UTICA, NY - For the Utica University men's hockey team, the road to back to the Adirondack Bank Center for this year's NCAA Division III Frozen Four has never been clearer.
 
Only one opponent stands between the Pioneers and their third straight Division III National Semifinal - which would take place back at the Adirondack Bank Center. The opponent is WIAC Champion Wisconsin-Stout, and they'll be attempting to upend a Pioneer team that's looking to book their ticket to college hockey's biggest stage. The Pioneers will welcome the Blue Devils this Saturday for an all-important NCAA Division III Quarterfinal clash.
 
Thanks to the Pioneers gaining hosting rights for this weekend's matchup, the team will now officially have home ice for the entire duration of their run. Stop by this Saturday to see if the team can capitalize on this stellar opportunity and find themselves in the Frozen Four for the third straight season!
 
This Weekend's Action: The #4-seeded Pioneers will welcome #5-seed and WIAC Champion Wisconsin-Stout for this Saturday's NCAA Quarterfinal showdown. The Blue Devils will be seeking their second NCAA Division III Frozen Four appearance, with their only other appearance coming during the 2008-2009 season. The Pioneers will be vying for their fourth NCAA Division III Frozen Four appearance, and their third straight after making it to Division III Hockey's biggest stage during each of the last two seasons.
 
Check out all the information about this weekend's contest!
 
Looking for a Ticket? You can grab your ticket for this NCAA Tournament matchup by heading to the following link: https://empirestatetix.evenue.net/events/UCP
 
General admission is $12.
 
Stream: You can stream this weekend's matchup by heading to 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
 
Recapping Last Weekend's NCAA Tournament First Round Win Over Williams: Last Saturday, the Pioneers overcame a slow start to stall the Williams College Ephs in NCAA First Round action, taking down the red-hot NESCAC Champion by a 3-0 final.
 
Kyle Curtin (St. George, Ontario) and Preston Brighton (Castle Rock, CO) headed up the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament shutout, with Curtin logging 28 saves and Brighton piling up 7 blocks. The Ephs, who averaged 3.6 goals per game during the season, were held scoreless in a spectacular display of the UCHC's top defense. The Pioneers' defensive pressure and ability to alter opposing shots helped energize the offense, leading to the three-goal spurt that sealed the contest late in the second period.
Aidan Hughes (Mississauga, Ontario) continued his awesome junior season this past Saturday, netting the team's opening goal with just over six minutes remaining in the first period. Hughes would clean up a puck in front of the net, getting the hosts on the board and spurring a scoring barrage that would occur over the next three minutes.
 
Andrew Della Rovere (Caledon East, Ontario) would follow up just 30 seconds later, giving the team a sudden 2-0 lead after sniping a puck past the outstretched blocker of Williams' goaltender Harrison Fogel. Drake Morse (Grand Rapids, MI) would make a pinpoint pass from behind the net, finding the Pioneers' star center at a tight angle, but seeing Della Rovere hammer it home to double the lead.
 
Just two and a half minutes following that goal, the Pioneers would step into the NCAA Quarterfinal thanks to a power play goal from senior center John Gutt (Middletown, NJ). On the team's only power play opportunity of the night, Gutt would manufacture a showstopping score, scoring from behind the net as he sent a puck off the back of Fogel and into the net to make it 3-0.
 
The Pioneers would remain solid in the third period to come away with the 3-0 win and advance to this Saturday's NCAA Quarterfinal.
 
Around the Bracket: Last weekend, 12 of the 14 teams vying for this season's National Championship were in action, with the top two seeds - Hobart and Endicott - being the only two teams that didn't play.
 
Last Saturday saw six teams advance, and six teams see their National Championship aspirations end, as this weekend's NCAA Quarterfinal was set.
 
NCAA Tournament First Round Scores:
 
#3 Hamilton - 6
#14 Neumann - 2
 
#4 Utica - 3
#13 Williams - 0
 
#5 Wisconsin-Stout - 4
#12 Anna Maria - 1
 
#10 Norwich - 6
#6 Salve Regina - 1
 
#7 Aurora - 6
#11 Saint John's (MN) - 1
 
#8 St. Norbert - 5
#9 University of New England - 4
 
FOR A FULL FIRST ROUND SUMMARY, CHECK OUT THE DIIIHOCKEYNEWS.COM FIRST ROUND RECAP AT THE LINK BELOW
 
First Round Recap: https://diiihockeynews.com/mens-ncaa-tournament-first-round-recap-the-quarterfinal-stage-has-been-set/
 
Orange and Blue Archive - Wisconsin-Stout: The Pioneers and Blue Devils will meet for just the second time in series history this Saturday, with the two teams' only other meeting coming during the opening round of the 2014 Oswego Classic.
 
During that 2014 clash, the Blue Devils would take early leads of 1-0 and 2-1, before the Pioneers, who were ranked #8 in Division III at the time, would show their strength, scoring once in the second to tie the affair at 2-all, before netting two third-period goals to grab a 4-2 win. Forward Jon Gaffney would net the Pioneers' first two goals of the game, helping them keep pace with Stout during the early stages of the matchup. Midway through the third period, future ECAC West Player of the Year and ACHA All-American Trever Hertz would grab the game winner, making it 3-2 and giving the Pioneers an advantage they wouldn't relinquish. Luc Boby would put the game to bed with just over two minutes remaining, netting the team's fourth score to make it 4-2.
 
Current Associate Head Coach Nick Therrien would start in net for the Pioneers, racking up 32 saves to pick up one of his 13 wins on the season.
 
The Pioneers would tie Oswego in the final, before falling in the shootout to come up just short of the Oswego Classic Championship.
 
Other than that lone matchup in 2014, these two teams have no prior history, producing an exciting Quarterfinal clash between unfamiliar powerhouses.
 
Scouting the Blue Devils: Wisconsin-Stout, located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, will enter this weekend's NCAA Quarterfinal with a 22-5-1 record after downing MASCAC Champion Anna Maria 4-1 in last weekend's first round matchup. The Blue Devils took home their first WIAC Regular Season Championship and gained access to this season's NCAA Tournament after defeating UW-Stevens Point and UW-River Falls in a pair of one-goal games to claim the WIAC Tournament Championship, also their first in program history.
 
The team is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2008-2009 season, where it went 23-6-2, advancing to the program's only NCAA Division III Frozen Four to date before falling to Gustavus Adolphus up at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, NY. The Blue Devils have appeared in two NCAA Tournaments before this year: the aforementioned 2008-2009 season and the 2007-2008 season, when they went 18-9-3.
 
Stout has some solid wins this season over NCAA Tournament contenders, headlined by a 6-4 win on the road against a then #3-ranked St. Norbert squad to open up the 2026 portion of their campaign. The team also took down Saint John's (MN) by a 6-2 final in their second home game of the season back in mid-November. In their five losses, the team was held to one goal or less during four of those five outings.
 
Oddly enough, after not having played a single eastern team during the course of the 2025-2026 season, the Blue Devils will face their second eastern opponent in a row this weekend after taking on Anna Maria last weekend. This will also be the team's first trip outside of Wisconsin or Minnesota this season.
 
This season's WIAC Champion averages 3.8 goals per game and allows 2.3 goals per game. They've found great success on the penalty kill, with opponents having just a .076 power play conversion percentage on 105 Blue Devil penalty kills. However, the team is susceptible to penalties, averaging 5.9 penalty minutes per game. For reference, the Pioneers only average 3.5 penalty minutes per game. The orange and blue will look to put pressure on the opponents, hoping to goad them into a few penalties. The Pioneers currently possess a .252 power play percentage, which will set up a stellar battle against a staunch Stout squad should the team find itself on the man advantage. Stout has also captured faceoffs at a .515 rate, while the Pioneers have won their battles in the circle at a .583 rate - another area of strength for the hosts this weekend.
 
Stout is led on offense by a group of five different double-digit scorers, headed up by sophomore forward Hayden Stocks, who has gathered 15 goals and 19 assists this season. Stocks is one of three Canadian skaters who have over 10 goals for the Wisconsin-based program this season, sharing that status alongside senior forward Tristan Therrien (11g, 10a) and junior forward Nicolas Pigeon (10g, 13a).
 
The other two double-digit scorers were foreign freshman Arhip Sidarovich from Belarus (10g, 13a) and senior forward Maksis Brimanis from Anchorage, Alaska (11g, 4a). Maksis has been the Blue Devils' main target in the clutch this season, with six of his 11 goals being on the power play and five of his 11 goals coming in as game-winners. He also has two overtime game winners. The later into the game, the more effective the senior forward has become.
 
Stocks, in addition to being the leading scorer, has also gathered the most assists for the Blue Devils with 19. His 34 points are 10 more than the next Stout skater, Kullan Daikawa, who is an excellent passer in his own right, with 16 assists. Sophomore forward Nicholas Stevens (8g, 15a), sophomore forward Noah Tyrell (4g, 15a), and the Blue Devil captain, defenseman Gunner Moore (1g, 15a), round out the top assist getters for Stout.
 
Moore, the Las Vegas native, also heads up the defense, with the senior having 44 blocks.
 
In goal, the Blue Devils rely on the talents of freshman goaltender Sebastian Monaco, who has been the team's main starter down the stretch. Monaco got the nod in each of Stout's three postseason matchups so far, allowing 0, 4, and 1 goals during those contests. Monaco has a spectacular 14-2-1 record, also posting a goals allowed average of 1.97 and a save percentage of .935 during his 1036 minutes of play throughout his rookie season. Monaco has started every game in February and March.
 
The Blue Devils' second option is senior stopper Dawson Green, who has posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.55 goals allowed average.
 
With a Win: The Pioneers would advance to their third straight NCAA Division III Frozen Four, which would take place at the Adirondack Bank Center right in downtown Utica. This season's National Semifinals will begin on March 27th on the Pioneers' home ice, with the National Championship scheduled for March 29th, also at the Adirondack Bank Center main ice. With a victory, the Pioneers would face a familiar foe in the National Semifinals, matching up against either St. Norbert or Hobart.
 
Grab your tickets and make sure to tune in for this weekend's NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal matchup!