UTICA, NY - The 25th season of Utica men's hockey officially kicked off on a windy Halloween night as the #2 Pioneers welcomed the #10 Bulldogs in a non-conference clash to open the campaign. Despite opening the scoring, the Pioneer special teams struggled, as they let numerous opportunities slip away in an eventual 3-1 defeat.

The tale of the tilt was once again that of a Pioneer team searching for synergy against an experienced opponent with minimal roster turnover. The hosts, despite having enormous individual talent, couldn't connect on a few key power plays in the season-opening loss. 

The Pioneers took an edge in the shots and faceoffs category, out-shooting their Western opponent by a 33-29 margin, while also taking 34 of the 56 possible faceoff opportunities (60.7%). Leading that faceoff effort was Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario), who has ascended to the top center slot, as last year's NCAA Elite 90 Award winner took home 18 of his 25 faceoff chances (72%). He was also backed in the circle by fourth-line center Chris Carroll (Islip, NY), who made his return after missing most of last season, racking up six faceoff wins in 13 chances.

Despite their domination on the draw, the orange and blue were once again out of sorts on special teams. In the second period, the Pioneers had six minutes of man-up icetime, as three Bulldog penalties gifted the Moose-clad men a trio of prime opportunities to strike. During the six minutes of power play time, the Pioneers didn't find any openings and were still trying to find a balance as they continued to incorporate their new transfers into the mix.

Even without scoring during a standout second period, the Pioneers still held the line thanks to transfer goaltender Kyle Curtin (St. George, Ontario), who totaled 26 saves in his orange and blue debut, including 13 alone during a raucous first period of play.

The Pioneers' lone score came four minutes into the game, actually becoming the first stoppage in an opening period that was marked by fast and furious play by both sides. The first goal of the season was netted by Gabriel Lundberg (Gothenburg, Sweden), who parried a Davis Goukler (Cumming, GA) shot off of his stick handle and over the outstretched arms of former Utica goaltender Ryan Piros (Hartland, MI/University of Dubuque (NCAA DIII)). Goukler and Alex Gomez (Parker, CO) were credited with assists on the season's first score. 

Two tightly-scored Adrian goals in the third period would seal the Pioneers' fate, as they couldn't muster up a comeback. They fell to 0-1 on the season, while the Bulldogs improved to 1-0.

The two teams will complete their season-opening series tomorrow afternoon back at the Adirondack Bank Center. Puck Drop is scheduled for 2:00 PM in downtown Utica.

Check out highlights from tonight's matchup by following this link: 10/31/25 Highlights

Also make sure to check out detailed game analytics by clicking this link: 10/31/25 Game Report