UTICA, NY - Utica and University of New England renewed their rivalry on Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center in their first meeting since the Nor'Easters' two NCAA victories over the Pioneers in 2022 and 2023. This meeting was indistinguishable from an NCAA Tournament game, as both teams played like there was no tomorrow, trading goals and momentum back and forth all night. In the end, the Pioneers used a third period score by John Gutt, along with the backing of an extremely raucous crowd to push past the Nor'Easters and notch their first win against the Maine squad, a cathartic 6-5 victory to send them to the Delta by Marriott Thanksgiving Showcase Tournament Championship.
 
John Gutt was the night's hero, achieving a two-goal outburst including the game's pivotal score in the third period which decided the proceedings. It was only Gutt's second career two-goal performance, with the only other coming against King's College in February of this year. Up to this point in the season, Gutt had yet to find the back of the net. The New Jersey native chose this night to finally break through, getting his first goals of the season in what was undoubtedly the most exciting and important game of the season so far.
 
Gutt wasn't the only third period standout though, as Bryan Landsberger provided an extra layer of defense to put the Pioneers over UNE. Landsberger entered the goal at the midway mark of the match, taking the reins in net against a supercharged Nor'Easter offense that had already netted five scores up to that point. Despite the visitors displaying phenomenal offense in the early-going, the UNE offense was suddenly silenced after Landsberger made his way on-ice. Landsberger orchestrated a nearly 30 minute shutout of the Nor'Easters, including a massive defensive stand at the end of the game to put a cap on the Semifinal showdown. Landsberger picked up the win after the Pioneers clawed back and eventually took the lead with Gutt's game winner. He also finished with 10 saves in his thirty minutes of action.
 
The Captain also had a spectacular showing, as Brian Scoville finally got his revenge against the squad that downed two of his former Pioneer squads. Scoville's presence was evident tonight, as he muscled his way to a goal along with a trio of assists. The Massachusetts man was everywhere during the action, firing in dangerous attempts from the blue line and bodying up any and all Nor'Easter attackers that entered his vicinity. Scoville's leadership was very apparent on many of the Pioneers' scores during the matchup as well, with him often calling for the puck and organizing many an effective attempt on the Nor'Easter net.
 
As a whole, the Pioneers did an excellent job staying out of the penalty box while taking advantage of a UNE squad that had a propensity for gifting their opponents power plays. UNE endured eight minutes of penalty time compared to just two minutes for the Pioneers.
 
Utica used their clean play to dominate the shot column as they've been prone to doing so far this year. The Pioneers managed to outshoot the Nor'Easters by a 37-22 margin and also won the faceoff battle, taking 42 of the 67 faceoff attempts for a 63% faceoff win rate.
 
Gutt, along with Andrew Della Rovere and Michael Herrera did particularly well in the circle, with Gutt capturing 9 of 13 faceoffs (69%), Della Rovere winning 11 of his 15 tries (73%), and Herrara nabbing 8 wins on 11 attempts (72%).
 
The additional scorers for Utica were Matt Wood, Jakob Breault, and Anthony Bax, the latter of which scored his first collegiate goal in the matchup.
 
Bax also put in a very solid array of shifts, finishing with two assists to go along with his one goal. The former UCHC Rookie of the Week has been settling in nicely to a very upperclassmen-laden Pioneer lineup.
 
Wood grabbed two assists in the action as well, bumping his season assist total up to a staggering 13, one of the higher marks in all of Division III.
 
Shane Murphy was the Pioneers' other multi-assist gatherer, picking up two apples on the night.
 
Ben Schultheis, Drake Morse, and Eric Vitale all picked up a single assist each.
 
The #3 ranked Pioneers improved to 8-1 on the season, while UNE fell to 5-3. The Nor'Easters were sent to tomorrow's 4:00 PM Consolation Game where they'll meet Oswego State. The Pioneers will meet a familiar foe in tomorrow's Championship Game, with former UCHC foe Stevenson awaiting in the tournament final. Puck drop for the Championship will be at 7:30 PM tomorrow night.
 
Game Summary: The much-anticipated second Semifinal began with rapid pace, quickly becoming what could only be characterized as a track meet. UNE got on the board first, suddenly quieting the large crowd who were just reaching their seats.
 
The Pioneers responded almost immediately though, restoring the energy in the building with Breault picking up a big score to knot the game at 1-1. Della Rovere intercepted a centering pass, sending a ricochet to Morse who broke out on the rush. Morse and Breault ran a textbook 2-on-1, driving straight at the net where Morse completed a through pass to Breault who sent it back across the face of the shifting Nor'Easter goaltender to level the game at one apiece.
 
Utica struck again a few minutes later, with Scoville firing a missile to the front of the net which was redirected past the UNE netminder by Gutt for the Pioneers' first lead of the game. It wouldn't last though, as UNE scored shortly after the Pioneers' second goal, tying the match at two after a nine-minute span that saw each team score twice.
 
The two teams combined for four first period scores, an exciting first period of action all around. Despite the early fireworks, the game only became more chaotic in the second period, as the scoring somehow ramped up, with both teams putting in three goals each during the middle 20 minutes.
 
UNE rode a lucky bounce to begin period number two, as a Pioneer mishap led to a shorthanded score for the Nor'Easters. For the second time in as many periods, the Pioneers punched back post-haste, as the freshman Bax sent a strike from the blue line, drawing the upper left portion of the net to return the game to a deadlock, this time at three apiece.
 
UNE took another lead about four minutes later, once again forcing the Pioneers to power up their pressure. The Division's #3 ranked team was happy to oblige though, with Scoville commanding the puck during a key Pioneer power play, rocketing off a scorching slapshot to bring the game to 4-4.
 
UNE found a power play goal of their own just one minute after the hosts' fourth score, once again plunging the Pioneers into a deficit. Utica would hit back once again though, with Bax driving down towards net and fighting off a Nor'Easter defender to send the puck to a wide open Wood on the back post, making it 5-5. The second period's six scores were all recorded within the first 13 minutes of the frame. It was at this juncture that Landsberger entered the net and silenced the Nor'Easter offense for good.
 
The Pioneers' defense locked in during the final period, using the energy created by an early third period goal by Gutt to hold on over the final 16 minutes of play. The score was generated by Gutt and Murphy on the rush, with the latter blocking a clearance attempt and finding a centering pass to the former, who slid it past the goalkeeper for the Pioneer's first since the opening period.
 
The Utica defensive unit, led by Scoville and Landsberger mounted a legendary stand over the following 16 minutes, shutting out a unit that had produced five goals up to that point. The Pioneers survived a final all-out offensive from the Nor'Easters, with an electric Utica crowd providing the spark needed for the hosts to snuff out an empty net attempt. The Pioneers stumped the Maine side for the final minute of the final period, coming away with a key 6-5 win to a chorus of chants and cheers.
 
The Pioneers will meet Stevenson in tomorrow's championship game. Puck drop is 7:30 from the Adirondack Bank Center.