UTICA, NY - The UCHC title is on the line once again this Saturday at the Adirondack Bank Center. The #2 ranked Utica Pioneers will welcome their direct conference rival, Geneseo, for a fifth time this season, with this installation being for all the marbles as the UCHC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament Automatic Bid are both up for grabs. The Ice Knights will enter the game as the #6 ranked team in the most recent USCHO poll, setting up potentially the most high-profile conference championship of the Division III Hockey season. Puck drop for this Saturday's Championship tilt is scheduled for 7:00 PM at the Adirondack Bank Center. Get caught up on all you need to know before the UCHC final below.
 
How to Watch the UCHC Championship: You can watch this weekend's championship bout by heading to the link below or by clicking the "Watch" link under the contest in both the men's hockey schedule page as well as the athletics home page.
Stream link for Saturday's UCHC Championship: UCHC Championship Live Stream
 
Keep Up with Live Stats: You can follow along with the live stats for this weekend's championship showdown by heading to the "Live Stats" tab under the matchup in the Men's Ice Hockey schedule section of our athletics website. You can also follow the link below to view live statistics for the contest.
Live Stats link for Saturday's UCHC Championship: UCHC Championship Live Stats
 
Looking for a Ticket?: You can purchase tickets to the contest by heading to empirestatetix.com or by clicking the link below. Tickets are $12 each!
Ticket link: UCHC Championship Tickets
 
All-Star Skaters: The UCHC released their All-Conference award winners for this season yesterday morning, with four Pioneer players capturing a spot on the conference's list of honorees. Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) and Aydin Parekh (Nobleton, ON/Georgetown Raiders (OJHL)) garnered first team recognition, while Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI/Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)) and Anthony Bax (Parkhill, ON/Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL)) were named to the second team and all-rookie team respectively. You can read the full release, including a brief summary of each superstar's season by following this link: Utica Pioneers 2025 All-UCHC Honorees
 
How Did We Get Here?: The UCHC Regular Season Champion Pioneers welcomed Chatham to the Adirondack Bank Center this past weekend for the semifinal round of this year's UCHC Tournament. The Cougars, fresh off a gritty 3-0 win over Nazareth in the first round, looked to continue their run against a Pioneer team that they had frustrated just a few weeks earlier in Pittsburgh. This time around though, the Playoff Pioneers were at full power as they left zero doubt in a 9-0 demolition of their UCHC opposition. The hosts controlled play from the opening faceoff, shutting out UCHC Player of the Year Nick Cyprian and routing UCHC Co-Goalie of the Year Geno Pichora on the way to booking their fourth-straight Conference Tournament Championship appearance.
 
On the other side of the bracket, number two seed Geneseo overcame some mid-game struggles as they broke a 2-2 tie with three seed Manhattanville heading into the final period of play, eventually coming away with a 5-2 victory. A goal scored by Bryce Howard with less than two minutes remaining in the middle frame would prove to be the difference, as that score would register as the game-winner in the Knights' semifinal victory. Geneseo Captain Peter Morgan then netted a power play score in the opening moments of the third period to really hammer home the result for Geneseo. The Ice Knights advanced to their first ever UCHC Tournament Championship, where they'll meet the Pioneers for a fifth time this season. Thanks to their shocking loss against Nazareth on the final day of the regular season, they will be deep in enemy territory, as the Pioneer faithful will be out in droves for the UCHC Championship come Saturday.
 
For All the Glory: The energy in the Adirondack Bank Center will be palpable on Saturday, as the Pioneers look to fell their newfound rival and capture a fourth-straight UCHC Championship. The winner will also receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Tournament. Also at stake for the Pioneers is the potential to jump Hobart or Curry for an elusive first round bye in the big dance, as well as the ability to host a quarterfinal matchup. The Pioneers currently sit in pole position to host both the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, with a win against the Knights surely cementing their spot as a quarterfinal host. The first round of this year's NCAA Division III Tournament will take place on Saturday, March 15th with the quarterfinal round taking place the next weekend on Saturday, March 22nd.
 
The Story so Far: The season series between Utica and Geneseo has been a wild one in what is only their first season as conference rivals. Geneseo held a slight edge during the regular season, securing two regulation wins over Utica compared to the Pioneers who managed to achieve a regulation win and a shootout victory over the Knights. The unstable nature of their rivalry only means more excitement in anticipation for the upcoming championship game, as both teams have dominated each other inside each other's respective arenas. Here's a brief recap of every meeting so far.
 
#3 Utica 1, #4 Geneseo 1 - 12/6/24
 
The Pioneers and Knights battled to a near standstill in their first meeting of the season as both teams struggled to find success on the power play in a gritty 1-1 affair. After alternating second period goals by each team, the rivalry's initial contest went to a heated overtime, with both teams looking to gain an early edge in the regular season championship race. No goals were scored in the extra period, resulting in the game heading to a penalty shootout. In the end, it was Pioneer goaltender Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) who stood tall and shut the Knights out over seven-straight rounds, buying time for Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, ON/Georgetown Raiders (OJHL)) to eventually net the game-winner in round seven.
 
#4 Geneseo 5, #3 Utica 2 - 12/7/24
 
The Knights weathered an early storm caused by Morse's teddy bear tally as the visitors eventually sped ahead for a 5-2 victory. Despite the score, the Pioneers proved to be the aggressors in the teddy bear toss tilt, outshooting the Knights by nearly 30 attempts as they fired off 52 shots compared to Geneseo's 23. In the end, the Knights would be extra efficient and manage to take a win heading into winter break.
 
#2 Utica 4, #4 Geneseo 0 - 2/14/25
 
The Pioneers shot out of a cannon in their first chance at redemption for the earlier loss, hopping on the Knights early on in the third regular season matchup between the two teams. The Pioneers netted three goals instantly, producing a 3-0 lead only seven minutes into the game. The Pioneers aggressive check would halt Geneseo's momentum at every turn as they, along with new goaltender Ryan Piros (Hartland, MI/University of Dubuque (NCAA DIII)), managed to shut out the Knights in the Adirondack Bank Center for a massive victory to regain momentum in the race for the number one seed. 
 
#4 Geneseo 7, #2 Utica 3 - 2/15/25
 
The Knights flipped the script on the Pioneers just one day after being shut out on the road against Division III's second ranked team. This time, it was the Knights who would defend home ice with five quick goals over the first half of the game to take a commanding lead. The Pioneers would regain their footing in a major way heading into the final period of play though, netting three-consecutive scores to bring the game within two goals. In the end, Geneseo would manage to pull away and take a slight tiebreaker in the season series between the two teams.
 
Forecasting the Final: In those four matchups against Geneseo, the Pioneers would employ a balanced offensive attack as eight players logged multiple points over the four-game set. Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) would lead the Pioneers in the season series against Geneseo, scoring two goals and grabbing an assist to accrue three points against the Ice Knights. Eight other players logged a single goal against Geneseo this season, showcasing the Pioneers willingness to bring a versatile look and not rely on one or two options when in the Knights defensive zone. The team's reliance on an array of attacking options is an area of strength when discussing the upcoming Championship Game, as the Pioneers won't be slowed down by an off night by some of their top talent.
 
All three of the Pioneers' goaltenders faced the Knights for some duration during the regular season, with Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) getting the call for both of the 2024 meetings, racking up the most ice time against the Western New York power. Landsberger allowed six goals for a 2.98 goals allowed average and snagged 47 saves at an 88.7% rate in his two starts against the Knights.
 
Recently though, Piros was placed between the pipes for the latter two matchups, and will most likely get the call once again come Saturday. Fresh off of a big shutout against Chatham and the UCHC Player of the Year Nick Cyprian, Piros will look to mimic the form he displayed against Geneseo in the shut out outing back in February. Against the Knights, Piros has logged 87 minutes of ice time, allowing five goals for a 3.45 goals allowed average while also stopping 50 shots at a 91% rate.
 
Don't discount the numbers put up by Avery Sturtz (Cedar Rapids, IA/Maine Nordiques (NAHL)) in his one appearance vs Geneseo as well, as the Junior from Iowa played solid in relief during the fourth and final regular season meeting with the Knights. Sturtz allowed just a single goal in 31 minutes of action, making 11 saves at a 91.7% rate.
 
On the other end, Geneseo relied heavily on the trio of Peter Morgan, Sean Melso, and Diarmad DiMurro during their four matchups against the Pioneers, with each player gathering four points during the season series. The Knights saw seven other players earn multiple points in the four-game set, with Luke Panchisin and Sterling Wolters leading the way for the remaining point-getters, with the pair picking up three points apiece. Morgan, Panchisin, and Filip Wiberg shouldered the majority of the scoring for Geneseo, with each player grabbing two goals to top the charts against Utica.
 
Adam Harris was the player that the Pioneers matchup up with during the first three meetings between the teams, with Harris absolutely owning the team in-between the pipes during the pair of December meetings. The orange and blue got the better of him come February though, netting three quick scores to stun him in the first series meeting of 2025. Harris allowed six goals against the Pioneers for a 1.95 goals allowed average, and also grabbed 104 saves at a 94.5% clip. It seems like he would be the obvious choice to start the Championship matchup, although he was replaced for the fourth and final regular season meeting between these two teams following his 4-0 defeat at the hands of Utica on Valentine's Day.
 
For the final meeting, it was Jacob Torgner who got the call, allowing three goals over the course of the fourth regular season contest between the Pioneers and Knights. In that game, Torgner posted a 3.0 goals allowed average, saving 34 shots at a 92% rate.
 
Harris got the start in the semifinal round against Manhattanville, although anything is possible until the line charts are published.
 
As a whole, the Pioneers took a huge advantage in faceoff wins and shots during the four regular season meetings.
 
Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) and Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, ON/Georgetown Raiders (OJHL)) helped the team take the edge in faceoff wins, with Breault capturing 67.7% of his opportunities and Della Rovere grabbing 52% of his chances to contribute to the team's 57.3% total faceoff win percentage against the Knights.
 
In the shot department, Breault totaled 18 attempts while Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)) and Morse each had 14 go's, helping the team to outshoot the Knights 148-121 over the four-game set.
 
Statistically, the two teams are as close as you can get. Posting very similar goal, assist, and point totals after their 26 respective games this season. All this will provide fuel for the anticipation of Saturday's Championship showdown.
 
After the UCHC Championship: The winner of Saturday's UCHC Championship will take home the 2025 UCHC Tournament title and also receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Tournament. The full field will be announced during the NCAA's Championship Selection Show which is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Monday, March 10th. The Tournament will begin on Saturday March 15th, with 14 teams competing across four rounds. 10 teams will receive an automatic bid to the dance, while four others will receive at-large bids.
 
It all comes down to this. Grab a ticket or tune in for Saturday's UCHC Championship!