UTICA, NY - The No. 3 Utica University men's hockey team will host the Stevenson University Mustangs this weekend for its first set of United Collegiate Hockey Conference games of the year. Puck drop on Friday is set for 7 p.m. while Saturday's puck drop for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Day will be at 2 p.m. 
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend can keep up with live video and/or stats through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. 
 
Last Time Out: After settling for a scoreless draw on Friday, the then-No. 6 Utica University men's ice hockey team took ownership of overtime last Saturday. The man of the moment was freshman defenseman Griffen Barr (Nanaimo, BC/Vernon Vipers (BCHL)), whose one-time bullet from the left wing beat Adrian netminder Dershahn Stewart and caught the back of the twine 48 seconds into overtime to lift the Pioneers to a 3-2 win over the No. 2 Bulldogs at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The Pioneers improved to 1-0-1 and will mathematically go over 365 days without a regular season loss in the upcoming week. They are unbeaten in their last 25 regular season games dating back to a pair of opening weekend losses at Adrian last year, and have not lost a regular season home game since a setback to then-#1 Geneseo in the 2021 Utica Thanksgiving Showcase tournament. The Pioneers carried a 35-29 advantage in shots on goal. They finished the matchup 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Bulldogs went 2-for-4 to score both of their goals in the loss. Nine different Pioneers recorded a single point each as part of a balanced offensive performance. All three goals came from newcomers, as rookie blue liners Domenick Evtimov (Northbrook, IL/Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)) and Barr scored their first intercollegiate goals, and Michael Herrera (Syracuse, NY/Utica Comets (NCDC)) scored the second of his college career. Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)), Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)), Alexander Gullichsen (Turku, Finland/Aberdeen Wings (NAHL)), Chris Carroll (Islip, NY/New Jersey Titans (NAHL)), Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, ON/Georgetown Raiders (OJHL)), and Khristian Acosta (Port Monmouth, NJ/Mercyhurst University (NCAA DI)) added assists. In net, Ethan Roberts (Cary, NC/University of St. Thomas (NCAA DI)) notched his first win at Utica with 27 saves, while Dershahn Stewart turned away 32 for the Bulldogs. After an 0/6 clip on the power play in Friday's game, the Bulldogs set their man advantage unit on the rails to grab the early lead. A cross checking penalty on Michael Herrera (Syracuse, NY/Utica Comets (NCDC)) set the table for the Bulldogs' Riley Murphy to score his first goal of the season, with Matthew Rehding and Jaden Shields picking up the assists at 3:46. Both teams registered nine shots apiece for the period as Adrian finished off the frame up 1-0. The Pioneers overturned that deficit to open the second period, starting with a power play goal of their own at 2:28. Domenick Evtimov (Northbrook, IL/Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)) scored his first intercollegiate goal by snapping a right wing shot through a net front screen and past Stewart to level the score at a goal apiece. Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)) and Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)) had the power play helpers. Herrera put the Pioneers in the drivers' seat with his first goal in a Pioneer uniform at 11:50 of the middle frame. Rookie Alexander Gullichsen (Turku, Finland/Aberdeen Wings (NAHL)) had his first point with an assist on the play, and sophomore Chris Carroll (Islip, NY/New Jersey Titans (NAHL)) snagged his fifth collegiate assist as the home team snagged a 2-1 lead. That lead had a short lifespan, as a five minute major penalty to Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI/Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)) put the Pioneers in a tough spot in the latter stages in the period. The Pioneers held strong for much of the penalty kill, but Connor May potted a one-time chance from the left wing just over four minutes into the five minute advantage to tie the game at two apiece. Ryan Pitoscia and Theo Trun had assists on Adrian's second power play marker at 16:23. The teams wrapped up the frame knotted at a pair apiece. Neither team scored in the third, setting the table for the Pioneers to polish off the win in overtime. That's where Barr made his magic happen with his first intercollegiate goal sending a hungry crowd home happy. Acosta and Della Rovere picked up the assists on the play, with Della Rovere's being the first of his career. 
 
Saturday's Sponsor: Excellus BlueCross BlueShield will be the presenting sponsor for Saturday's contest. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield finances and delivers health care services across upstate New York and long term care insurance nationwide. Collectively, the enterprise provides health insurance to nearly 1.5 million members and employs more than 4,000 New Yorkers. The company has a financial strength rating of "BBB+" (Stable) by Standard and Poor's. For more information visit them at https://www.excellusbcbs.com/. 
 
Game Giveaway: As fans enter the ADK Bank Center on Saturday, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield will be sponsoring a Thunderstick noisemaker giveaway. 
 
In the Polls: Utica moved to No. 3 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 250 points to move up three spots to No. 3. The Pioneers went 1-0-1 last weekend against the No. 2 ranked Adrian College Bulldogs. Friday's game ended in a 0-0 tie while Saturday resulted in a 3-2 Utica overtime win. The entire poll can be found at https://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-mens-poll/. 
 
Barr None: Griffen Barr (Nanaimo, BC/Vernon Vipers (BCHL)) opened Pioneer career in  thrilling fashion with a game-winning, overtime goal against No. 2 Adrian on Saturday. That OT game-winner came nearly one year to the day since Utica's last one on November 5, 2022 against Stevenson University. Over his first two games, Barr has shown no hesitation on the ice as he leads the team with 10 shots on net. 
 
New Kids on the Block: Over two games the Pioneers have accumulated nine points off three goals and six assists. Half of the team's points have come from new faces. Goal scorers Griffen Barr (Nanaimo, BC/Vernon Vipers (BCHL)), Domenick Evtimov (Northbrook, IL/Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)) and Michael Herrera (Syracuse, NY/Utica Comets (NCDC)) each registered their first goals with Utica while Alexander Gullichsen (Turku, Finland/Aberdeen Wings (NAHL)) provided a helper for his first collegiate point. Also, all five newcomers have a positive plus/minus through the team's first weekend. 
 
The Brick Wall: Ethan Roberts (Cary, NC/University of St. Thomas (NCAA DI)) began his Pioneer career with a bang as he earned UCHC Goaltender of the Week honors following his first two starts. He had a fantastic weekend going 1-0-1 against No. 2 Adrian College as he registered a 1.02 goals against average, a .970 save percentage and allowed just two goals. On Friday he recorded 37 saves before notching 27 in his first career Utica win on Saturday. Over the first weekend of play, Roberts sits atop the UCHC with 64 saves and is second in save percentage and goals allowed per game. 
 
About Stevenson: The Mustangs began their season with a pair of road wins over SUNY Canton last weekend as the team outscored the Kangaroos 7-1 over both contests. Stevenson received 20 points in this week's USCHO Top 15, just two points shy of being within the top 15. John Musella and Rhett Evjen each netted two goals last weekend to combine for four of the team's seven goals. Along with his two goals, Musella added a pair of his assists to his weekend line as well. Aidan McDowell and Malcolm Palmer facilitated the puck well last weekend too, each totaling three assists over their two outings. Between the pipes, Ty Outen posted two wins and one goal allowed, by way of a power play, over his two outings against Canton. In all, Outen made 64 saves and posted a .985 save percentage. 
 
Tale of the Tape: The Pioneers lead the all-time series against Stevenson 11-1 with its lone blemish coming in the 2019-20 season. Since then, Utica has taken each of the last five matchups including a pair of road overtime wins against the Mustangs last season. This will be Stevenson's first time coming to the ADK Bank Center since January 29, 2022, where Utica came out with a 5-2 win. The Pioneers are also 5-0 all-time at home against Stevenson. 

Up Next: Utica will hit the road for the first time this season when the team travels to face Chatham University for a weekend set on November 10 and 11.