UTICA, NY – The Utica College men’s hockey team is set to host the Radisson Thanksgiving Showcase on Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers welcome western powers Saint John’s University and University of St. Thomas, as well as central New York stand out Oswego State to the Aud for the Thanksgiving tournament festivities. UC will take on Saint John’s Friday night at 7 p.m. before squaring off against St. Thomas on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Oswego will play St. Thomas at 4 p.m. Friday before facing off against Saint John’s on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Tournament Format: Ties will count for league and national standings … Shootouts are in effect for tournament purposes … The champion will be determined by most wins (tiebreaker will be total periods won, then goal differential).
All-Tournament Team: Following Saturday night’s UC/St. Thomas game, an all-tournament team will be announced during a post-game ceremony consisting of the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, the top three forwards,, top two defensemen and the top goalie.
Jersey Auction: The Pioneers will dawn New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss uniforms this weekend that will be silent auctioned through game night on Dec. 12th. The “Buy it Now” bid is $300. You can send your bid to UC Assistant Coach Michael Findorf at [email protected]. The jersey auction is sponsored by AmeriCU and all proceeds will befit the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers had a tough road trip falling to ECAC West Conference opponent Neumann University on Friday night 5-3, and losing to conference foe Manhattanville 4-3 on Saturday night … The Pioneers out shot their opponents heavily in both contests this past weekend (combined 70-30). Utica’s Hayden Dawes (Stony Plain, Alberta/Drayton Valley (AJHL)) netted two goals; Nick Miglio (San Antonio, TX/Bismarck (NAHL)) added one goal and two assists, while Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) registered three assists over the course of the weekend.
Leading The Way: Freshman Hayden Dawes (Stony Plain, Alberta/Drayton Valley (AJHL)) leads the team with five goals and is tied for the lead with eight points … Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) leads the team with seven assists and is tied with Dawes in points with eight … Dawes is eighth in Division III in points per game (1.14) for rookies, he is tied for fifth in the conference in points (eight), and is tied for fourth in the conference with five goals … Valenti is tied for 1st in the Conference in assists (seven) and is tied for fifth in the conference in points.
In The Net: Freshman goalie Michael Fredrick (Lethbridge, Alberta/Brooks Bandits (AJHL)) is second in the conference in goals against average (2.63), fourth in the conference in save percentage (.908), third in the conference in saves (157), and fourth in the conference in win percentage (.583).
Team Effort: UC has 18 players with at least one point so far this year … Alex Brissette (Atlanta, GA/Hampton Roads (USPHL)) is third on the team and 12th in the conference with six points (four goals and two assists), followed Mikhail Bushinski (Woodbury, MN/Kenai River (NAHL)) (two goals, three assists) and Anthony McVeigh (Kemptville, Ontario/Carleton Place (CCHL)) (one goal, four assists) who each have five points.
Penalty Kill: Utica is 10th in Division III hockey on the penalty kill … UC has killed 25 of 27 opportunities for a 92.6 percent penalty kill … Alex Brissette (Atlanta, GA/Hampton Roads (USPHL)) is tied for first in DIII for short-handed goals with two for the Pioneers.
Scouting Oswego: Oswego (3-3-1, 3-3-1 SUNYAC) is coming off a pair of conference wins over Morrisville this past weekend, outscoring the Mustangs 9-1. The Lakers have four forwards with seven points including Alex Botten (four goals, three assists), Shawn Hulshof (three goals, four assists), Kenny Neil (three goals, four assists) and Matt Galati (two goals, five assists) … Botten leads the way with 79 career points in 64 games played … The Lakers top six scorers are all juniors … Matt Zaeadzki and Adrian Ignagni have shared time in net for the Lakers, with Ignagni emerging in the last three games to post a 2-0 record and a 0.90 goals against average.
Scouting Saint John’s: Saint John’s won a pair of games against MIAC opponent Hamline last weekend and currently holds a 2-4-2 record and a 2-2 conference ledger … Sophomore Huba Sekeski leads the Johnnies with seven points (three goals, four assists), while junior Kevin Becker has five points on two goals and three assists … Becker is the Johnnies active leading scorer with 31 points in 56 career games played … Senior Neal Smith ranks third on the team with four points on three goals and one assist … Senior Saxton Soley has started in all eight games between the pipes and holds a .920 save percentage to go along with a 2.70 goals against average.
Scouting St. Thomas: St. Thomas split a pair of games against MIAC rival Bethel this past weekend … Michael Dockry leads the Tommies with seven points in eight games this season … He has four assists and two of his three goals were game winners … St. Thomas is an experienced group, with 17 players in their third or fourth year of collegiate hockey … Seniors Nick Nielsen and Jordan Lovick are the program’s active leading scorers with 51 career points … They have four players with at least 83 games of playing experience … Joe Morris is the only goaltender to see action for the Tommies so far this season and he has 201 saves to go along with a 2.08 goals against average.
Social Media: Make sure to follow live updates of the game on the Pioneers official Twitter feed: @UCPioneers… If you are at the game and on Twitter, or talking about the game on Twitter, make sure to use #UCMoose… You can also “Like” the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers … Fans can also follow the Pioneers on Instagram: UCPioneers.
Pioneers All-Access: Make sure to catch live video, audio and stats on Pioneers All-Access: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/ … Audio is provided by WPNR 90.7 FM.
ESPN Broadcast Information: Several Utica College men’s hockey home games will be broadcast on the radio locally at WTLB 99.1 FM/1310 AM (ESPN Radio) by Dave Peroni and UC alum Ray Biggs … Live streaming audio can also be accessed on WTLB’s website, www.espnur.com… Fans can also download the free ESPNUR app on their Iphone or Droid device by searching “ESPNUR” in their respective app store.
WPNR Broadcast Information: Utica College home games are also broadcast over the air and online by Utica College’s student radio station, WPNR 90.7 FM … Fans can also download the free WPNR 90.7 FM app on their Iphone or Droid device by searching “WPNR” in their respective app store.
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers are back in action on December 4, when they travel to take on Castleton University … The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
