ADRIAN, MI - The #6 Utica University men's hockey team hits the road this weekend to open up the 2026-27 campaign with its annual series against last year's NCHA Regular Season Champion #8 Adrian College. The Arrington Ice Arena will play host to this weekends season-opening set, as the Pioneers and Bulldogs face off in Division III's highest-ranked rivalry during the opening weekend of regular season play.
 
There are other spectacular showdowns going on this weekend to help open up the regular season, such as #5 UW-Stout vs #11 Geneseo, #4 St. Norbert vs #12 Oswego, and #9 UNE vs #10 Norwich. However, none of these matchups feature higher ranking implications than the #6 Pioneers taking on the #8 Bulldogs.
 
This Weekend's Action: The orange and blue will face Adrian on Friday, October 30th, and Saturday, October 31st at the Arrington Ice Arena in Adrian, Michigan, battling two times in the span of 24 hours. Friday's contest begins at 7:00 PM, while Saturday's showdown gets underway at 3:00 PM.
 
Stream: To watch both of this weekend's games, click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/@AdrianCollegeTV
 
Live Stats: Spectators can follow along with live statistics by clicking the "Live Stats" tab on our men's hockey schedule page or by clicking the following link: https://adrianbulldogs.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary;team=away
 
Recapping Last Friday's 6-1 Exhibition Win Over Skidmore: In 2025, the Pioneers fell to Skidmore 6-3 during the team's final exhibition, with a young Thoroughbred team taking advantage of an orange and blue team that was still getting organized after a large influx of transfer talent. In 2026, against a Skidmore squad with a nearly identical lineup, the Pioneers proved that their talent and connectivity are already at an all-pro level, speeding past the Thoroughbreds by a 6-1 tally while seeing major contributions from the program's new additions.
 
The orange and blue doubled Skidmore's shot total, launching off 50 attempts compared to just 25 from the visitors. The team also continued its physical defensive ways from last season, blocking 16 shots in the exhibition, including a four-block performance from sophomore blue liner Sal Cerrato (St. Louis, MO/Frederick Gunn). The Pioneers had just two opportunities on the power play, an area where they struggled at the beginning of last season. However, this year bodes extremely well in that department, as Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario/St. Michael's Catholic) connected with rookie Evan Dantas (Brampton, ON/Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic) in the slot during the team's second, and final, power play, with the Pioneer newcomer rattling home a missile to the upper right corner to give the Pioneers a 4-0 lead.
 
Dantas was one of three Pioneer players who finished with a goal and an assist on the evening, alongside offensive captain Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI/East Grand Rapids) and fellow Pioneer newcomer Paul Minnehan (Cypress, CA/Pacifica). Minnehan, a junior transfer from Sacred Heart, was also stellar in his debut with a new Pioneer program, scoring the game's opening goal off a Morse rebound, while also assisting on a Caden Ghiossi (San Jose, CA/Bellarmine) tally late in the third period, earning the first star of the night. Dantas, Minnehan, and Ghiossi were joined by Jakob Galnor, with the quartet each scoring a goal in their Pioneer debuts. Morse and Nicholas Rogers (Broad Channel, NY/Xavier) secured the other two tallies as the team saw six different players find the back of the net.
 
Even when the team faced adversity, they responded in full force. Skidmore scored their only goal on a power-play opportunity early in the third period, but saw their momentum wiped away almost immediately, as the Pioneers would score two more goals within 27 seconds of the only Skidmore tally. The final two scores were scored just six seconds apart.
 
The team's stellar play also extended to the net, where the Pioneers tried out three different goaltenders, all three of whom were making their first career starts for the team. Senior Division I transfer Mitchell Day (Kirkwood, MO/Kirkwood) started the evening off by recording seven saves against the Thoroughbreds' top attack, looking poised and confident. Freshman Michael Modelski (New Boston, MI/Connections Academy) would take over for the second period of play, notching six saves and recording a 20-minute shutout in his collegiate debut. Then, to cap off the evening, fellow freshman Waylon Esche (Utica, NY/Westmoreland) would enter for the final period, recording a team-high 11 saves while making multiple acrobatic stops. All three goaltenders looked strong, and combined to produce a great look into this year's goaltender room.
 
Orange and Blue Archive - Adrian College: The Pioneers and Bulldogs first met on January 6, 2018, beginning a series that has developed into an annual competitive nonconference matchup. Save for the first meeting, the teams have played an annual two-game set, alternating home sites. Adrian holds a 9-5-1 advantage across the first 15 meetings, including a three-game winning streak entering this weekend's series. However, the Pioneers have enjoyed some recent success in Michigan, winning three of the last six road meetings.

The most recent meetings came last season at the Adirondack Bank Center (now NBT Bank Arena), where Adrian swept the Pioneers, who had yet to adapt to their new-look lineup. The Bulldogs opened the series with a 3-1 victory, scoring once on the power play and holding Utica to a single goal despite being outshot 33-29. Adrian returned the following afternoon and earned a 5-3 win, using two third-period goals to pull away after the teams entered the final frame tied at three.

The Pioneers' most recent victory over Adrian came in the season-opening contest of the legendary 2024-25 season, when the Pioneers earned a 3-2 road win in Michigan. In that contest, two third-period goals by Oriskany native Shane Murphy would see the Pioneers overcome a 2-1 third-period deficit. Murphy first scored shorthanded just a few minutes into the final frame, knotting the game at 2-2, before grabbing the game-winner on the rush, roofing a shot with just under 30 seconds left to secure the win.

The year prior, in 2023, the Pioneers would achieve a draw and an overtime win against the then #2 Bulldogs. In the second game, the orange and blue would notch two second-period tallies courtesy of Domenick Evtimov and Michael Herrera, before Griffen Barr grabbed the overtime game-winner just 48 seconds into the overtime period.

Scouting Adrian: The Bulldogs finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 20-7-1 overall record and a 14-3-1 mark in NCHA play, winning the NCHA Regular Season Championship over top programs such as Trine, St. Norbert, and eventual Division III Semifinalist Aurora. Adrian's offense was among the most productive in Division III, averaging 5.0 goals and 38.9 shots per game while allowing just 2.0 goals and 22.9 shots per contest. The Bulldogs also controlled the faceoff dot, winning 56.2 percent of their draws, and converted 26.3 percent of their power-play opportunities.

The Bulldogs return several experienced contributors, though they will also need to replace significant production from last year's roster. Defenseman David Clarke leads the returning group after recording 32 points on eight goals and 24 assists. Forward Patrick Saini also returns after scoring 18 goals and adding 10 assists for 28 points. Jack O'Hanisain contributed 18 points, while Ryan Vellucci and Nathaniel Bannister each recorded 17 points. Bannister was particularly effective defensively, finishing with a team-best plus-32 rating. The Bulldogs will need these returning players to take on larger offensive roles after leading scorer Ian Amsbaugh's 49-point campaign and the departures of Bradley Somers and Jacob Suede, who combined for 70 points.

In goal, Adrian will be navigating a significant transition after primary netminder and former Pioneer Ryan Piros finished last season with a 16-7-1 record, a 1.92 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. Piros is no longer a member of the program, which features Dylan Eliason (So.), Aden Gariepy (So.), and Jaiden Sharma (Fr.) as the main goaltenders. The Bulldogs' early-season goaltending rotation will be worth monitoring as the new group works to replace a proven starter.

Adrian opened its 2026-27 schedule with a 2-2 exhibition tie against Trine on October 24.

Following the Season-Opening Series with Adrian: The Pioneers will continue their early-season gauntlet with a pair of contests against current #2 Hobart College. The team will welcome the Statesmen on Thursday, November 5th for a 7:00 PM matchup at The Aud, before heading to Geneva on Saturday, November 7th for a 4:00 PM battle, which might also feature a chance to break Hobart's 69-game win streak at The Cooler, which would reach 70 by the time of that Saturday showdown.