UTICA, NY - The No. 2 Utica University men's hockey team looks to clinch home ice advantage in the UCHC Tournament this weekend as the team welcomes Alvernia University to the ADK Bank Center for a pair of games. The teams will meet at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9 for Dunkin' Night before completing the two-game set at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10 on Wurth NSI night.
Follow Along: Those unable to attend can keep up with live video and/or stats for both games via
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Getting in: Limited tickets for both games are still available and can be purchased through
https://empirestatetix.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=UCP&linkID=utica&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=.
Game Sponsors: Dunkin' will serve as the presenting sponsor of Friday's game while Wurth NSI will present Saturday's contest. For more information on our partners, visit
Dunkin' and
Wurth on their websites.
Last Time Out: The then-No. 3 Utica University men's hockey team defeated the King's College Monarchs 7-0 last Saturday afternoon.
Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) (1g, 2a),
Eric Vitale (Toronto, ON/Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)) (1g, 2a),
Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) (2g, 1a) and
John Gutt (Middletown, NJ/Utica JR Comets (NCDC)) (2g, 1a) each tallied three points.
Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)) (0g, 2a) and
Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)) (0g, 2a) had two points each.
Ethan Roberts (Cary, NC/University of St. Thomas (NCAA DI)) started in net for Utica, collecting 14 saves and his tenth win of the season.
Vladislav Pshenichnikov (Moscow, Russia/Utica Comets (NCDC)) and Scoville recorded five shots each, followed by Vitale and Acosta with four. 14 other players on Utica had at least one shot on net. King's College goaltender Tyler Sayger got the start in net for the Monarchs, collecting seven saves in the first seven minutes of action.
In the Polls: The Utica University men's hockey team moved up to No. 2 in this week's US College Hockey Online Men's Top 15. The poll was released Monday by the national college hockey website. The Pioneers received 268 points this week, up from the 250 points last week, to move up one spot from their previous No. 3 ranking. Utica went on the road this past weekend and swept King's College by way of a pair of shutouts. The Pioneers topped the Monarchs 9-0 on Friday and 7-0 on Saturday. The entire Division III men's poll can be found at
https://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-mens-poll/.
Where we Stand: Utica sits atop the UCHC conference for the sixth consecutive year with a record of 15-0-1 in conference play. Their lone tie came in their first conference game of the year against Stevenson. The team has been dominant in UCHC play, outscoring teams 91-21 with a margin of victory of 4.4. They have dominated all facets of the game as they lead the conference in save percentage at .942 and have committed the least amount of penalties in conference play with 56. Utica seems primed for another deep postseason run where they seek their third straight UCHC championship. Regardless of what second place Stevenson does this weekend (max of 50 points), Utica can secure home ice advantage throughout the UCHC Tournament with five points this weekend as those five points would hand the Pioneers a total of 51 heading into the final weekend of regular season play.
Wood Ya?: Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) strung together a six point weekend to help lead Utica to a series sweep over King's College. For his efforts, he was awarded UCHC Co-Player of the Week. In Friday's 9-0 win, Wood scored the team's first goal of the night for the game-winning goal as well as the team's third to make it a 3-0 contest. He assisted on another later in the game for his third point. On Saturday, Wood scored one goal on four shots while dishing out a pair of assists for another three point performance. The junior's excellent weekend upped his point total to 21 on the year, vaulting himself to second on the team. Sitting at nine goals, Wood will seek to reach his first double-digit goal season in the coming games. He will continue to be a staple in the lineup and make a large impact down the stretch.
Eazy E: Eric Vitale (Toronto, ON/Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)) had a monster seven point weekend for the Pioneers as the team capped off a series sweep over King's College. The freshman's strong showing awarded him UCHC Rookie of the Week. In Friday's 9-0 win, Vitale celebrated his first career multi-goal game with a hat-trick as well as one assist. His three goals came over nine shots on goal. Two of his goals came in the second period while his third goal to cap off the hat-trick came with just 16 seconds to go in the game. On Saturday, Vitale scored the team's fourth goal of the game before assisting on two of the team's final three scores of the afternoon. With 20 points on the season, Vitale sits fourth on the team and first amongst all of Utica's newcomers. The freshman has been a steady presence thus far and will continue to be key for the team's late season success.
About Alvernia: In their second year as an NCAA program, the Alvernia Golden Wolves are off to an 11-8-2 start and currently sit fourth place in the UCHC standings with a 9-6-1 record in conference play. Graduate student, Logan vande Meerakker is having an incredible season, leading the conference with 29 points coming from 13 goals and 16 assists. Junior forward Isaac Chapman has been another premier offensive threat for the team, scoring 13 goals as well along with 11 assists. Jackson Fellner has been solid in net, allowing only 2.43 goals per game with a .925 save percentage. Sitting as the four seed right now, Alvernia seeks to make a strong late season push to host a playoff game for the first time in program history.
Series History: Utica defeated Alvernia 4-1 and 6-0 last season in what was the program's first season as a team.
Lucas Herrmann (Elma, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) led the team with three goals in these contests while
Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) had two. The Golden Wolves are an improved team in their second year and should give Utica more of a battle in this pivotal series late in the season.
Up Next: Utica will host Arcadia University in their final conference series of the regular season next week. Puck drop for the first contest will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 16 from the Adirondack Bank Center.
