ROCHESTER, NY - The Empire 8 Conference and the United Collegiate Hockey Conference have announced the Players of the Week, for the week of November 2nd with a trio of Pioneers earning conference recognition for their standout performances.

Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) - Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Football)

Pioneer quarterback Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) put his veteran disposition on full display during the team's 35-14 win over St. John Fisher on Halloween night. The Rochester native had an all-time great performance, adapting to the Cardinals' tricky drop-8 coverage by racking up 36 completions, 259 yards passing, and three passing touchdowns in addition to a singular rushing score. The senior signal-caller finished just two completions short of the single-game program record, but managed to grab those 36 completions in just 43 attempts, a completion rate of 84%. His methodical passing performance helped the team hold the ball for over 37 minutes in the matchup, while also going 9-for-13 on third down and 5-for-5 in the redzone. 

Szalkowski and the Pioneers hit the road for the final time in the 2026 regular season, traveling to Oneonta, NY to take on the Hartwick Hawks. Kickoff from Wright Stadium is set for 1pm. 

Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI/East Grand Rapids) - Empire 8/UCHC Co-Player of the Week (Men's Hockey)

 Pioneer captain Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI/East Grand Rapids) had a monumental opening weekend, contributing two goals, one assist, and a shootout winner to help the orange and blue escape Adrian undefeated. In the opening contest of the weekend, Morse tallied an assist on the Pioneers' third-period equalizer by Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario/St. Michael's Catholic), as the captain made a nifty move and found his fellow senior in the slot to send the game to overtime, where the visitors would ultimately win. Morse's magnum opus came in the second game, though, as he tore through the Bulldog defense, scoring two goals, one of which was a power play tally. In addition to his pair of goals, Morse also came up clutch in the eventual shootout, beating the Adrian goaltender glove-side to give the Pioneers a huge shootout victory. 

Morse and the Pioneers return to the NBT Bank Arena at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, November 5 to host #2 Hobart College. Puck drop of the Mastrovito Auto Group Night is set for 7pm. 

Yael Fatiev (Kiryat Shmona, Israel/Ontario Hockey Academy) - Empire 8/UCHC Goaltender of the Week (Women's Hockey)

Fatiev and the Pioneers opened their regular season in a home-and-home set with the William Smith College Herons. After entering in relief of a 4-2 defeat by the Herons in game one, Fatiev was called upon for her first collegiate start in game two, playing a pivotal role in the 2-0 bounce back win for Utica. After stopping each of the two shots she faced in game one, Fatiev turned away all 40 on the road to cap her first victory with a shutout. The former member of Israel's national team only got better as the game progressed, making 8, 13, and 19 saves in each frame, respectively.

Fatiev and the rest of the Utica University women's hockey team return to action on Friday, November 6 as the team travels to take on Oswego State. Puck drop from Oswego, NY is set for 3pm.