UTICA, NY – The unbeaten Utica College men’s hockey team moved up three spots in both national polls after the Pioneers improved to 8-0 with two ECAC West Conference wins this past weekend. Utica is tied with Adrian College in the No. 4 spot in the USCHO.com National ranking, marking their highest placement in the USCHO.com National Poll in program-history. The Pioneers are ranked No. 5 in the latest D3hockey.com National Poll and they are currently the only team in the country to have played eight games and earned eight victories.
Utica is 8-0 for the first time in program-history and 6-0 in ECAC West play. The Pioneers have a two game stronghold atop the conference standings. As of Monday afternoon, they are one of just four teams in the country (to have played at least two games) without a loss or a tie.
Utica currently ranks fourth nationally in scoring offense with an average of 5.12 goals per game. The Pioneers scoring defense ranks tenth nationally, allowing an average of just 1.88 goals per game. UC’s scoring margin of 3.25 ranks third nationally and the Pioneers penalty kill unit ranks ninth nationally (46/51, 90.2%). Their combined special teams ranks third in the nation (57/92, 62.0).
The Pioneers have now completed their early season ECAC West schedule and will return home this coming weekend to kick off a three game non-conference home stand at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Utica will take on nationally-ranked UMass Boston on Friday night at 7 p.m. before hosting Amherst College on Saturday at 7 p.m. UMass Boston went 23-5-3 last season and advanced as far as the NCAA Division III National Semifinals before falling to St. Norbert 8-7 in overtime.
Utica junior forward Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) remains the national leader with 16 total points. Freshman goalie Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) ranks 12th nationally and leads the ECAC West with a 1.54 goals against average. Junior goalie Henry Dill (Columbus, OH/UMASS (Hockey East)) stopped a season-best 40 shots on Saturday night against Hobart, including 15 saves in a third period that saw the Statesmen out shoot the Pioneers 16-5. Virtanen and Dill have split time in net this season and they each have a 4-0 record.
Sophomore defender Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)), who was named the ECAC West Player of the Week on Monday, registered his first two collegiate goals — one in each game last weekend — as the Pioneers swept Elmira and Hobart. He currently ranks eighth in the ECAC West in defensemen scoring with an average of .75 points per contest. Five of his six points this season have come in ECAC West Play.
Freshman forward Jarrod Fitzpatrick (Wakefield, MA/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) was recently named the ECAC West Rookie of the Week after he posted one goal and one assist over the weekend. Fitzpatrick currently ranks fourth in the ECAC West in freshman scoring with an average of .86 points per game. All six of his points this season have come in ECAC West play.
Senior forward Luc Boby (Chicago, IL/Kalamazoo (NAHL)) registered a career-high two goals and two assists in the Pioneers win over Elmira College on Friday night. He netted two goals in a span of 2:01 early in the second period to help the Pioneers put the Soaring Eagles away early in the ECAC West showdown.
Junior Mikhail Bushinski (Woodbury, MN/Kenai River (NAHL)) ranks second on the team with 10 points while classmate Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) ranks third with nine points. 21 different players have scored at least one point for Utica this season.
