UTICA, NY – The No. 1 Utica University men’s hockey team will host the Nazareth College Golden Flyers in the UCHC Championship on Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at the Adirondack Bank Center.
Follow Along: Fans unable to attend can keep up with live video and/or stats at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Come One, Come All: Tickets will be available to the public starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 2. Utica students with valid ID will be granted free admission but students must go to the Adirondack Bank Center Box Office during normal business hours to pick up their tickets.
Wave Them High: The first 2,500 fans in attendance for Saturday’s UCHC Championship game will receive a Pavia Real Estate rally towel.
Game Sponsor: Mastrovito Hyundai will serve as the proud presenting sponsor of Saturday night’s UCHC Championship game.
Last Time Out: For a second consecutive season, the No. 1 Utica University men’s hockey team is headed to the UCHC Championship game following its 11-0 win over the Manhattanville College Valiants last Saturday night. The win not only advances the Pioneers to their second-straight championship game, but it also extends the all-time program unbeaten record to 25 straight games and its winning streak to 17 games. Next weekend’s championship game will also mark the fifth appearance for Utica in the team’s six seasons of UCHC play. Lucas Herrmann (Elma, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) joined some elite company with his four goal performance on Saturday evening. Herrmann tied a single-game program record, joining Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)) (2023 vs. Lebanon Valley College), Gregg Burmaster (2019 vs. King’s), Phil Boots/Trent Flory (2003 vs. SUNY Brockport) and a two-time four-goal scorer in Jimmy Sokol (2002 vs. Neumann and 2004 vs. SUNY Potsdam). The Pioneers were in full control tonight with an incredible 11 goals and 71 shots while allowing just 18 shots with no goals. Of the team’s 11 goals, one was short handed while five came on power plays over eight chances. Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) and Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)) netted two goals while Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)), Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)), and John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) each scored one. Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) continued his stellar season with a trio of assists while Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)), Connor Fedorek (Bethel Park, PA/Ferris State University (NCAA DI)), Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)), Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (NCDC)), Brandon Ossmundson, and Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) recorded two each. Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)), Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)), John Gutt (Middletown, NJ/Utica JR Comets (NCDC)), Kimball Johnson (Coppell, TX/University of St. Thomas (NCAA DI)), and Khristian Acosta (Port Monmouth, NJ/Mercyhurst University (NCAA DI)) all totaled one assist. In net, Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) recorded 18 saves and earned another shutout in a team dominating win. The Pioneers came out firing with a whopping 25 shots while allowing just three. Utica had a field day with a six-goal opening period that included a Lucas Herrmann (Elma, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)) hat trick. Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) scored just 26 seconds into the game to give Utica a 1-0 edge. Khristian Acosta (Port Monmouth, NJ/Mercyhurst University (NCAA DI)) and Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (NCDC)) assisted the goal. At the 4:35 mark, Herrmann found the back of the net off of passes from Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (NCDC)) and Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)). Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) scored at the 8:21 mark to give Utica a commanding 3-0 lead. Brandon Ossmundson and Brian Scoville (Agawam, MA/Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA DI)) assisted the goal. Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)) scored the fourth Pioneer goal at the 12:16 mark and was assisted by Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) and John Gutt (Middletown, NJ/Utica JR Comets (NCDC)). Moments later Herrmann found the back of the net at the 13:13 mark for his second goal of the game. Herrmann secured his hat trick at the 18:31 mark as Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) and Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) assisted the goal. After one, Utica led an incredible 6-0 with all of the momentum. The Pioneers kept the pressure on with Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)) scoring the seventh Pioneer goal just one minute into the second frame. Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) and Kimball Johnson (Coppell, TX/University of St. Thomas (NCAA DI)) assisted the goal. Buster Larsson (Malmo, Sweden/Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC)) netted his second goal of the game at the 5:13 mark off of feeds from Regen Cavanagh (Chesapeake, VA/Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)) and Brandon Ossmundson. Herrmann continued his fantastic evening with his fourth goal of the game at the 15:40 mark as Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) and Connor Fedorek (Bethel Park, PA/Ferris State University (NCAA DI)) assisted the play. Utica was able to have success on the power play as the three second period goals were on the man advantage. The Pioneers took its 9-0 lead with 55 shots into the final period of play. Utica kept firing away and recorded two more goals in the third frame. John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) found the back of the net at the 2:42 mark off beautiful passes from Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) and Conor Federok. Dobay and Fedorek were facilitating all night and this was the second straight goal that the two assisted on. Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)) netted the Pioneers final goal of the evening at the 10:14 mark and Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) and Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) assisted the goal. Utica won 11-0 in very convincing fashion to advance to the UCHC Championship game.
In the Polls: The Utica University men’s hockey team remains the No.1 team in the country in this week’s US College Hockey Online Men’s Top 15. The poll was released Monday by the national college hockey website. The Pioneers received 14 out of 20 first place votes and collected 294 points this week to remain at the No. 1 spot. Last week, Utica beat the eighth seed Arcadia University 5-2 in the UCHC Quarterfinals on February 22 to advance to the semifinals. Over the weekend, the Pioneers had a dominant performance against the fourth-seeded Manhattanville College Valiants, winning 11-0 to advance to the UCHC Finals. The full Division III men’s hockey rankings can be found at https://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-mens-poll/.
A League of Their Own: Eight members of the No. 1 Utica University men’s hockey team were selected to UCHC All-Conference teams, as announced by the conference on Wednesday. Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) had a prodigious season for the Pioneers earning UCHC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team honors. The junior offensively was a key factor for the Pioneers with five goals and 32 assists. With the season at continuation, Dobay also has a chance to set the single-season record for assists, a record that was set by teammate Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (NCDC)) last season with 32, and can increase the lead he already has for most assists in the UCHC. Dobay was even a bigger help on defense though helping the team allow just 49 goals out of 615 shots over the course of the season. More notably, Dobay also was a key factor in the reason that the Pioneers rank ninth in the nation in scoring defense. The Weymouth, MA native looks to continue his success for the team that is chasing another UCHC championship. These are the second and third all-conference honors for Dobay after being named first team defense last season. Gary Heenan led the Pioneers to another exceptional season and was rewarded with UCHC Coach of the Year honors. Heenan led the team to its best conference record going undefeated, 20-0-0, for the first time since entering the UCHC. Heenan also has led the Pioneers to 25 straight games without a loss this season which is an all-time program record. With such success, Heenan is leading the team to its second consecutive UCHC Championship appearance and looks for it to be their second consecutive championship win. This is Heenan’s third UCHC coach of the Year honor after receiving the award in 2019-20 and 2021-22. Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)) had a remarkable season for the Pioneers and received UCHC First Team honors. On the season, and still looking to further the success, Parker has amassed 23 goals and 12 assists. At 23 goals, Parker now stands alone at the top for most goals in a single-season for the Pioneers and is tied for first in UCHC for total goals. He is also tied for second nationally in goals per game with an outstanding .85, currently another single-season record for Parker. This is Parker’s first All-UCHC honor. Justin Allen (Hilton, NY/Rochester Monarchs (NCDC)) was nothing less than impressive this season for the Pioneers and earned himself All-UCHC First Team Defense honors. Even after missing seven games due to injury, Allen still found a way to stack up the stats and put on performance after performance for the team. Allen had four goals and 16 assists and was also another key factor in the Pioneers ranking ninth in defensive scoring. Earlier this year, Allen also became the seventh player to amass 100 career points and is the first in program history to do so as a defensive player. This is the fifth All-UCHC honor for Allen as he was named to the UCHC All-Rookie Team in 2018-19, All-UCHC First Team in 2020-21, the UCHC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22, and to the All-UCHC First Team in 2021-22. Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) has been an absolute wall for the Pioneers all season long and with his All-UCHC First Team honors, Landsberger becomes the second Utica goalie to have received first team honors since the merge into the UCHC. On the season, Landsberger has collected 532 saves, has only allowed 43 goals, and has a save percentage of .925 on the season. With 24 wins this year, Landsberger now stands alone at the top of the list for most wins in a single-season in program history. Nationally, Landsberger ranks eleventh for goals against average and is first in wins and win percentage. This is Landsberger’s first career All-UCHC honor. Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)) has been a good aide to the success for the Pioneers all season and earned All-UCHC Second Team honors. Curran reeled in 12 goals and 24 assists and was a good spark plug for the Pioneers throughout the season. In the UCHC, Curran is eighth in goals, third in assists, and fourth in total points. He also is a big time contributor in the reason the Pioneers have 119 more assists and 45 more goals than the next highest teams. This is Curran’s first career All-UCHC honor. Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) was another phenom for the Pioneers receiving All-UCHC Second Team honors. Zapata was another major help on the offensively gifted Pioneers team. Zapata had 10 goals and 21 assists under the success of the Pioneers. Zapata also became one of the seven Pioneers that has reached 100 career points as he did so earlier this season. Currently at 112 points, Zapata ranks in the top-five and can continue to climb with Utica being red-hot. This is the third All-UCHC honor for Zapata after also receiving UCHC Player of the Year in 2021-22 and All-UCHC First Team honors in 2021-22. Kimball Johnson (Coppell, TX/University of St. Thomas (NCAA DI)) is another key piece of the Pioneers lockdown defense and earned All-UCHC Second Team honors. Johnson’s ability to pair his elite defense with his playmaking has made him one of the best facilitators for Utica. The Coppell, TX native has five goals this season with 21 assists, which is tied for third on the team and is tied for fifth in the conference. Another key piece of Johnson’s game is how he continuously produces, recording at least one point in 20 of his 24 appearances this season. This is the first career All-UCHC honor for Johnson.
About Nazareth: The Golden Flyers went 16-7-2 in the regular season and 12-5-1 in UCHC play which earned them the second seed in the UCHC Tournament. Nazareth beat third-seeded Stevenson University 4-2 on Saturday afternoon in the UCHC Semifinals to advance to Saturday’s title. The Golden Flyers have a well-rounded team, being the top-ranked team in the UCHC in penalty kill situations while also scoring 86 goals as a team. They are led by forward Henry McKinney who was selected to the UCHC First-Team and Logan Tobias who earned All-Rookie honors. McKinney’s 36 points are tied for third in the conference and his 26 assists are good for second in the UCHC. Logan Tobias’ 19 goals ranks third in the conference and he is an integral part of the team’s offense. Blake Frost is another key freshman for the Golden Flyers and has six goals and 18 assists this season which is tied for seventh in the UCHC. In net, Raphael Provencher posted a 12-5-1 record with 425 saves, a .920 save percentage over his 18 starts this season.
Head-To-Head: Utica owns a 22-5-3 all-time record against Nazareth and have won 13 games in a row against the Golden Flyers, including both games of the home-and-home this season (6-1 at home on 1/27/23 and 4-1 on the road on 1/28/23). At home, the Pioneers are 14-2-1 against Nazareth and have not fallen to the Golden Flyers on home ice since February 17, 2017.
Season Dominance: The Pioneers have dominated the season matchups this season outscoring Nazareth 10-2 in the two games. Utica beat the Golden Flyers 6-1 on January 27’s Dunkin Night 6-1 where the Pioneers had six scorers. Shane Murphy (Oriskany, NY/Danbury Hat Tricks (NAHL)), Remy Parker (Montclair, NJ/University of Maine (NCAA DI)), Jakob Breault (Acton Vale, QC/Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI)), Brandon Ossmundson, Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)), and John Moncovich (Wilmington, NC/Hampton Roads Whalers (USPHL)) all found the back of the net. Moncovich and Matt Wood (Garnet Valley, PA/Richmond Generals (USPHL)) led the way with two assists while in net Bryan Landsberger (Montreal, Quebec/Nepean Raiders (CCHL)) recorded 20 saves while allowing just one goal. On January 28 Utica hit the road to face Nazareth and topped them 4-1 after the Golden Flyers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, the Pioneers scored four-straight goals. Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)), Mic Curran (Arlington, MA/Curry College (CCC)), Jacob Breault, and Khristian Acosta (Port Monmouth, NJ/Mercyhurst University (NCAA DI)) all found the back of the net in the victory while Dante Zapata (Huntington Beach, CA/Austin Bruins (NAHL)) led the way with two assists. In net, Landsberger recorded 17 saves and settled in well after the early goal making seven third period stops.
Up Next: The winner of the UCHC Championship will earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Division III Tournament. First Round play is set to begin on Saturday, March 11. The selection show will be streamed live on NCAA.com at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 6.
#34 Khristian Acosta F 5′ 9″ Senior Sports Management
#14 Justin Allen D 6′ 2″ Graduate Student Sports Management
#23 Regen Cavanagh F 6′ 0″ Graduate Student Business Economics & Finance/Business Analytics
#19 Mic Curran F 6′ 1″ Graduate Student Master of Business Administration
#5 Jayson Dobay D 6′ 0″ Junior Business Management
#1 Bryan Landsberger G 6′ 6″ Sophomore Psychology/Creative Writing
#29 Buster Larsson F 6′ 6″ Senior Finance
#37 John Moncovich F 6′ 2″ Senior Business Management
#9 Shane Murphy F 5′ 11″ Sophomore Sports Management
#22 Remy Parker F 6′ 3″ Senior Communications Players Mentioned
#34 Khristian Acosta 5′ 9″ Senior Sports Management F
#14 Justin Allen 6′ 2″ Graduate Student Sports Management D
#23 Regen Cavanagh 6′ 0″ Graduate Student Business Economics & Finance/Business Analytics F
#19 Mic Curran 6′ 1″ Graduate Student Master of Business Administration F
#5 Jayson Dobay 6′ 0″ Junior Business Management D
#1 Bryan Landsberger 6′ 6″ Sophomore Psychology/Creative Writing G
#29 Buster Larsson 6′ 6″ Senior Finance F
#37 John Moncovich 6′ 2″ Senior Business Management F
#9 Shane Murphy 5′ 11″ Sophomore Sports Management F
#22 Remy Parker 6′ 3″ Senior Communications F
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