Utica University Athletics

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UTICA, NY - The 26th season of Pioneer hockey got underway Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center, as the #6 Pioneers welcomed Skidmore College for an exhibition matchup. The orange and blue made an early statement against a Thoroughbreds team that returned nearly all of its top talent from a 15-win season, scoring twice in the opening period before adding four more goals across the final two frames to cruise to a commanding 6-1 victory.

The #6 Pioneers showcased their depth throughout the contest, with six different Pioneers finding the scoresheet. The team also saw four players notch their first goal in the orange and blue, as Jakub Galnor (Prerov, Czechia), Evan Dantas (Brampton, ON/Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic), Caden Ghiossi (San Jose, CA/Bellarmine), and the first star of the night Paul Minnehan (Cypress, CA/Pacifica) all ripped the cord. Ghiossi, Dantas, and Galnor each scored in their first collegiate games. 

The Pioneers doubled Skidmore's shots on the night, grabbing 50 shots to the Thoroughbreds' 25. The team also saw very balanced contributions from the goalie room, as Mitchell Day (Kirkwood, MO/Kirkwood), Michael Modelski (New Boston, MI/Connections Academy), and Waylon Esche (Utica, NY/Westmoreland) all stood out in net, each playing a period and combining for only one goal allowed. 

Utica struck first at 10:41 of the opening period, as Minnehan cleaned up in front of the net, planting a rebound off of an Anthony Bax (Parkhill, Ontario/North Middlesex) shot to put the Pioneers up 1-0. Morse also had one of his assists on the play. The Pioneers doubled their advantage late in the frame when Morse scored at 18:34, finishing a play set up by Aydin Parekh (Nobleton, ON/Blyth Academy), who found Morse lurking at the back post, to send Utica into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.

The Pioneers kept their foot on the gas in the second period. Galnor extended the lead to three at 11:07 with his first collegiate goal, with Eric Vitale (Toronto, Ontario/St. Michael Christian) and Bax picking up assists. Just over two minutes later, the Pioneers capitalized on the power play, as Dantas scored his first Pioneer goal at 13:28, running his point total to two following an assist earlier in the period. Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario/St. Michael's Catholic) and Vitale assisted on the man-advantage tally, giving the Pioneers a 4-0 advantage heading into the third.

Skidmore got on the board with a power-play goal at 5:44 of the final period, but Utica answered twice almost immediately. Ghiossi scored his first collegiate goal just 21 seconds later, with Ryan Bunting (West Deptford, NJ/Bishop Kearney) and Minnehan grabbing the assists. Only six seconds after that, Nicholas Rogers (Broad Channel, NY/Xavier) found the back of the net unassisted, interception an errant pass and placing it past the goalkeeper to push the Pioneer lead to 6-1 and put the finishing touches on the exhibition victory.

Three Stars:

First Star - Paul Minnehan (Cypress, CA/Pacifica): Minnehan made an immediate impact in the exhibition opener, scoring the first goal of the night and also adding an assist in his Pioneer debut. The Sacred Heart transfer fired off four shots and was extremely active in front of net, boding well for his first season with the orange and blue. 

Second Star - Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI/East Grand Rapids): the Pioneers' offensive captain helped lead the team's offense with a goal and an assist, with both goal involvements coming in Utica's first two goals. Morse assisted on Minnehan's opening-period tally, finding Bax in a favorable position to set up the play, before finding the back of the net himself a short time later, doubling the team's lead and giving the Pioneers momentum heading into the first intermission.

Third Star - Evan Dantas (Brampton, ON/Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic): Dantas contributed on both sides of Utica's offensive attack, registering as the third player to record both a goal and an assist in his first collegiate action. Dantas got on the scoresheet early, assisting on Morse's goal, before creating the highlight of the night after he launched a pinpoint score from the slot off a beautiful feed from Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario/St. Michael's Catholic). 

The Pioneers finished with six goals on the night, including one power-play tally, while their goaltenders combined to make 24 saves. Mitchell Day (Kirkwood, MO/Kirkwood) started the contest and stopped all seven shots he faced in the opening period, while Waylon Esche (Utica, NY/Westmoreland) and Michael Modelski (New Boston, MI/Connections Academy) also saw time in net. 

The Pioneers now look ahead to a massive season-opening road trip, with two games against Adrian out in Michigan next Friday and Saturday. The first contest of the regular season is slated for 7:00 PM on October 30th, while the second contest of the season-opening double takes place on October 31st at 3:00 PM.