UTICA, NY - The Pioneers restarted UCHC play on Saturday night against a tough Nazareth team, facing the Golden Flyers for the first conference game of the new year. The battle initially seemed like it would come down to the wire, until a third period barrage saw the ranked Pioneers score four goals in the final frame to run away with a 5-1 win. 

The orange and blue secured their fourth win in a row, now having won nine of their last 10 outings. The Pioneers also remained undefeated in UCHC play, advancing to 5-0. 

The hosts outshot their UCHC opponent by a 40-21 margin and dominated the draw, winning the faceoff battle by a 38-62 margin. 

Utica had a massive edge during special teams play, shutting out Nazareth on their three power play attempts, while notching three goals in four advantage situations to solidify an immensely efficient performance on their own power play.

Three Stars:

1st Star - John Gutt (Middletown, NJ): Gutt continued his hot streak against the Golden Flyers, following up last Sunday's two goal game with another multi-goal outing, gathering three points as he put home two goals and one assist. Gutt scored the first two goals, grabbing the game winner in the process, while also tallying an assist on the final goal to end with the trio of points. He also helped out in the faceoff circle, capturing 11 draws. Gutt now has four goals and one assist in his last two games. 

2nd Star - Stepan Kuznetsov (Yaroslavl, Russia): Kuznetsov has made an immediate impact since joining the team over the winter break, scoring in his first two games and grabbing two assists in tonight's contest to run his Pioneer total to four points in three games. Kuznetsov grabbed assists on the game winning goal, along with the ensuing score. The freshman's second assist was a thing of beauty, driving through three Nazareth defenders before finding Gutt right on the doorstep with a solid pass to give the Pioneers the 2-1 lead. Kuznetsov has found an immediate role within the Utica offense, helping the team capture three straight wins to start 2026.

3rd Star - Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario): Della Rovere continued to power the Pioneers in numerous ways, grabbing a goal while also posting a stellar win percentage in the circle as he captured 18 out of 23 faceoffs to dominate the Golden Flyers on the draw. Della Rovere has won 48 faceoffs and lost just 21 since the beginning of 2026, on pace to record one of the best seasons in the faceoff circle as the team's main man on the draw.

Nick Ahern (Chicago, IL) and Eric Vitale (Toronto, Ontario) each grabbed a score, continuing their consistent offensive production. Sal Cerrato (St. Louis, MO) grabbed his 6th assist of the new year, while Aydin Parekh (Nobleton, ON), Will Hilfiker (Middletown, NJ), Aiden Hughes (Mississauga, Ontario), Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI), and winter transfer Nicholas Rogers (Broad Channel, NY) each grabbed one playmaker.

Kyle Curtin (St. George, Ontario) had an excellent night in net, saving 20 shots while allowing just a single goal as he made many highlight-reel worthy stops to keep the Pioneers undefeated in UCHC play.

The team will head to Nazareth next weekend to face the Golden Flyers in another standalone matchup, finishing the two-game set against the Rochester-based program. That game will take place at 7:00 PM next Saturday at the Tim Horton's Ice Complex.