UTICA, NY - Pioneer Men's Hockey returned to the Adirondack Bank Center on Saturday night for their first game action since last season's NCAA Semifinals in an exhibition match against the SUNY Canton Kangaroos. All 27 Utica players saw ice-time due to the nature of the exhibition contest, which allowed a plethora of Pioneers to come away with standout performances en-route to a 6-1 victory over the visiting Kangaroos.

Utica saw six-different players score on Saturday night, showcasing their depth and balance on the offensive end. 

The Pioneers wasted no time getting on the board, with Austin D'Orazio (Vaughan, ON/Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL)) corralling the puck in the Utica offensive zone and finding Chris Carroll (Islip, NY/New Jersey Titans (NAHL)) who redirected the shot past the 'Roos goaltender for a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the opening period.

The second Utica goal was scored with about four minutes left in the first period, as Pioneer newcomer Anthony Bax (Parkhill, ON/Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL)) stole the puck at mid-ice and slotted the ensuing breakaway just inside the right post for a 2-goal lead. 

Mere minutes later, Michael Herrera (Syracuse, NY/Utica Comets (NCDC)) received a pass just over the blue line from Carroll, launching a slapshot at rapid pace from the right side to secure a three-goal period for the Pioneers in their first 20 minutes of the 2024-2025 season. 

Vladislav Pshenichnikov (Moscow, Russia/Utica Comets (NCDC)) received a centering pass from John Gutt (Middletown, NJ/Utica JR Comets (NCDC)) and hit a trailing shot from right in front of the Kangaroos goal for Pioneer score #4.

Gutt's helper on the fourth score began a streak of three-straight goals that the Pioneer center assisted, the second of which came late in the second period when he poked the puck away from a Canton defender, straight into the stick of Gabriel Lundberg (Gothenburg, Sweden/Janesville Jets (NAHL)) who fired it home to give Utica a 5-1 lead entering the third period.

Utica's final goal of the night was scored on an elite offensive play, with Pioneer Captain Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)) finding Gutt along the boards on the offensive end and Gutt immediately sending it to Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) who put away a point-blank score to bring the tally to its final spot at 6-1 Utica.

The Pioneers also saw all three of their goaltenders receive time in the goal, shutting down the Canton attack save for a single first period blemish. 

Utica outshot Canton 48-14 over the three-period exhibition. The Pioneers will return to Adirondack Bank Center next Friday when they welcome the SUNY Potsdam Bears for their final exhibition. 

The Pioneers' regular season will begin on November 2nd when they travel to Michigan for a two-game set with #3 Adrian College. 

Final Offensive Tallies:
#28 John Gutt (Middletown, NJ/Utica JR Comets (NCDC)) - 3 Assists
#11 Chris Carroll (Islip, NY/New Jersey Titans (NAHL)) - 1 Goal, 1 Assist
#26 Anthony Bax (Parkhill, ON/Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL)) - 1 Goal
#8 Michael Herrera (Syracuse, NY/Utica Comets (NCDC)) - 1 Goal
#7 Vladislav Pshenichnikov (Moscow, Russia/Utica Comets (NCDC)) - 1 Goal
#30 Gabriel Lundberg (Gothenburg, Sweden/Janesville Jets (NAHL)) - 1 Goal
#12 Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) - 1 Goal
#10 Austin D'Orazio (Vaughan, ON/Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL)) - 1 Assist
#16 Alexander Gullichsen (Turku, Finland/Aberdeen Wings (NAHL)) - 1 Assist
#4 Aydin Parekh (Nobleton, ON/Georgetown Raiders (OJHL)) - 1 Assist
#2 Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)) - 1 Assist