UTICA, NY - The No. 3 ranked Utica Pioneers left absolutely no doubt in claiming the Delta by Marriott Thanksgiving Showcase Championship, riding a three-goal second period along with some spectacular play by a recently emerging Bryan Landsberger to stomp their former UCHC rival Stevenson by a 6-1 score.
The Pioneers took home the Delta by Marriott Thanksgiving Showcase Championship, defeating UNE in yesterday's Semifinal before toppling Stevenson for the tournament title.
Andrew Della Rovere powered the Pioneer offense in the final, earning the tournament's MVP with a two goal night to put the hosts over their Maryland based counterpart. Della Rovere also captured an assist in the action, cementing his status as the tournament's standout player.
Landsberger stood tall in goal once again, allowing just a single goal after recording a 30 minute shutout the night before vs UNE. The Senior stopper allowed just a single score in 90 total minutes of ice time during this year's tournament, and notched 27 saves in Saturday's championship game.
Also scoring for the Pioneers during their title winning tilt was Johnny Mulera, Jakob Breault, Gabriel Lundberg, and Justin Rapp.
The Pioneers piled up 12 assists in the matchup, with Freshman sensation Anthony Bax putting in a team-high three playmakers. Bax tallied five total assists along with a single goal in the tournament, getting named to the all-tournament team.
Speaking of the all-tournament team, Captain Brian Scoville tacked on two more assists to his tournament total of four, also putting in a goal in the semifinal victory and being selected as the Pioneers' other all-tournament team defensemen.
Drake Morse added two assists and Matt Wood, Aiden Hughes, Eric Vitale, and Reid Oliver all added one apple each.
The Pioneers improved to 9-1 with the championship victory.
Here were the all-tournament selections from this year's tournament.
D - #2 Brian Scoville - Utica
D - #26 Anthony Bax - Utica
F - #22 Johnny Mulera - Utica
F - #28 John Gutt - Utica
F - #19 Blake Benson - Stevenson
G - #1 Bryan Landsberger - Utica
MVP - F - #27 Andrew Della Rovere - Utica
Game Summary:
Utica notched the only score of the first period, once again getting out to an early lead with Della Rovere finding Lundberg in front of the net for the game's opening goal.
Things remained stagnant throughout the rest of the opening 20 minutes, with neither team managing to notch another standout moment.
The Pioneers had the first big opportunity of the middle 20 minutes, entering a power play about four minutes into the period. After analyzing the defensive setup of their former UCHC rival, the Pioneers deduced the best attack lane, with Bax attempting to connect with Wood in front of the net. Wood's redirection angle was shut down; however the puck fortunately fell to Della Rovere on the back post, with the Sophomore leaving no doubt and putting the Pioneers up 2-0 on the power play conversion.
Division III's premier offense clicked into overdrive after their initial second period score, opening the flood gates with back-to-back goals later in the period.
The third Pioneer goal was the result of a hectic volley of shot attempts, the last of which landed right on the stick of Mulera who rocketed one right past the Mustang goalkeeper, widening the gap to 3-0 just short of the midway mark in the match.
Della Rovere couldn't let Mulera outdo him though, as he once again launched himself into the all-tournament team discussion by nabbing his second goal of the night about two minutes after the third Pioneer strike. The Forward received the puck near Utica's net, slicing his way up the boards and shifting sides while crossing center ice. Della Rovere's path took him right down to the opposing net, where he decided to have a go and finish the rush with his second tally of the night to make it 4-0.
Landsberger maintained his excellent form from the night before, notching a couple outstanding saves at the end of the period to keep the shutout in play. The Pioneers took their 4-0 lead into the final period of this year's Thanksgiving Showcase. Looking for a statement in the final period to hammer home the tournament victory.
Stevenson broke their drought, striking back with just over 14 minutes remaining to try keep their comeback hopes alive.
With the score now at 4-1, the Pioneers found themselves facing a now-surging Mustang side. The Pioneers flipped the visitors' newfound energy, embarking on a trio of offensive possessions, two of which resulted in another pair of back-to-back scores for the high-flying Orange and Blue offense.
Rapp received a long pass from Scoville, beating the goalkeeper right up the middle to extend the Pioneer lead to 5-1.
Moments later, Breault put a bow on the proceedings, launching a phenomenal one-two attack with Morse, confusing the Mustang defense and scoring from the slot to bring the game to its final tally at 6-1.
Utica salted away the rest of the clock, taking home the tournament title by a 6-1 decision.