UTICA, NY - The No. 3 Utica University Men's Hockey team, fresh off a dominant weekend sweep against Nazareth, will continue their UCHC campaign this Friday and Saturday when they take on Brockport. Friday's matchup will mark this season's Davidson's Chevrolet of Rome Night and will see the Pioneers don their special edition orange jerseys which will once again be up for grabs at the end of the game. The opening puck drop of Friday's contest will be at 7:00 PM from the Adirondack Bank Center. The following day, Saturday, the squad will head back down the thruway to face the Golden Eagles in Brockport at Wegmans Ice Arena, continuing this season's new home-and-home conference schedule structure.
 
How to Watch: You can catch this weekend's two-game slate by heading to the "Watch" tab in the Men's Ice Hockey schedule section of our athletics website. You can also follow the links below to view each game.
(Friday) Utica Men's Ice Hockey Stream: https://www.empire8network.com/utica/
(Saturday) Brockport Men's Ice Hockey Stream: https://www.empire8network.com/brockport/
 
Keep Up with Live Stats: You can follow along with live statistics for the games by heading to the "Live Stats" tab under the matchups in the Men's Ice Hockey schedule section of our athletics website. You can also follow the links below to view live statistics for both matchups.
(Friday) Utica Men's Ice Hockey Live Statistics: https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary
(Saturday) Brockport Men's Ice Hockey Live Statistics: https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary
 
Weekend Recap: The Pioneers' UCHC title defense began in dynamic fashion, with the #3 ranked team in all of Division III putting up a staggering 11 goals in their opening UCHC tilt against Nazareth in Rochester. The visitors fought off a pesky Golden Flyer attack that saw the home team attempt to stick around in the proceedings until around the midway point of the match. Eventually, Utica powered past the Rochester-based program, with Vladislav Pshenichnikov (Moscow, Russia/Utica Comets (NCDC)) scoring three goals and nabbing a hat trick in the later stages of the game to push the Pioneers to an 11-4 victory at the Bill Gray's Iceplex in Henrietta, NY. In game 2, the Pioneers utilized what they'd learned from the previous night's matchup in a 6-1 drubbing of the Golden Flyers at the ADK Bank Center. Utica had the pedal to the metal on Saturday, shaking off a lone blemish in the second period by notching back-to-back goals less than a minute apart, securing the win and beginning their UCHC season with two strong victories. The Pioneers outscored their Western New York counterpart by a margin of 17-5 during the weekend, strengthening their case as one of the most high-powered programs in all of Division III. They also have the stats to prove this statement, as they are currently tied for the third best scoring offense in all Division III with 5.75 goals per game. On the topic of statistics…
 
Statcast: The Pioneers rank fairly high for all of Division III Men's Hockey in a variety of different statistical categories. As a team, the team has one of the most dangerous power plays in all of DIII Hockey, having converted five of their 10 power plays so far this season for a 50% power play conversion, tied for second overall in the entire division.
 
Utica has also outscored their opponents by a massive amount, with the Pioneers holding a 23/12 advantage in goals scored vs goals allowed over their first four matchups of the year. Their average margin of victory sits at 2.75 goals per game, placing them 8th in all of Division III for win margin.
 
On an individual level, the Pioneers have been one of the most well-connected teams, with their superior synergy producing four of Division III's top 21 assisters over the first few weeks. Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) ranks tied for fifth with six total assists (1.5/game), Aydin Parekh (Nobleton, ON/Georgetown Raiders (OJHL)) is tied for 14th with five total assists (1.25/game), while Preston Brighton (Brighton, MI/Amarillo Wranglers (NAHL)) and John Gutt (Middletown, NJ/Utica JR Comets (NCDC)) are both tied for 21st with 4 assists each (1 per game).
 
The Pioneers also possess a top scorer amongst the Division III goals per game rankings through the first bunch of games, with one of their forwards placing top two in the elusive category in the early season. That attacker is…


Hats Off for Pshenichnikov: Vladislav Pshenichnikov (Moscow, Russia/Utica Comets (NCDC)) is currently tied for second in the Division III goals per game category, with the Sophomore forward owning four goals in three games played for a 1.33 goals per game average. Pshenichnikov is on the precipice of a breakout season just a year after a freshman campaign that saw him score four goals and grab seven assists. In just four games this season, the Sophomore has already reached his goal-scoring total from last year, even recording a hat trick in last Friday's game against Nazareth. For his efforts, Pshenichnikov grabbed a huge sum of accolades during this week's awards cycle. In addition to being recognized within the Utica Athletics Department, the Sophomore forward also achieved both Empire 8 Player of the Week & UCHC Player of the Week recognition after his great outings, getting off to an excellent start in his second season with the Pioneers.
 
Pioneer Primer: Utica has seen 13 different players score over the course of their four games this season, with 13 players combining for 23 different scores. Five different Pioneers have multiple goals through their opening set of games, with Gutt having two, Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)), Chris Carroll (Islip, NY/New Jersey Titans (NAHL)), and Johnny Mulera (Rockville, MD/Salve Regina University (NCAA DIII)) each having three, and Pshenichnikov having a team-high four scores.
 
The Pioneers have 41 assists on 23 goals this season, marking the signs of a very well-connected team, which is par for the course with the amount of returners the Pioneers brought back this year.
 
They've also outshot their opponents 168-97, getting off many more opportunities than their opposition.
 
 
In the Polls: The Pioneers took sole possession of the #3 ranking this week in the USCHO poll after their sweep over Nazareth coupled with another idle week from the previous #3 in Trinity College due to the NESCAC's scheduling tendencies. Adrian and Hobart remain ahead of the Pioneers at #2 and #3 respectively. Conference foe Geneseo also remained at #6 in this week's poll, while another future Pioneer opponent, University of New England, skipped up to #10 in the rankings. Stevenson, one of the Pioneers former conference opponents and a participant in this year's Thanksgiving showcase, dropped just out of the rankings.
 
Adrian, Utica, and Geneseo's rankings in the USCHO poll parallel their spots in this week's DIII Hockey News poll, while University of New England and Stevenson are #14 and #15 respectively in that poll.
 
About SUNY Brockport: The SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles are off to a 0-2-2 start in the 2024-2025 season, beginning play with two ties against Saint Anselm College and Misericordia at the Buffalo State Bengals Classic, followed up by two high-scoring losses in their debut UCHC series against Manhattanville.
 
Brockport went 8-14-4 last year in what would be their final season in the SUNYAC. During their SUNYAC swan song, the Golden Eagles finished with a 5-9-2 conference record, losing in the first round of the SUNYAC Tournament to eventual champion Cortland.
 
Despite their so-so results to start the season, the Golden Eagles have been a very dangerous offensive team, scoring 3.3 goals per game over their first four contests. They've also outshot their opponents by a 137-105 margin, moving the puck well on offense and finding their fair share of great scoring chances.
 
Spencer Flansberg has the team-high in points for Brockport, with the Sophomore from Saratoga Springs having two goals and three assists so far this season.
 
Right behind him are Chase Maxwell and Jacob Gates who both have one goal and multiple assists.
 
The Golden Eagles have cycled through a few different goaltenders this season, with three different players each logging at least one start in goal through their four total games. Cole Hudson has two starts this season, manning the goal against Saint Anselm and the first game against Manhattanville. Hudson has made 43 saves at an 86% clip, allowing seven goals over his 123 minutes in net. Dax Easter and David Filak have also earned one start each over the first four game Brockport.
 
The Series - SUNY Brockport: The Pioneers have met the Golden Eagles only eight times previously, with the two teams spending their time in different conferences before this season. Utica has a great record in these games, taking seven of the matchups with the lone exception being a 2-2 tie back in 2014. That 2014 tie marks the last time that the two teams met on the ice, a 10-year period that will be brought to an end when the puck drops on Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center.
 
After Nazareth: Next weekend the Pioneers will welcome Chatham for a two-game set with both games taking place at the Adirondack Bank Center. Next Friday's matchup will be Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Day and will begin at 7:00 PM, while next Saturday's game starts at 5:00 PM.
 
Tune in this weekend as the Pioneers continue their 2024-2025 campaign against Brockport!