percentage also places them sixth best across the nation for Division III hockey. They also lead the conference in goals allowed per game, allowing an average of just 1.83 goals per game. 
 
Scouting Wilkes: The Colonels are 4-1 this season and are 2-0 in UCHC play while currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak. The team has two impressive victories over No. 15 Albertus Magnus College and has received top-15 votes this season. The team is very balanced with 18 skaters recording at least one point this season. Billy Berry and Joe Johnson lead the team with six points with Johnson being the team's top facilitator with six assists. Matt Carlson, Cam Lowe, Daniel Nau, and Jimmy O'Kane are four more prime contributors with each tallying five points this season. Jack Perna is the team's top goaltender with a 4-0-0 record, a .960 save percentage with 120 saves and just five goals allowed this season.
 
The Series: The Pioneers hold an 11-1-1 record all-time against Wilkes, dating back to 2018. Utica is on a three-winning streak against the Colonels, with their most recent victory in November of last year, winning 6-1. In that matchup, Khristian Acosta (Port Monmouth, NJ/Mercyhurst University (NCAA DI)) scored one and assisted on a goal for the Pioneers, along with Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) netting a goal. 
 
Up Next: Utica will host the Delta by Marriott Utica Thanksgiving Showcase beginning on Friday, November 24 at 7:30 p.m. against St. John's University.