UTICA, NY - The top-seeded Utica College men's ice hockey team gained very important leverage in their semifinal series on Saturday. In game one of a two game series under the United Collegiate Hockey Conference's new playoff format, the Pioneers got the better of a three goal first period and held their own in a defensive stalemate in the final two periods as the defending UCHC champion Pioneers prevailed over fifth-seeded Nazareth 2-1 in a conference semifinal game at the Adirondack Bank Center at Utica Memorial Auditorium.
The win secures the upper hand for Utica (18-6-2) at one game to zero, and the Pioneers can advance and host next weekend's championship series with a win or tie on Sunday. Nazareth (12-8-7) would need a win in order to tie the series and force the proceedings into a twenty minute mini-game permitted by NCAA rules to break ties in a two game series format. The winner of the series will meet third-seeded Manhattanville for the championship. Utica is attempting to capture its second postseason title in school history, and for the first time, the Pioneers enter a conference tournament with a chance to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament.
The Pioneers out-shot the Golden Flyers 38-25 in the matchup, and finished 1-of-4 on the power play while their penalty kill thrived at a perfect 5-for-5. Conor Landrigan and Nick Yzaguirre had the goals for Utica, and Nazareth's Brad Pizzey also scored in the loss for the Golden Flyers.
Gianluca Baggetta made 24 saves on 25 Nazareth shots, including a penalty shot by Nazareth's Alex Corvi to earn the win. He remains undefeated in his last fourteen goaltending appearances. His record improves to 14-3-2. Counterpart Sean Kuhn stopped 36 shots in the loss for Nazareth.
The teams opened play with a whistle-laden stretch to begin the opening period, and one stoppage proved particularly pivotal. At 3:09 of the period, Sean Hallice was ticketed for charging on a seismic hit on Brett Everson into the left wing boards. Utica made the visitors pay for the infraction following the ensuing faceoff, as Daniel Fritz slipped the puck out to the top of the circle to Conor Landrigan, who netted his second goal in as many games to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
Nazareth played a game of inches to even the score later in the period. At 14:41, veteran forward Brad Pizzey slid the puck along the ice, and it snuck underneath the pads of Baggetta. In a great moment of ingenuity, Utica defenseman Vaden McManus attempted to clear the puck off the goal line for what was potentially a timely defensive save, but the official behind the net signaled that the puck went over the line, and it stood as a 1-1 equalizer.
The tie was short-lived as the Pioneers had another counter-attack cooked up, reminiscent of their answer to Wilkes' game-tying goal last Saturday. As they did a week ago, Utica landed a go-ahead goal less than a minute after the tying goal by the opponent, and they turned to a debuting scorer at the Aud to grab the advantage. Freshman forward Nick Yzaguirre netted his second of the season and his first goal in front of the home crowd at 15:24 to give Utica the permanent lead. The freshman delivered a beauty to bring the Aud to its feet. He turned a wrist shot, and goaltender Sean Kuhn inside out by sneaking an elevated wrist shot from the right wing inside the left side post. The stunning display of accuracy in transition gave Utica a lead it never glanced back from. Both goals for Yzaguirre this season have taken place against Nazareth.
Goaltending, and Utica's penalty killing became the story in the last two periods. The frames were not short on shot volume or opportunities as Utica out-shot the Golden Flyers 28-18 in the last two periods, but Kuhn and Baggetta turned aside all of them. A Baggetta penalty shot save on Nazareth's Alex Corvi highlighted the second period, and the netminders delivered a one-goal thriller all the way down the stretch. Utica's penalty kill was also definitive as they shut off all five Nazareth power plays in the final two periods en route to the win.
The game was the first-ever playoff meeting between Nazareth and Utica.
Utica is 9-0-1 in their last ten games. They are also now 11-2-1 overall at home this season, and has not lost on home ice since opening weekend. They'll seek to continue their home ice advantage tomorrow as they attempt to close out the Semifinal series against Nazareth and advance to the conference championship finals for a fourth straight year. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, and tickets are still available at EmpireStateTix.com.