UTICA, NY - The #9 Utica University men's hockey team has reached the final weekend of their 25th regular season series. On the doorstep of clinching their ninth-straight UCHC Regular Season Championship, the Pioneers are seeking just one regulation victory during a two-game home stretch in order to seal the deal and attain the #1 seed heading into the upcoming UCHC Tournament.
 
This weekend, the orange and blue will face another premier conference rival, but one who is experiencing this sustained success for the first time in program history. The current #3 seed Chatham University Cougars are coming to town this weekend (Friday and Saturday) for a pair of matchups against the Pioneers inside the Adirondack Bank Center.
 
This Weekend's Action: Utica will face the Cougars at the Aud both Friday at 7:00 pm and the following day, Saturday at 2:00 pm. Saturday's matchup will be Hamilton Orthopedic Day at the Adirondack Bank Center and will also feature the presentation of the Bob "Scooter" Warwick Award during the pre-game announcements. This award honors integrity and passion for the game of hockey and will be presented to a Pioneer player.
 
Check out all the information about this weekend's series
 
You can purchase tickets for this weekend's games at the following link
 
Friday and Saturday: https://empirestatetix.evenue.net/events/UCP
 
General Admission is $12
 
Stream: To watch both of this weekend's games, click the following link:
 
Friday and Saturday: https://www.empire8network.com/utica/?B=2887001
 
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 link below:
 
Friday and Saturday: https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary
 
Recapping Last Weekend's series SUNY Geneseo: This past weekend, the Pioneers reignited a UCHC rivalry against the SUNY Geneseo Ice Knights. Unfortunately, their 11-game win streak was broken due to the efficient playstyle of the Ice Knights, handing Utica their first loss in over two months since their loss to Hamilton back in November of 2025. The orange and blue fell to 16-7 on the season, also dropping their UCHC record to 12-2. The SUNY Geneseo Ice Knights improved to 16-6-1 on the year, moving their UCHC record to 11-3. The Pioneers still lead the conference race, though, holding 37 points to Geneseo's 33. With each regulation win counting for three points in the UCHC, the Pioneers need just one regulation win against Chatham to clinch the regular season title.
 
Game one was a frustrating outing for the Pioneers, who, despite the loss, were able to hold the puck in their offensive zone for a majority of the contest, outshooting the Ice Knights by a 35-16 margin and capturing the faceoff battle by winning 34 out of 62 on the night.
 
In game two, the Pioneers would continue to outshoot their UCHC opponent, this time by a 37-32 margin. However, the Ice Knights won in faceoffs, taking 45 of 74 opportunities. The Pioneers kept it close in game two, with a late third-period goal by Eric Vitale (Toronto, Ontario) moving the game into overtime. Sadly, the Pioneers would come up short due to an Ice Knights goal by Danny Bagnole less than three minutes into overtime, putting the game away for the Ice Knights, 4-3.
 
Streaks Summary: The Pioneers saw a few players lose long-standing point streaks during this past weekend due to a different contingent of contributors in each of their two matchups against the Ice Knights.
 
Offensive Captain Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI) saw his point streak come to an end, however, not before the Pioneers' star forward extended it to nine games after a two-goal outing in game one of last weekend's series. Morse's recent run on offense has seen him shoot up the Pioneer point charts, with the junior now being tied for the team lead with fellow junior Nick Ahern (Chicago, IL) at 26 points. Morse is getting hot at the right time, as the orange and blue will look for some stellar contributions from their group of veteran upperclassmen down the stretch.
 
Speaking of upperclassmen, senior center John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) would also have his nine-game point streak snapped in the weekend series against Geneseo. However, the longtime Pioneer skater would begin another streak in the second game, grabbing an assist on the opening goal of the game. Gutt is right behind Morse and Ahern on the points charts, having 25 on the season (11g, 14a)
 
Finally, junior center Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario) had his nine-game point streak snapped in the second game of the doubleheader, but not before recording three assists in the first game to help push the team to the brink of victory. Della Rovere has been on a mission during the second half of the season, piling up six goals and nine assists (15 points) since the turn of the new year. After not recording a point in the first eight games of the season, Della Rovere has amassed 20 points in just 15 games, being one of the Pioneers' standout stars in the second half.
 
Here is a look at the skaters with the highest percentage of point-producing games this season:
 
Morse - points in 18 of 23 games (78%)
Kuznetsov - points in nine of 12 games (75%)
Gutt - points in 16 of 23 games (70%)
Vitale - points in 16 of 23 games (70%)
Ahern - points in 14 of 23 games (61%)
Della Rovere - points in 12 of 23 games (52%)
 
Below is a list of each of the Pioneers' weekly award winners this season.
 
John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) | Men's Hockey - UCHC Co-Player of the Week - November 17th
John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) | Men's Hockey - Empire 8 Co-Player of the Week - November 17th
Kyle Curtin (St. George, Ontario) | Men's Hockey - Empire 8 Goaltender of the Week - November 24th
Kyle Curtin (St. George, Ontario) | Men's Hockey - UCHC Goaltender of the Week - November 24th
Sal Cerrato (St. Louis, MO) | Men's Hockey - Empire 8 Player of the Week - January 5th
Sal Cerrato (St. Louis, MO) | Men's Hockey - UCHC Co-Rookie of the Week - January 5th
John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) | Men's Hockey - Empire 8 Player of the Week - January 12th
John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) | Men's Hockey - UCHC Player of the Week - January 12th
Gabriel Lundberg (Gothenburg, Sweden) | Men's Hockey - Empire 8 Player of the Week - January 19th
Gabriel Lundberg (Gothenburg, Sweden) | Men's Hockey - UCHC Co-Player of the Week - January 19th
Aidan Hughes (Mississauga, Ontario) | Men's Hockey - Empire 8 Player of the Week - January 26th
Aidan Hughes (Mississauga, Ontario) | Men's Hockey - UCHC Co-Player of the Week - January 26th
Stepan Kuznetsov (Yaroslavl, Russia) | Men's Hockey - UCHC Rookie of the Week - January 26th
Frank Murphy (Mississauga, Ontario) | Men's Hockey - UCHC Goalie of the Week - February 2nd
Frank Murphy (Mississauga, Ontario) | Men's Hockey - Empire 8 Goalie of the Week - February 2nd
Eric Vitale (Toronto, Ontario) | Men's Hockey - Empire 8 Player of the Week - February 9th
 
The Postseason Picture Heading Into the Regular Season Finale: The Pioneers had a chance to further cement their spot atop the NPI with a win against Geneseo, which would have also netted them the #1 seed in the upcoming UCHC Tournament, however, a pair of tight losses against the Pioneers' biggest opposition in the chase for the NCAA Tournament hasn't done too much damage for their quest.
 
Beginning with the UCHC, the Pioneers still stand four points clear of the Ice Knights, and need just one regulation win this weekend to clinch the regular season title. A loss for the Ice Knights in either game this weekend against Brockport will also hand the Pioneers their ninth straight UCHC Regular Season Title, and 10th straight Conference Regular Season Title. The Pioneers have clinched a spot in the UCHC Semifinals, and will see home UCHC Tournament action next Saturday, February 28th. The field of six for that tournament is set, as Geneseo, Chatham, Nazareth, Albertus Magnus, and Brockport will join the orange and blue in the conference postseason. However, the seeding for every spot 1-6 is still up for grabs this weekend. Each team in the field of six can pick up a possible six points this weekend, meaning they could catch any teams ahead of them within that six-point margin.
 
Here is a look at the UCHC standings entering the final weekend of regular season play:
 
Asterisks represent a clinched postseason berth
1: Utica* | 37 pts | 12-2 UCHC | 14 GP
2: Geneseo* | 33 pts | 11-3 UCHC | 14 GP
3: Chatham* | 29 pts | 10-4 UCHC | 14 GP
5: Nazareth | 24 pts | 8-5-1 UCHC | 14 GP
5: Albertus Magnus* | 21 pts | 7-7 UCHC | 14 GP
6: Brockport | 17 pts | 5-9 UCHC | 14 GP
 
7: St. John Fisher | 15 pts | 5-11 UCHC | 16 GP
8: Manhattanville | 8 pts | 3-11 UCHC | 14 GP
9: Elmira | 8 pts | 2-11-1 UCHC | 14 GP
 
This past weekend saw many more shakeups in the NPI, the metric that decides the at-larges in this year's field of 14 for the NCAA Tournament. Following their pair of close losses to the Ice Knights, the Pioneers have slid down to the #8 spot and now occupy the final "at-large" position, which would see them make the tournament if each of the teams above them won their league as projected - this would limit "bid-stealers", as a conference tournament victory by a team lower than Utica in the NPI would cause an at-large bid to be eaten up by that top team. For example, if Oswego (#14 NPI) were to defeat Hobart (#1 NPI) in the SUNYAC Championship, then Hobart would then take up an additional at-large, placing the Pioneers outside the NCAA Tournament picture due to their only being four bids available for at-large teams. Although the Pioneers are currently in, they have some work to do, as a conference tournament loss while in the final at-large spot will assuredly place a team outside the postseason picture. Thankfully, the orange and blue have a prime opportunity to boost their NPI with two games against #15 NPI ranked Chatham this weekend. The Pioneers are looking for some solid resume builders, as despite having seven losses, the team remains towards the top of the NPI chart due to the fact that every single one of their losses has come against a ranked opponent. Below is a look at the top ten of the NPI heading into the final weekend of the regular season - the asterisks represent projected conference champions.
 
National Collegiate Percentage Index as of 2/18/26
#1: Hobart* | 65.749 | 23-0 | SUNYAC (1)
#2: Hamilton* | 60.954 | 18-2-2 | NESCAC (1)
#3: Bowdoin | 59.234 | 15-5-1 | NESCAC (2) - (At-Large 1)
#4: Endicott* | 58.962 | 18-3-2 | CNE (1)
#5: University of New England | 58.127 | 19-5 | CNE (2) - (At-Large 2)
#6: Salve Regina | 58.047 | 17-3 | Independent - (At-Large 3)
#7: Adrian* | 58.007 | 18-6-1 | NCHA (1)
#8: Utica* | 57.714 | 16-7 | UCHC (1)
#9: Babson* | 57.483 | 18-3-2 | Little East (1)
#10: Aurora | 57.477 | 20-4-1 | NCHA (2) - (At-Large 4)
 
In the current rankings, if each conference tournament were won by the current NPI leader in that league, the remaining at-large bids would go to the same teams as last week - Bowdoin, UNE, Salve Regina, and Aurora. SUNY Geneseo climbed up to #12, but will still be fighting for their postseason lives over the next few weeks due to losses against Manhattanville, Nazareth, and Elmira.
 
Here is a link to the current NPI: https://www.uscho.com/rankings/npi/d-iii-men
 
Here are some featured matchups to keep an eye on this weekend, related to the top 10 of the NPI (the rankings used are from the NPI and are not from either of the rankings polls).
 
Friday, February 20th
#8 Utica vs #15 Chatham - 7:00 PM @ Utica
#2 Hamilton vs #45 Williams - 7:00 PM @ Hamilton
#3 Bowdoin vs #48 Connecticut College - 7:00 PM @ Bowdoin
 
Saturday, February 21st
#8 Utica vs #15 Chatham - 2:00 PM @ Utica
#2 Hamilton vs #17 Middlebury - 3:00 PM @ Hamilton
#3 Bowdoin vs #21 Tufts - 3:00 PM @ Bowdoin
#38 Plymouth State vs #9 Babson - 2:00 PM @ Plymouth State
 
 
SPECIAL SECTION - NCHA Tournament
The NCHA Tournament begins on Friday, and loss by any highly-ranked NPI team in the first round would hurt them significantly - The first round is a best of three series
#7 Adrian vs #70 Lake Forest - 2:00 PM @ Adrian & 2:00 PM @ Adrian
#10 Aurora vs #47 MSOE - 7:00 PM @ Aurora & 3:00 PM @ Aurora (MSOE Beat and tied Aurora a few weeks ago)
#13 St. Norbert vs #58 Concordia (Wis.) - 8:00 PM @ St. Norbert & 8:00 PM @ St. Norbert
#18 Trine vs #61 Marian - 7:00 PM @ Trine & 4:00 PM @ Trine
 
 
Orange and Blue Archive - Chatham University: The Pioneers and Cougars have a long-standing history, dating all the way back to their first matchup in 2017. During the Cougars' debut season, the Pioneers would defeat them 13-1 in the first-ever iteration of this rivalry, which is still the largest win margin between the two teams. For the past eight years, the Pioneers have dominated the Cougars, compiling a 17-0-1 record over the course of the matchups' history, however, the Cougars have been putting up consistently increased resistance as the years have gone by, reflecting Chatham's growth into a strong program. 
 
Their last meetup was during the UCHC Semifinal, where the orange and blue completely shut out the Cougars 9-0 to move on to the UCHC Championship. During this game, the Pioneers came out swinging, starting with a Vitale goal, assisted by an at-the-time surging Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario), in the opening 2 minutes of the first period. This was followed by a John Gutt (Middletown, NJ) goal just under 10 minutes into the first period, making a statement early in the game. In the second period, the Pioneers racked up five goals, putting the game away essentially by the midway point of the contest. During that second period, two of the goals were scored by Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)), who struck twice on the power play to further cement the rout. To cap off the game, the orange and blue continued their aggressive offense by sniping two more goals in the third, bringing the game to its final score of 9-0 and sending them to the UCHC Championship.
 
Earlier in the 2024-2025 season, the Pioneers and Cougars had a very close game that ended in a draw. To this date, that tie is the only result that Chatham has secured over the orange and blue. Utica scored a single goal in each of the three periods of regulation, with two of the three goals being scored on the power play. Chatham answered with one goal in the second and two in the third, putting the game into overtime. Following the overtime draw, Utica followed with a 6-2 win over the Cougars the very next day.
 
In late 2024, the Cougars visited the Adirondack Bank Center for a key pair of early UCHC contests. During the Friday-Saturday doubleheader, the Pioneers would take each game, first by a score of 6-3 and then by a 4-3 final in game two. The orange and blue, ranked #3 at the time, got out to a 3-0 lead by the midway points of the game. Although the Cougars would storm back in the third period, scoring three goals to make it 4-3. The Pioneers would eventually slam the door though, winning by that 4-3 final.
 
Although the Pioneers have dominated the rivalry between these two thus far, Chatham is not to be taken lightly, as they've grown into a strong contender within the league, evidenced by their #15 ranking in the NPI.
 
Checking on Chatham: The Cougars finished the 2024-2025 campaign with a 10-15-2 record, also finishing with an 8-10-2 record in the UCHC. The Pittsburgh based program battled through a tough UCHC schedule, picking up big results such as a 7-6 overtime victory over a then #3-ranked Geneseo squad at the Ira, while also capturing that key tie against the then #3-ranked Pioneers later in the season. The Cougars would also sweep Nazareth late in the season to set up a first round UCHC game at home against George Roll's Golden Flyers in what would be the last game on the longtime coach's career, losing 3-0 to Chatham at The Alpha. Chatham would then go on to take a 9-0 loss to Utica in the conference semifinal, wrapping up their campaign.
 
This season, the Cougars have played a much more manageable schedule, coming into this weekend's series with a 19-4 record and a 10-4 mark in the UCHC. Their only stumbles have come at the hands of Brockport (1-2), Albertus Magnus (2-4), and a pair of losses at Geneseo (2-3, 2-4).
 
The Cougars are powered by a lethal attack staffed by a pair of 30-point scorers in junior forward Michael Roby and last season's UCHC Player of the Year in Nick Cyprian. The former leads all players with 38 points, producing over a point per game. His 16 goals and 22 assists give him the current league lead in points. Not far behind is the league's second-highest point getter in Michael Roby, who is second on the UCHC point charts with 35. The junior forward leads all players in the conference with 20 goals, while also ranking 10th in assists with 15. The dynamic duo out in front combine to produce the UCHC's most productive offense as of right now, with Chatham topping the scoring charts at 5.26 goals per game.
 
In goal, the Cougars utilize a few different options, while primarily relying on junior stopper Cameron Kuntar, who has split the past few weekends after starting both games against Geneseo a few series ago. In 16 starts, Kuntar has posted a 1.84 goals allowed average to pair with a .948 save percentage, also procuring a record of 12-4 in the process. In relief, the Cougars tend to turn to rookie goaltender Nikolas Trakakis, who is a spotless 6-0 on the season to go along with a goals allowed average of 2.15 and a save percentage of .940.
 
Following the Regular Season Finale Against Chatham: The Pioneers will have a first round bye, dodging next Wednesday's UCHC Tournament First Round and instead advancing to host a matchup in next Saturday's UCHC Tournament Semifinals. That game will most likely be at 7:00 PM on Saturday, February 28th down at the Adirondack Bank Center. Details about ticketing and times will be announced following this weekend's series. The opponent will be determined following the results of Wednesday's UCHC Tournament First Round.
 
Tune in this weekend to catch the regular season finale!