ROCHESTER, NY - Exactly one week after a third-period surge sent the Pioneers to a 5-1 win over Nazareth, the orange and blue completed the sweep, this time on enemy ice, as they defeated the Golden Flyers 9-1 thanks to a seven-goal second period.

The Pioneers improved to 10-5 with the win, remaining undefeated in UCHC play and boosting their conference record to 6-0. Nazareth fell to 9-6-1 on the season, and 3-5 in UCHC play with the loss. The orange and blue increased their conference positioning, trailing Geneseo by only a single point while still having two fewer conference games played than the Knights. The Knights' loss to a one-win Manhattanville team last night helped the Pioneers gain even better positioning in the conference title fight. 

Much like last weekend, the Pioneers took advantage of a string of Nazareth penalties, with a couple of power-play goals officially opening the floodgates in the middle frame. Utica would go 3-5 on the advantage, raising their season power-play percentage to 67% (6-9) against the Rochester-based team.

The visitors would outshoot Nazareth by a monster margin, rattling off 44 attempts while the hosts only managed 16 shots. Utica was also dominant once again in the circle, taking 35 of a possible 58 faceoffs. 

Three Stars:

First Star - Gabriel Lundberg (Gothenburg, Sweden): Lundberg bolstered his offensive numbers during the team's Saturday night scorefest, scoring two goals and grabbing one assist to wrap up a three-point night. Lundberg produced a playmaker on the first score of the game, while his goals came on the 7th and 8th scores for the orange and blue. Additionally, the junior center won seven of his nine faceoff opportunities, also proving to be a massive factor at the onset of most plays. 

Second Star - Nick Ahern (Chicago, IL): Ahern continued to rack up points on the season, grabbing one goal and two assists to tie Lundberg with three total points. Ahern currently leads the team in points, having three more than the next closest skater. His accuracy with the puck cannot be understated, and he proved that tonight, both as a scorer and a playmaker. 

Third Star - Frank Murphy (Mississauga, Ontario): Murphy stood solid in net during his third career start, only allowing a single goal during his 60-minute showing. The freshman goaltender stopped 15 shots on the evening, also helping to stall two opposing penalty kills as he kept the opponents quiet on their home ice. Murphy now has 31 saves and two goals allowed in his two starts since the turn of the new year, settling in well during his rookie season.

The Pioneers will return home to the Adirondack Bank Center next weekend for two UCHC contests against new league opponent Albertus Magnus. Those games will take place on Friday and Saturday, with both matchups starting at 7:00 PM.