Utica Ties Naz in Regular Season Finale
2/20/2015 | Men’s Ice Hockey | Box Score
ROCHESTER, NY – The Utica College men’s hockey team skated to a 1-1 tie at host Nazareth College on Friday night in the ECAC Men’s West Conference regular season finale for both squads. Senior assistant captain Justin Hogan (Val Therese, Ontario/Brooks Bandits (AJHL)) netted the lone Utica goal of the evening at the 15:10 mark of the second period to pace the Pioneers.
Utica (11-9-5 overall, 4-8-3 ECAC West) has earned the No. 5 seed in the ECAC West Conference Tournament and will travel to No. 4 Elmira College on Wednesday evening for first round action. Nazareth (11-9-5 overall, 7-4-4 ECAC West) has secured the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and will host sixth-seeded Manhattanville. Hobart College and Neumann University earned the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the tournament and will receive a first round bye.
Nazareth’s Don Olivieri tied the game up 3:14 into the third period of play on the Golden Flyer power-play and both goalies stood strong in net the rest of the way to secure the 1-1 tie.
The Pioneers had their chances with a 5-on-3 opportunity early in the third period, and another power-play chance in the final two minutes of overtime, but Nazareth goalie Brandon Lane had an excellent night as he stopped 37 shots to preserve the tie.
UC earned a convincing shot advantage (38-22), and the Pioneers outshot the home team 5-2 in the five minute overtime period, but they could not seem to slip one past Lane.
Utica senior goalie Mike Taffe (Moose Lake, MN/Amarillo (NAHL)) also played well, stopping 21 shots as his record moved to 1-2-2 on the year.
UC senior forward Louie Educate (Chicago, IL/Aberdeen (NAHL)) registered his 13th assist on Hogan’s fourth goal of the season in the second period. Sophomore Luc Boby (Chicago, IL/Kalamazoo (NAHL)) also earned an assist on the game’s opening goal.
Educate now ranks fourth in the conference with 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) this season and he has 120 career points (62 goals, 58 assists) in 107 career games at the division III level.
Utica has secured a record of .500 or better for the 10th time in program-history. The Pioneers have boasted a winning record in eight of the last 10 seasons and they have won at least 11 games 13 times since the program’s inception back in 2001.
