UTICA, NY – The nationally-ranked No. 14 Utica College men’s hockey team took a 3-2 second period lead and went on to net four more third period goals on its way to a convincing 7-3 victory in its season opener against visiting Fredonia State at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Friday night. 17 of the Pioneers 18 skaters recorded at least one point in the victory as UC extended its season opening unbeaten streak to 11 years.
Utica (1-0) turns right back around on Saturday and travels to SUNY Cortland to take on the Red Dragons in non-conference action at 7 p.m. Fredonia’s record moves to 0-1 on the season.
Mikhail Bushinski (St. Paul, MN/Kenai River (NAHL)), Kyle Lajeunesse (South Berwick, ME/New Hampshire (EHL)), Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)), and Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) each registered two points on the afternoon. Daniel Fritz (Harwood, MD/Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey)) and Conor Landrigan (New Tripoli, PA/Binghamton Jr. Sens (NAHL)) both recorded their first goals in the blue and orange, while Lajeunesse, Valenti, Bushinski, Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)), and Justin Derlago (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Selkirk (MJHL)) each added one goal a piece.
Goalie Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) stopped 27 shots on the afternoon to earn the victory between the pipes for the Pioneers.
Fredonia jumped out to a quick 1-0 first period lead with a goal in the first five minutes before the Pioneers responded with two goals in a span of just 18 seconds to take the lead back at the 7:19 marker of the first. Fritz and Valenti netted the first period goals for Utica. Sam Wilbur tied the game back up at 2-2 for the Blue Devils midway through the first period with his second goal of the evening.
Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) added a second period power-play goal to give Utica a 3-2 advantage that it would not relinquish.
UC pushed its lead to 6-2 with the first three goals of the third period. Lajeunesse scored what proved to be the game-winner less than two minutes into the final period. Bushinski then put UC up 5-2 with his first goal of the season, before Derlago added a goal for the Pioneers on the power-play midway through the third.
Fredonia got one back with a two-man advantage at 13:30 of the third to make the score 6-3. Landrigan then capped the scoring on the afternoon with his first collegiate goal at 15:48 to set the score at 7-3.
Utica out shot the visitors 33-30 and both teams netted two power-play goals on the afternoon.
Fredonia goalie Eric Bogart stopped 22 shots in the loss for Fredonia.
