UTICA, NY - Utica men's hockey is back at the Adirondack Bank Center tomorrow night to kick off a two-game set against a familiar foe. #1 nationally ranked Hobart will visit the Aud for the first time since the 2017 ECAC West Championship, facing a #7 ranked Pioneer squad that's ready for revenge. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM tomorrow night, and will begin an AmeriCU Night National Championship rematch in what will be the first meeting between the two clubs since last season's climactic game back in March. Also, on Saturday, the Pioneers will travel to Geneva to complete the two-game set against their old ECAC  rival. Puck drop for Saturday's matchup is scheduled for 4:00 PM at The Cooler.
 
Run It Back: Utica and Hobart will meet tomorrow night for their first regular season meeting since they were both a part of the ECAC. Tomorrow's (Thursday's) game will take place at 7:00 PM at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, NY, and will also be AmeriCU Night. Saturday's game between the two New York powers will take place at 4:00 PM over at the Geneva Convention Center (The Cooler).
 
Looking for a Ticket? You can purchase a ticket for Thursday's game for $12 by heading to Empirestatetix.com or by heading to this link: https://empirestatetix.evenue.net/events/UCP
 
Tickets for Saturday's matchup can be purchased at The Cooler for $5 each (cash or credit card) and will go on sale 60 minutes before opening faceoff. Children under 12 are free.
 
You can stream this week's games by heading to the links below, or by clicking the "Watch" link in our men's hockey schedule page.
 
Thursday vs #1 Hobart Stream: https://www.empire8network.com/utica/
 
Saturday at #1 Hobart Stream: https://hwsathletics.com/watch/?Live=1922&type=Live
 
You can follow live stats for this week's contests by heading to these links or by clicking the "Live Stats" link on our men's hockey schedule page.
 
Thursday vs #1 Hobart Live Stats Link: https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary
 
Saturday at #1 Hobart Live Stats Link: https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary
 
There is a lot to unpack when talking about this rivalry, so let's get right into it.
 
Blue and Orange Archive - Hobart: The Pioneers and the Statesmen have met in well over 40 matchups, with most of those meetings occurring during the time that the two programs were members of the ECAC West. Their most recent regular season meeting took place in February of 2017, with the Pioneers ultimately defeating Hobart at the Aud by a 3-2 final on their way to claiming the final ECAC West Regular Season Championship.
 
Following that 2016-2017 season, two schools who had regularly battled multiple times during each campaign found themselves on different paths as Hobart joined the NEHC and Utica became a member of the UCHC.
 
After meeting in that season's (2016-2017) Conference Championship game, the Statesmen and Pioneers wouldn't skate opposite each other for another seven years, as a rivalry with over 45+ matchups took a brief hiatus.
 
As the years flew by, both programs built themselves up to national relevance, as each side secured numerous conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. However, during all those years of shared growth, the two programs never tested the fruits of their labor against one another, as the bracket wouldn't produce another installation of this historic matchup.
 
That was, until 2024, two seasons ago. After not meeting for over half a decade, the Statesmen and Pioneers finally crossed paths, this time on one of the biggest stages at the 2024 NCAA Division III National Semifinals in Hartford, Connecticut. It even seemed as if the hockey gods were still undecided on whether this match should occur, forcing Hobart to endure a four-overtime marathon against Curry College in the previous round. However, both teams claimed victory to set up a first-ever NCAA clash between the two orange-clad programs, a contest with National Championship implications.
 
As the puck dropped for the first game of the 2024 Division III Frozen Four, the gears started turning for two of Division III Hockey's most talented tacticians; Gary Heenan and Mark Taylor.
 
The story of this rivalry cannot be told without mentioning these two titanic figures, as Coach Heenan and Coach Taylor have served as opposing bench bosses for every single one of the 49 recorded matchups between Utica and Hobart. The parallels between these two gentlemen are limitless, even down to the times that their respective runs began at each school, with Taylor taking over the Statesmen ahead of the 2000-2001 season, and Heenan putting into motion a soon-to-be giant during that same season as he began plotting the varsity debut of Utica hockey. 836 wins, 20 Regular Season Conference Championships, 14 Conference Tournament Championships, 20 NCAA Division III Tournament Appearances, those are the shared numbers between these two leaders. Although, most of this success, especially in recent times, came without either coach having to outwit his counterpart thanks to the two teams being in separate leagues.
 
So, as the puck dropped in 2024, despite both coaches having a wealth of shared history, the National Semifinal matchup was new territory for both managers, as they finally got to pit their new nationally good squads against one another on the highest level. What ensued was a fierce matchup between two of Division III's top programs that lived up to expectations. Hobart took the first frame, shooting out to a 2-0 lead, before a second-period score by Michael Herrera brought the orange and blue to within one. Despite a late push, the Statesmen just barely held on, securing an empty netter to take a 3-1 victory and advance to the National Championship.
 
If the stakes in 2024's matchup were high, 2025's matchup was on an entirely different level…
 
The most recent meeting between these two powerhouses was during last season's final matchup, an all-New York National Championship down at the Nexus Center. Eric Vitale (Toronto, Ontario) got the Pioneers on the board first, netting a second-period score to take a massive lead in a rugged and tense affair. Hobart wouldn't go quietly, though, as they scored with about eight minutes left to send the game to overtime. During the extra period, the Pioneers were a post from their first-ever title, but eventually saw the puck fall Hobart's direction as they scored with less than two minutes remaining in the extra period. Despite the setback, the matchup is widely regarded as one of the greatest Division III hockey games in the sport's history.
 
This week will be much of the same, as the Pioneers look to reclaim their spot along the summit, and down the Statesmen to potentially knock them out of the number one USCHO ranking that they've held for over two straight years.
 
Scouting the Statesmen: In order to accomplish that goal, the Pioneers will have to put together a complete offensive performance, as the Statesmen return some stellar blue liners along with both of their longtime goalkeepers, including last year's NCAA Division III All-Tournament Team representative, Damon Beaver.
 
Before all that, though, it begins with a very balanced Hobart attack which had a very interesting first weekend, netting nine goals, eight of which saw a different scorer. Indeed, the Statesmen saw eight different players find the net during their two-game sweep of Elmira, as they captured back-to-back wins by 3-1 (at Elmira) and 6-0 (in Geneva) finals. The Statesmen's lone multi-goal scorer was the player who scored the decisive goal in last year's National Championship, Khalil Fontana. Fontana tops the scoring charts along with the team's top point-getters, Tamas Toth, who scored once and assisted twice, and Arvega Hovsepyan, who racked up a trio of assists, all during the first two matchups against new UCHC side Elmira.
 
The Statesmen also possess a wealth of talent outside of their top week one performers, with last season's top point getter and current captain Tanner Daniels returning, along with top talent Chris Duclair.
 
In net, the Statesmen employ the services of the country's top tandem, Damon Beaver and Mavrick Goyer. While Beaver was the one who got the better of the Pioneers last year, Goyer is noteworthy as well, with both goaltenders possessing top line skill. Last year, Beaver got the majority of the icetime in net, starting 18 games. The then junior put up a 1.14 goals allowed average and .952 saves percentage during his time last year. Behind him, Goyer started the other 13 matchups, holding even better numbers with a .84 goals allowed average and a .956 save percentage. It will be up to the Pioneers to break through the defenses of these two top netminders, of which they'll most likely see both at somepoint during the series.
 
After Matching Up With #1 Hobart: The Pioneers will begin UCHC play the following weekend, with a road contest on Friday, November 14th, before running it back at the Aud the next day, Saturday, November 15th. Both games will start at 7:00 PM.
 
Tune in this week as the Pioneers battle #1 Hobart!