PITTSBURGH, NY - The #2 Pioneers began their weekend road-trip on Friday evening, challenging the Chatham Cougars down in Pittsburgh as they looked to continue their recent momentum. The highly anticipated UCHC series began with plenty of fireworks, as the two teams faced off in a fierce fight that produced a combined 55 total minutes of penalty time. As the tense tilt drew to a close, regulation and overtime weren't enough to produce a winning result for either team, with the game eventually ending in a 3-3 draw. The Cougars eventually won the final shootout by a 2-0 tally to gain a point on the evening.
 
The boxes were rarely vacant during the action, with the Pioneers picking up six total penalties and the Cougars collecting nine trips to the penalty area. Utica took advantage of their four power play opportunities, maintaining their title as the UCHC's premier player-up unit by hammering home two of their four attempts on the night.
 
Extra-man extraordinaire Johnny Mulera (Rockville, MD/Salve Regina University (NCAA DIII)) achieved yet another power play score, getting the third goal of the game from an advantage position. Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI/Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)) also tallied the other player-up score in the second period.
 
Despite the constant shifting of skater numbers, the game's opening score was found on even-footing, with Tio D'Addario (Montreal, QC/SUNY Plattsburgh (NCAA DIII)) picking up his second goal as a Pioneer to get the visitors out to a 1-0 lead.
 
Morse also collected an assist to register as the Pioneers' only multi-point gatherer on the night.
 
Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) and Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)) each added an apple to the scoresheet, creating the alley for D'Addario's opening goal.
 
Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) was fantastic on the faceoff once again, taking 23 of his 31 total attempts. The Pioneers as a team pulled out 43 wins in 73 total chances within the circle.
 
Ryan Piros (Hartland, MI/University of Dubuque (NCAA DIII)) was steady in net for the majority of the game, accruing 30 saves including two huge stops in overtime to keep the Cougars at bay and give his team a chance to find overtime glory.
 
Despite the 3-3 scoreline, the Pioneers continued their trend of vastly outshooting their opposition, launching 50 pucks compared to just 33 shot attempts by the Cougars.
 
The Pioneers shot out to a 2-0 lead, grabbing a goal only seconds into the second period to create the multi-score gap. Chatham would battle back though, as the spoiler-prone Cougars attempted to claw back in with a second period score of their own, making it 2-1 heading to the final frame.
 
Utica went up 3-1 in the third period, before Chatham took advantage of two late opportunities to bring the game level and send the proceedings to overtime. Neither team could find a decisive dagger as the extra time expired with the score still knotted at three apiece. The result of the matchup was a draw, although Chatham managed to win the overtime shootout by a 2-0 tally, taking home an extra point for their efforts.
 
Utica fell to 16-2-2, and 12-1-2 in UCHC play, but gained a point even with a shootout loss. Despite the minor setback, the Pioneers still remain undefeated in the year 2025, posting a 7-0-1 record since the flipping of the calendars. They'll look to keep that loss column clear tomorrow, with an opportunity to bounce back in the series finale which starts at 3:00 PM, once again within the Hunt Armory Arena.