UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's ice hockey team offers a first preview into the program's highly-anticipated 25th season on Saturday, October 18th as the Pioneers host Morrisville State in their first of two exhibitions. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Get Your Tickets: Looking to attend Saturday's exhibition? You can purchase a ticket for $12 by heading to Empirestatetix.com or by heading to this link: https://empirestatetix.evenue.net/events/UCP

Follow Along: Live video is available at https://www.empire8network.com/utica/ or on the FREE Empire 8 Network app available on participating mobile or tv-connected platforms. The game, and a majority of home games this season, will also be available on local radio at WPNR 90.7 FM or at PioneerRadio.org. Ray Biggs '13 returns for his fifteenth season as the team's lead play-by-play announcer, and will be joined by University student Jack Rathburn for the game this weekend. Live Stats are also available at https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary.
 
At The Polls: The Pioneers open the year as the #2 team in the USCHO Men's Top 15, and DIII Hockey News Men's Top 15, behind defending National Champion Hobart. Utica holds a single first place vote in the latter tally.
 
A Year Like No Other: The 2024-25 Pioneers were the national runners-up. They will be remembered forever in the annals of the program's storied history, and the history of athletics at the University as the closest any Pioneer sports team has ever collectively stood to the season's ultimate prize - the national championship. The Blue and Orange icers delivered an overall record of 24-5-2, and a conference record of 16-2-2 to secure a ninth consecutive league regular season title, and their eighth as a member of the UCHC. After a loss in the UCHC title game to newly minted conference foe Geneseo, the Pioneers regrouped in the NCAA tournament for a captivating run. Paced by Matt Wood's (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) two goals, the Pioneers won their first-ever Opening Round appearance by a 5-1 margin over Fitchburg State. That set up a compelling inter-region matchup in the quarterfinals against five-time National Champion St. Norbert. The Pioneers fell behind 3-1 in the late stages of the second period, but Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI) pulled Utica within one before the frame was out, and the home side scored three times more to win by a 5-3 margin and lock up a spot in the national semis for a second straight year. Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) had a legendary performance with two goals, two assists, and the game-tying goal while winning a game-high 24 draws. With no other facility among the semifinalists deemed suitable, Utica was given the keys to host the semis and finals for a memorable weekend. In the semis, Curry was the opponent - with Sid Watson Award winner Shane Soderwall backstopping them. Utica's Anthony Bax (Parkhill, Ontario) broke a scoreless deadlock at the dawn of the second period's final minute, and Curry's Shane Carr scored at 11:03 of the third to force overtime. That set the stage for pandemonium as Eric Vitale (Toronto, Ontario) potted the biggest goal for the program - and of his life, at 4:25 of overtime to send Utica to the national title game against defending champion Hobart. Vitale scored again to put the champs on the ropes, but Hobart scored in the third to send it to overtime, and Khalil Fontana scored to land the Statesmen a third straight title. Johnny Mulera (Rockville, MD/Salve Regina University (NCAA DIII)) did his best to ensure the Statesmen wouldn't get the chance, as he rang a breakaway chance off the left post early in overtime and came within mere centimeters of setting off a celebration almost eight decades in the making.

Same Time Next Year?: A year after hosting the championship in a non-predetermined site year, the Pioneers are scheduled to host national seminfinals and finals competition for a second consecutive year. Mark your calendars for the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship weekend, which will be held at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium from March 27th to 29th, 2026. More info will become available throughout the season.

Home Cooking: Utica will play seventeen home regular season games, plus two home exhibitions for a guaranteed nineteen home dates in the 2025-26 season. And they'll have the opportunity to earn more in the postseason. For the Pioneers, that's exactly how they like it, as they were 15-2-0 last year in games officially countable as "Home Games" across the regular season and postseason. When including the National Semifinals and Finals (those are ruled as neutral site games per the NCAA, even though Utica did host), and the team's two home exhibitions, Utica was an impressive 18-3 in 21 total appearances when playing at the Aud or the Nexus Center last year. All-time, the Pioneers are credited with having played 350 regular season and postseason home games. In those games, they are 240-78-32 for a win percentage of 68.5 percent. Over the past decade, the Blue and Orange has been absurdly dominant at home. Across a ten year span, the Pioneers have a remarkable record of 126-20-10 in countable home games, with a win percentage of 80.7 percent. The Mohawk Valley's college hockey team has had 16 consecutive seasons of .500 or better hockey at home, with their last losing home record coming in the 2008-09 season. It probably is not surprising that the run would coincide quite closely with the start of Utica's reign atop attendance in Division III Men's Ice Hockey nationally. The Pioneers have led the nation in average home attendance for nineteen straight years.
 
The Overall Count: Through 24 seasons, the Pioneers have played 635 games and sport an overall record of 396-185-54, all of it under head coach Gary Heenan. They have won their regular season league title twelve times in 24 years, including the last nine consecutive across the UCHC and the former ECAC West. They have five conference tournament titles to their name, and have secured a slot in six NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournaments, including the last five.

Going Camping: In case you missed it, two Pioneer alumni earned invitations to American Hockey League training camps this offseason. Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) players Brandon Osmundson and Connor Fedorek were selected to participate with the Manitoba Moose, the top affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, before being returned to Norfolk to start their ECHL campaigns. They became the third and fourth Pioneers to reach that milestone - joining Nick Miglio and Gregg Burmaster. Osmundson, a former UCHC Rookie of the Year and USCHO National Rookie of the Year with Utica, had 118 points in 97 career games in Blue and Orange. Fedorek played just one year with the Pios after joining from Division I Ferris State, and had 25 points in 29 games. There are at least fifteen former Pioneers on a professional roster to start the 2025-26 season across the SPHL, ECHL, and FPHL, and a few more playing Canadian Senior League hockey in the NPHL, a level where former NHL players are quite common.

Prepare The Cabin For Departure: The Pioneers did have some offseason departures to contend with - by graduation, or other means. They bid farewell to five of their top eight point-getters due to graduation, that includes first team All-Conference forward Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) - the program's highest percentage faceoff winner of the last decade (.687 during his career.), and 13 power play goals to rank sixth in school history. On the blue line, All-American defenseman Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)) will be the biggest loss. He was the program's all-time co-leader in games played, and his 90 points rank second among all defensemen in school history. He ranks in the top three at his position in goals, assists, and points. Forward Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)) was among the program's all-time leaders with three career shorthanded goals, Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) finished his tenure 16th in career points and among the leaders in game-winning goals, and Mulera's eight power play goals last season mark the program's second best total. Other skaters to depart include defensemen Ben Schultheis (Mount Juliet, TN/Ferris State University (NCAA DI)), Reid Oliver (Elmira, ON/Stratford Warriors (GOJHL)), and Colby Jaquet (Winnipeg, MB/University of Saskatchewan (Canada West)), and forwards Tio D'Addario (Montreal, QC/SUNY Plattsburgh (NCAA DIII)), Anthony Cafarelli (Middleton, MA/Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)), Justin Rapp (St. Louis, MO/Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL)). In net, the Pioneers lost Brian Landsberger - the program leader in goaltender win percentage - to graduation. Second half starter Ryan Piros (Hartland, MI/University of Dubuque (NCAA DIII)) has transferred to Adrian, which is Utica's first regular season opponent.

What's Up Front: While the Pioneers do lose five of their top eight point-getters, plenty of firepower returns for an offense that was fourth in the nation at 4.26 goals per game. Junior Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI) is the returning leader with a 30 point season last year, and was a second team All-Conference pick. Eric Vitale (Toronto, Ontario) had the second-most returning points among forwards with nineteen on twelve goals and seven assists. Four of Vitale's twelve goals came in the postseason. Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario) returns for his junior campaign after a sixteen point sophomore effort. He has 31 points in two years and has won 422 career faceoffs as one of the team's top returning pivots. John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) (5-8-13) and Aiden Hughes (Mississauga, Ontario) (5-7-12) will be expected to play larger roles this season, and Gabriel Lundberg (Gothenburg, Sweden) (6-3-9) will look to continue forward after arguably the best stretch of play he's had in his college career with multiple goals in last year's NCAA tournament. A massive X Factor for Utica is the returning Chris Carroll (Islip, NY), who had five points in five games before an injury wiped out the rest of his season. He had goals in three straight games before his campaign met an abrupt end.

On The Back End: The Pioneers bring three important defensemen back from last year's squad. First team All-Conference man Aydin Parekh (Nobleton, ON) headlines after skating in all 31 games with 23 assists. He was a +3 on the plus/minus last year. Anthony Bax (Parkhill, Ontario), a member of the 2024-25 UCHC All-Rookie Team, skated in 30 of 31 games and his +22 rating last year is second best among returning skaters for Utica. Preston Brighton (Castle Rock, CO) appeared in all 31 games for the Pioneers last year as a sophomore and stands to be as important, if not more important, to the team's aspirations as a year ago.

In Goal: Two of the team's three year-end netminders - Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) and Ryan Piros (Hartland, MI/University of Dubuque (NCAA DIII)) - have moved on, leaving Avery Sturtz (Cedar Rapids, IA) as the only returning netminder on Utica's roster. Sturtz had a 4.02 GAA in 4 appearances for the Pioneers last season, and will compete for time in the crease opposite freshman Frank Murphy (Mississauga, Ontario) and transfer Kyle Curtin (St. George, Ontario).

Where they Rank: Last year, Utica sported one of the nation's most prolific offenses once again with an average of 4.26 goals per game to rank fourth. They were bolstered by the nation's fourth-best power play percentage at 29.4 percent, the fourth-best clip in school history. Defensively, the Pioneers stood fourteenth nationally at 2.39 goals allowed per game, and they'll be looking to improve upon a 79.4 percent penalty kill that ranked 53rd nationally. That unit was at its strongest late in the season, and allowed just a single goal in the final eleven games after a tough start to the year.

Starting Anew: The Pioneers welcome a remarkable infusion of transfer talent to their ranks for the 2025-26 season, with seven newcomers joining from other NCAA institutions.

At forward, the excitement is palpable for three new transfer additions. Junior Hunter Longhi (Collinsville, IL) is a thrilling addition from Division I AIC, which re-classified into Division II this offseason. Playing for head coach Eric Lang, Longhi had three goals and four assists in 21 games played for the 'Jackets. Prior to AIC, he lit up the North American Hockey League with a prolific 71 points in his final season for Minot, and is the NAHL's all-time fifth leading career point-getter with 197 points - the most of any player to start their career after 2005. Former Utica Jr. Comet Nick Ahern (Chicago, IL) returns to the Handshake City after two years in Hockey East at Division I Vermont. He had a goal and six assists in 17 career games for the Catamounts Alex Gomez (Parker, CO) had thirteen points in three seasons with Division I Alaska-Anchorage and brings some vital size to the forward group at 6'4.

On defense, three Division I rearguards join the fold to bolster a blue line that lost two former Division I players to graduation. Like Longhi, Tyler Procious (Pittsford, NY) heads to Utica after a stint at Division I AIC. Procious played one year with a goal and five assists in 32 games for the Yellow Jackets. He spent parts of four seasons in the Tier I United States Hockey League before serving as the inaugural captain for the rebooted Rochester Junior Americans in the NAHL. He was the top scoring defenseman for the Amerks with 44 points in his last year of junior hockey while playing for a staff that included Buffalo Sabres legend Brian Gionta. Davis Goukler (Cumming, GA) re-unites with Gomez in Utica after signing on from Alaska-Anchorage. He has four goals sprinkled over three seasons with the Seawolves, and has played the majority of games in the last two years. Will Hilfiker (Middletown, NJ) also joins the Pioneers after a Division I career in the Land of the Midnight Sun, but he comes from UAA's longtime Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup rival - Alaska Fairbanks. Hilfiker played 30 games over three seasons in the Blue and Gold for former Marian head coach Erik Largen, and it ensures that for a fourth consecutive season, a former Nanook will grace the Pioneers' roster. Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) transferred to Utica from the same school.

In goal, part of the task of replicating the presence of Ryan Piros (Hartland, MI/University of Dubuque (NCAA DIII)) will fall to Elmira transfer Kyle Curtin (St. George, Ontario). He has a 30-19-1 record over three years for the Soaring Eagles, including a win over Utica in the 2023-24 season. With his addition, the Pioneers pick up one of only two currently active netminders in Division III that have beaten them in a regular season game at the Aud.

What's Fresh: The roster also receives an infusion of six freshmen - three defensemen, two forwards, and a goaltender. On the back end, Sal Cerrato (St. Louis, MO) had 46 points across two organizations in his final season of junior hockey in the NAHL, and previously won the NCDC title with the South Shore Kings. Native Hoosier Isaac Barrett (Zionsville, IN) averaged nearly a point a game for the Utica Junior Comets NCDC squad before making his commitment to stay in Utica. Alexander German logged 41 career points in just over 100 games with NAHL Colorado, and previously played for Bill Flanagan with the Northern Cyclones. At forward, Mathieu MacMillan (Ottawa, Ontario) scored 31 goals and ranked tenth in the OJHL in points while competing for the Burlington Cougars. Jagur McClelland (Havertown, PA) was second on his Springfield Jr. Blues NAHL squad with 40 points and spent three years with that organization. In goal, Frank Murphy (Mississauga, Ontario) also signs on from the Springfield Jr. Blues after posting an 18-18-3 record and .923 save percentage as the team's lead netminder last year. In the year prior, he was 19-5 with a .933 save percentage for Islanders HC in the NCDC.

Mustang Musings: Morrisville State finished last year with a 3-22 overall record under former Pioneer captain Kevin Krogol '07. Ryan Glazer (6-8-14) was last year's points leader for the Mustangs, but is now out of the picture after signing professionally with an FPHL team. Maxim Maziarchuk (2-10-12) is the top returning scorer for the Mustangs, and Tyler Zembrzycki (4-5-9), Wyatt Allan (2-6-8), and Will Jones (5-1-6) are also back for Krogol's fourteenth season. Will Goumas and Grant Linville split time in net last year, and both are set to return. Utica is 6-2 against Morrisville in eight regular season meetings since Morrisville was elevated from the NJCAA to NCAA.

What's Next: The Pioneers will play a second exhibition against Skidmore on Friday, October 24th. They open the regular season with two home contests against Adrian on October 31st and November 1st.