UTICA, NY - The race for banner number nine is officially underway in Utica.
 
Following two dominant weekend wins, the #13-ranked Pioneers wrapped up non-conference play and will now transition exclusively into UCHC competition, playing 12 straight league games to conclude their 25th anniversary regular season. The team is in great position to capture their ninth straight UCHC regular season title and make the road to the NCAA Tournament run, once again, through the U. However, there is a long way to go in the conference season, and there are many worthy challengers for this season's title, which each focusing solely on dethroning the orange and blue.
 
The Pioneers' first conference opponent of 2026 is a hot Nazareth Golden Flyer side, who, after the retirement of longtime head coach George Roll following last season, have gracefully entered a new era, posting a stellar record of 9-4-1 entering this weekend's standalone matchup. The orange and blue will look to continue their mini-run, entering Saturday's showdown on a three-win streak. Check out this week's preview to get caught up on everything Utica Hockey ahead of this weekend's First Source "Socks to the Rescue" Game against Nazareth.
 
This Weekend's Action: The Pioneers are only slated for one matchup this weekend, welcoming Nazareth to the Adirondack Bank Center at 7:00 PM this Saturday, January 10th. The two-game set between Utica and Nazareth will be spaced out over the next two weekends, as the Pioneers host Nazareth this Saturday and then travel to Rochester the following Saturday for the second matchup. This weekend's game is sponsored by First Source Federal Credit Union, and will contain their annual Socks to the Rescue campaign.
 
Looking for a Ticket? You can purchase a ticket for $12 at the box office on gameday, or by heading to the following link to purchase online: https://empirestatetix.evenue.net/events/UCP
 
Stream: You can stream this weekend's game by heading to the "Watch" tab on our athletics website, or by clicking the following link: https://www.empire8network.com/utica/
 
Live Stats: Interested spectators can follow along with live statistics by clicking the "live stats" tab on our men's hockey schedule page, or by heading to this link: https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary
 
Socks to the Rescue: Saturday, January 10th, bring a new pair of packaged socks to drop off at the First Source Experience Truck parked at the Adirondack Bank Center's Labatt's entrance prior to puck drop at the Utica University Men's hockey game from 6:00 – 7:00 pm.
 
In addition, beginning Monday, January 12th, all First Source branch locations will be collecting new socks, or you can order online through our Amazon wish list and the socks will ship directly to First Source. The collection will end on Saturday, February, 14th with delivery to the Rescue Missions of Utica and Rome.
 
Recapping Last Weekend's Sweep: The Pioneers opened 2026 with a pair of non-conference clashes against Neumann and SUNY Canton, two games in which the orange and blue got right back to business, defeating the Knights 4-1 on Saturday before taking down SUNY Canton by a 5-1 final on Sunday.
 
Utica gave up an early goal in each matchup, but packed it in after that, shutting out each team in the remaining two periods of each game. The hosts saw a variety of stellar individual performances during the two matchups, receiving contributions from many different players to show some solid potential during the initial two contests of 2026.
 
Sal Cerrato (St. Louis, MO) and Nick Ahern (Chicago, IL) accrued the most points on the weekend, grabbing five and four points, respectively, without notching a single goal between the two of them. Cerrato's accomplishments also garnered him some conference recognition (more on that below), while Ahern kept his spot as the team's top point-getter, using his offensive gravity to tally four assists on the weekend. Ahern still leads the team with 15 points.
 
Elsewhere, Aiden Hughes (Mississauga, Ontario) and John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) both had great games against SUNY Canton. Hughes grabbed a goal and two assists to finish with a fantastic three-point outing, despite having only posted two total points during his previous nine games played. Gutt earned Sunday's first star of the game on the back of a two-goal outing where the senior bookended scoring for the Pioneers. Gutt is now tied for the team lead in goals with seven.
 
Stepan Kuznetsov (Yaroslavl, Russia) announced his arrival to the U in emphatic fashion, scoring goals in each of his first career games for the orange and blue. Kuznetsov, still just a freshman, showed excellent promise in his first pair of appearances and would have been an extremely strong contender for the conference's rookie of the week award had it not been for his fellow rookie in Cerrato.
 
In net, Kyle Curtin (St. George, Ontario) and Frank Murphy (Mississauga, Ontario) split starts over the two-day stretch, with Curtin facing Neumann and Murphy battling Canton. Both goalies settled in after allowing early scores, as each allowed just one goal during their respective matchups. Curtin logged 17 saves while Murphy recorded 16. They also each successfully killed off one opposing power play, standing tall even during an opposing man-up advantage.
 
Super Sal: The Empire 8 and UCHC bestowed Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors upon sensational rookie defenseman Sal Cerrato (St. Louis, MO) following his playmaking masterclass this past weekend. Against Neumann and Canton, Cerrato led the team in points, notching five assists and leading the team with a +4 to go along with three blocks. The Missouri native had an outstanding three-assist outing on Saturday, before grabbing a pair of apples on Sunday. Thanks to those games, Cerrato earned both Empire 8 and UCHC honors, although his ascension isn't a sudden occurrence. Cerrato has been exquisite so far in his first 13 collegiate games, displaying potential as an upper-echelon, forward-thinking defenseman, tallying one goal and nine assists in that 13-game span. To further add to the rookie's monster numbers, Cerrato leads the entire team in plus-minus, holding a +8, and is also fifth in points (10) and third in blocks (12), displaying his dominance in all areas of the game. Cerrato's complete performances have seen him generate lots of buzz as a top rookie prospect in the UCHC, a claim he'll have the chance to back up entering conference play this weekend. 
 
Conference Ranks: As the Pioneers head into conference play, the focus now shifts towards a UCHC conference that is as strong as it's ever been over the past couple of years. Geneseo returns their championship pedigree from last season, and is always a challenger for the top spot. However, a recently resurgent Chatham side is also generating a fair amount of buzz after returning UCHC Player of the Year Nick Cyprian to the fold. Outside of those top two challengers, the conference has seen the addition, or rise, of a few other contenders, including the Nazareth team that the Pioneers will face off with this weekend, who has impressed with a 9-4-1 record and an upset win on the road at Geneseo. Even Brockport, along with new additions Albertus Magnus and St. John Fisher, have all showed promise at various points, and will present some tough opposition in the battle for the UCHC's top prize. Outside on Brockport and Manhattanville, the Pioneers still have two matchups remaining against the rest of the UCHC.
 
In terms of overall conference statistical rankings, the Pioneers are currently middle of the pack in most metrics. However, the team has fared well in what is one of the hardest schedules among the UCHC teams, having played six games against ranked opponents, with all six coming against teams that are currently ranked inside the top six of the USCHO poll. Below is a breakdown of each UCHC member's current NPI and strength of schedule ranking:
 
1: Geneseo - 13th NPI, 16th strength of schedule
2: Utica - 20th NPI, 14th strength of schedule
3: Chatham - 21st NPI, 84th strength of schedule
4: Nazareth - 22nd NPI, 29th strength of schedule
5: Brockport - 55th NPI, 13th strength of schedlue
6: Albertus Magnus - 38th NPI, 38th strength of schedule
7: St. John Fisher - 37th NPI, 56th strength of schedule
8: Elmira - 76th NPI, 11th strength of schedule
9: Manhattanville - 78th NPI, 5th strength of schedule
 
Despite not topping the conference charts in almost any categories as of yet, one thing that has remained constant is the Pioneers' continued dominance on the draw. After absolutely thrashing the competition last season with a .619 faceoff win percentage (2nd was .501), the orange and blue are destroying in the circle once again, this year with a .597 faceoff win percentage (2nd is .565). Despite the loss of Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)), the program's all-time leader in career faceoff win percentage, the Pioneers are still sweeping the faceoff statistics thanks to great seasons in the circle by Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario) (209 wins, 96 losses, .685 win %), and John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) (81 wins, 56 losses, .591 win %). Della Rovere, last season's Division III Elite 90 winner, has filled the top faceoff role to near perfection so far, being on pace to record the third-best single-season faceoff win percentage in program history. Della Rovere has the league lead in win percentage by nearly an entire 10%, with Ryan Forberg of Geneseo being the only player in the same stratosphere (.603 win %).
 
The other Pioneer who tops a conference statistical category is goaltender Kyle Curtin (St. George, Ontario), who's two shutouts against Manhattanville place him in first for shutouts among UCHC goaltenders with two.
 
Orange and Blue Archive - Nazareth University: This weekend will be the 39th all-time meeting between the Pioneers and Golden Flyers, with Utica holding a 30-5-3 record against the Rochester-based team. The orange and blue will be looking to continue an impressive streak of wins against Nazareth, as they are currently in the midst of a 21-game winning streak against the Golden Flyers that dates back to January of 2019. The Pioneers have also historically fared well at home in this rivalry, posting a 19-2-1 record all-time at the Adirondack Bank Center.
 
Last season, the Pioneers swept all four matchups against the purple and gold, outscoring Nazareth by a 24-10 margin during a run that was started by an 11-4 victory in the Pioneers' UCHC opener. Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)) registered as the Pioneers' biggest point-getter against Nazareth last season, grabbing three goals and five assists while also posting a ridiculous .704 faceoff win percentage. The second-highest point getter was current captain Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI), who scored four goals and grabbed three apples in his four games against Nazareth last year. Former Pioneer Vladislav Pshenichnikov tied Morse for the team lead in goals against Nazareth last season, despite playing in only the first two matchups. Pshenichnikov logged a hat trick in the 11-4 win.
 
John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) also played well against Nazareth last season, grabbing five points off of two goals and three assists in four games against the Golden Flyers. Right behind Gutt were Preston Brighton (Castle Rock, CO) and Aydin Parekh (Nobleton, ON), who each notched four points. Brighton had one goal and three assists, while Parekh had four assists.
 
Scouting the Golden Flyers: Last season, the Golden Flyers finished with an 8-16-2 record, posting a 4-14-2 mark in conference play to finish as the #5 seed in the UCHC. Despite the poor record, Nazareth was prone to causing upsets, as they took down then #10 Elmira (2-1), then #12 Hamilton (4-2), then #13 Cortland (5-4), and capped off the regular season with a shocking victory over #5 Geneseo (7-4) to cost the Knights the regular season title. Nazareth was competitive in head coach George Roll's last season before his retirement, sending him off with an amazing win in the regular season finale.
 
Nazareth has now ushered in a new era, already surpassing their win total from a season ago with a 9-4-1 record and a 3-3 mark in UCHC play. James McDonald has the squad playing well in his first season at the helm, using the prior eight years of experience with the program to hit the ground running. The Golden Flyers will enter this weekend's matchup as hot as they've been in recent memory, winning six of their last seven games and tying current #5 ranked Hamilton 2-2 in the seventh. That streak started with yet another shocking win over Geneseo, as they defeated the Knights in enemy territory thanks to a stellar performance by goaltender Paul Dalessio, who allowed just one goal in 44 shots. Last weekend, Nazareth pulled off two one-goal wins over Norwich and SUNY Cortland to shockingly win the Norwich Tournament, taking the momentum from that mid-season championship over into this weekend's highly anticipated conference clash.
 
Senior forward Logan Tobias leads the attack, having a team-high six goals to pair with three assists. Tobias has been the main finisher this season, grabbing two game-winning goals so far. Fellow senior Blake Frost ties Tobias for the team lead in points, having secured nine points off of four goals and five assists. Freshman defenseman Matthew Herb is the primary playmaker for the Rochester-based team, having six assists through 13 games from his spot on the blue line.
 
Nazareth has a balanced lineup in net, with three different goaltenders all recording at least 130 minutes of ice time. Rookie Paul Dalessio appears to be the first option for the Golden Flyers, having a record of 5-1 through his six starts, including wins in both of the team's Norwich Tournament matchups this past weekend. Dalessio sports a 2.01 goals allowed average and a .941 save percentage, great marks in his first collegiate season. Sophomore Mason Joseph has also started in six games for Nazareth, compiling a 3-1-1 record thanks to a 1.89 goals allowed average and a .952 save percentage. Lincoln Crosby rounds out the goaltenders, having a 1-2 record along with a 2.77 goals allowed average and a .893 save percentage.
 
The Golden Flyers have been susceptible in the faceoff circle, having captured just 47.1% of faceoff opportunities. This might give the Pioneers an edge on Saturday.
 
Following the First Matchup Against Nazareth: The Pioneers will face the Golden Flyers once again next weekend, traveling to Rochester on January 17th for a 7:00 PM start against their UCHC rival. That matchup will be another standalone contest, before the Pioneers hop into more two-game sets the following weekend.
 
Tune in to Saturday's First Source "Socks to the Rescue" Night against Nazareth!