UTICA, NY - It may be the first game of a new year, but the results were familiar on Saturday for the No. 3 Utica College men's ice hockey team. In a battle of nationally-ranked teams, the Pioneers broke a 1-1 tie with a string of four unanswered goals and hardly looked back as they went on to cruise past visiting No. 14 Curry by a 6-2 score in a non-conference game at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

The win, Utica's third in a row, improves their overall record to 10-2. The Colonels lost a third straight game and now stand at 8-3-1 in their first twelve games. Utica takes a 5-3 lead in the all-time series in what was the first meeting in five years between the two programs. 

Utica out-shot the opposition for a 30th time in 31 games, putting up 28 shots to Curry's 17. The Pioneer power play went 2-for-4, while the UC penalty kill maintained its unflappable form with a 4-for-4 outing. 

John Moncovich put in a monster performance for UC with two goals and two assists. Brandon Osmundson and Mic Curran turned in a goal and an assist each, while Jayson Dobay put up two helpers. Jamie Bucell and Buster Larsson also added goals for the Pioneers.

In goal, Sean Dickson made 15 saves to corral the win. 

UC's leading goal scorer put on a show in the opening period to give Utica a 2-1 lead through twenty minutes. Junior forward John Moncovich bagged his eleventh goal of the season on a crisp one-time feed from Brandon Osmundson at 9:35. Curry rallied back to tie on a shorthanded goal by Mark Zhukov on a breakaway opportunity at 18:06. The tie score lasted all of eighteen seconds before Moncovich intervened again with his second goal of the contest at 18:24 for a 2-1 Pioneer lead at the end of the first. 

The Pioneers lit the lamp twice more in the second period. Jamie Bucell re-directed a Justin Allen shot under the crossbar for a beautiful power play strike at 6:27, and Brandon Osmundson netted his ninth of the year at 14:07 for a 4-1 lead after two periods. 

Three goals in a 40 second span comprised the entirety of the third period offense. Buster Larsson potted a one-timer goal following a faceoff at 3:20, Curry's Timmy Kent countered back with a goal at 3:40, and Utica's Mic Curran rounded out the scoring with a goal against his former squad at 4:00. 

The Pioneers return to action on Sunday as they host SUNY Cortland in a non-conference game. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m.