RYE, NY - The No. 3 Utica College men's ice hockey team may have cruised to a win Friday, but Saturday's matchup against Manhattanville was far from a walk in the park. The host Valiants halved a 3-1 deficit to one goal in the second period, and the Pioneers nursed a one-goal lead for the final 32:38 of the game as they hung on to win 3-2 in a United Collegiate Hockey Conference game at the Playland Ice Casino. 

The win was Utica's sixth straight. The Pioneers improved to 13-2-0, and a perfect 8-0 in UCHC play. Manhattanville falls to 7-5-1 overall, and 4-3-1-2 in UCHC play. 

The Pioneers out-shot the Valiants 39-16. The squads were a combined 0-for-3 on the power play. Utica won 35 of 63 faceoffs. 

Cameron Patton, Remy Parker, and Regen Cavanagh had a goal each for UC. All three players also scored in Friday's game. With an assist, Buster Larsson improved his point streak to six consecutive games. 

In goal, Sean Dickson and Bryan Landsberger combined to make 14 saves. Landsberger came in after the second Valiant goal and presided over an eight-save third period to close out the victory. 

It was Patton who opened the scoring when he netted his second career goal at 4:38 of the first period. Defenseman Brian Scoville shot the puck through a maze of traffic in front of Manhattanville's Reid Robertson, and Patton got the necessary re-direct to put the Pioneers in front. The hosts responded before period's end as Artem Mateichenko leveled the score with a goal at 16:26. 

The Pioneers posted two goals in a span of 1:07 to get some breathing room in the second period. Regen Cavanagh pulled the Pioneers ahead at 3:45 of the second period, with Buster Larsson and Eric Holland snagging assists on a tic-tac-toe passing play. At 4:42, it was Parker's turn, as he lit the lamp with the eventual game-winning goal with Justin Allen and Jamie Bucell recording the helpers. 

Manhattanville's Jamie Dorsey scored on a deflection at 7:22 in the second to pull the game back within a goal, but no further progress was made. The sides went the rest of the distance in a scoreless stalemate, with Landsberger making the stop on a last-ditch effort at the final buzzer to preserve a 3-2 win. 

The Pioneers will battle Lebanon Valley on Friday, January 21st. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. in Hershey, Pa.