UTICA, NY - Utica Men's Hockey returned to downtown Utica on Friday evening, facing off in their first 2025 contest against a fierce Oswego side in the midst of a 3-game win streak. The Lakers looked to spoil the Pioneers last opportunity for a strong non-conference victory with UCHC play looming large following this matchup. It was the Pioneers though, who would shake off the rust and knock off the Lakers to notch their first victory of the new year behind two goals from Eric Vitale and a solid first start in net from Freshman and Pioneer newcomer Ryan Piros.
 
Vitale slotted in as the Pioneers' only multi-goal scorer during the proceedings, getting the third and fourth goals to give the hosts an edge over their SUNYAC counterpart.
 
Also getting in on the goal-scoring action was Johnny Mulera, Drake Morse, and Alexander Gullichsen, with the trio of Pioneers notching the 1st, 2nd, and 5th goals respectively. Gullichsen's score was an empty net goal, placing the cherry on top for the powerful Pioneers in their 5-goal outing.
 
Captain Brian Scoville was the most dangerous distributor on the ice tonight, securing a game-high three assists while also standing strong against an Oswego offense that had scored 18 goals over their last three games.
 
Fellow first line defensemen Anthony Bax achieved the only other multi-assist night for the Pioneers, notching two apples to continue his standout rookie year into 2025.
 
Ben Schultheis, Matt Wood, Aidan Hughes, Andrew Della Rovere, and Jakob Breault each tallied an assist to round out the point-getters for the Pioneers.
 
Breault and Della Rovere each also had stellar nights within the circle, with Breault capturing 16 of his 19 faceoff opportunities and Della Rovere winning 14 of his 22 tries.
 
Utica as a team dominated on the draw, winning a staggering 46 of the 66 total faceoffs for an insane 70% faceoff win rate on the night.
 
The Pioneers had a new face in net as well, as Ryan Piros made the start for the #3 team in all of Division III. Piros adapted extremely well in his first game action since transferring from Dubuque, as he made 24 saves against a top-tier Laker team. Piros was rewarded for his efforts with his first career win, helping the Pioneers to their big victory over Oswego before UCHC play kicks up starting next weekend.
 
Scoring Summary:
 
2nd | 4:08 | Mulera (Breault, Schultheis) - Even Strength (1-0 UTC)
2nd | 4:42 | Morse (Bax, Scoville) - Even Strength (2-0 UTC)
2nd | 14:18 | Vitale (Wood, Scoville) - Even Strength (3-1 UTC)
3rd | 11:27 | Vitale (2) - Even Strength (4-2 UTC)
3rd | 19:19 | Gullichsen (Hughes, Della Rovere) - Empty Net (5-3 UTC)
 
Game Summary: Piros was thrown into the fire early in his first appearance at the Adirondack Bank Center, with Utica going on the penalty kill just moments into the match. It ended up working in the first year's favor though, as he settled in, making multiple saves to stall the Laker line and secure his first big stand in net for the orange and blue.
 
Utica received its first power play opportunity of the matchup near the midway mark of the first period and looked to get the new look advantage unit off to a scorching start in 2025.
 
The Pioneers had some excellent chances, even finding both Morse and Breault at the doorstep of the crease. However, some unlucky timing on the two opportunities caused the puck to dribble away leaving the team with just a couple seconds left in the man-up spell.
 
The power play specialist Patterson saw his first good look as a Pioneer, dragging the puck back and letting one rip from the slot which was parried by the Laker netminder. The crucial save saw the hosts come up empty in their first player-up period.
 
Oswego saw the next big shot at net, with their top attacker McQuade getting out on the rush. Piros was ready though, snatching a speeding puck out of the air for a spectacular snap save.
 
With under five minutes left in the opening frame, the Pioneers stood strong on yet another penalty kill, with the defense forming an orange and blue blockade around the center of their defensive zone. Utica shut down the Laker advantage and sent the game to the first intermission at a 0-0 tie.
 
Piros was strong in his opening period donning the Moose, recording six saves and surviving four minutes of penalty time to keep the red-hot Lakers out of the Pioneers' cage.
 
Utica also had many good opportunities in front of net, finishing the opening period with a slight 7-6 edge in shots on goal.
 
The second period began with both teams employing new tactics in an attempt to find the breakthrough score.
 
2025's first goal was scored by Mulera, with help from Breault, as he received a beautiful drop off pass and weaved his way around the Oswego back line before firing past the Laker goaltender to send a surge through the large home crowd and put the Pioneers up 1-0.
 
The Pioneers wouldn't have to wait long for their next score, as it came off the stick of Morse who secured a slick redirect off a Bax shot from the blue line. Suddenly, the hosts had opened up a 2-0 lead.
 
After the pair of Pioneer goals, the hosts continued to embark on a prolonged period of possession, holding the puck inside the Lakers defensive zone for the ensuing couple of possessions and looking to make it three within a tight span.
 
To add insult to injury, the Lakers picked up a penalty as a result of the Pioneers' powerful pressure, losing both a player as well as a modicum of momentum as the hockey-starved Utica fans began to make their presence known at the Adirondack Bank Center.
 
With the cobwebs officially out of the Pioneers' system, a rejuvenated Utica group took on their second power play of the night. On their second attempt, Oswego managed to secure some impactful stops and keep the steadfast Pioneer squad off the board. At the end of their player-down spell, the Lakers once again found a streaking McQuade who met the cage guardian Piros just outside the crease. Once again though, the new keeper on the block did just that to the Lakers' lead man, stuffing McQuade on the doorstep to maintain the 2-0 lead.
 
A third penalty taken by the Pioneers at the eleven-minute mark of the middle period sent the hosts to their third player-down passage of the game. This time, the extra Laker skater was too much for the then-unblemished penalty kill unit to overcome as Oswego managed to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.
 
Now just one goal away from leveling the proceedings, the Lakers continued to push their advantage, however, their aggressive nature opened some avenues for the Pioneers to get out on the rush.
 
Division III's top tier offense took full advantage of the open ice, with Wood finding Vitale along the left boards to get the Sophomore attacker out on a breakaway with no Laker defenders remotely close to the Toronto native.
 
Vitale drove in on the Laker netminder, pulling across his body for a backhand shot that was initially slowed down but eventually drifted just over the line for the Pioneers' third goal of the period.
 
The Lakers managed to once again close the gap to one at the tail end of the frame, with McQuade landing the final shot in a trio of excellent opportunities. Piros managed to block the first two, but saw an unfortunate deflection allow the puck to slip just out of his grasp.
 
After a scoreless first period followed by a five goal second period, the third period began with the outcome of the game and the variety of its result still heavily in question. Regardless of the difference in styles between the two periods, the third began with Utica still holding a 3-2 lead.
 
Each team had a few breakaway chances as the all-important third period got underway, with neither team managing to find the opening goal of the final frame.
 
Time continued to drain in the night's non-conference affair, with each team emptying their bag of tricks in an attempt to secure the final period's momentum. Oswego even successfully diffused two dangerous Utica attacks via a sliding defender to keep the gap at one.
 
With about 11 minutes left in regulation, the hosts earned a prime opportunity to notch an early dagger, with Oswego gifting the Pioneers their fourth advantage of the game. Utica pushed to achieve a fourth score against a defensively dominant Oswego side during the player-up spell but fell to 0-for-4 on the power play with the Pioneers failing to draw net.
 
It mattered little though, as Vitale vaulted the Pioneers to a 2-goal lead, taking advantage of a Laker miscue to re-establish the Pioneers multi-score advantage.
 
The Laker goaltender sent the puck out of his crease and right into the waiting stick of Vitale who whipped it right back into the upper regions of the Oswego net, celebrating his score with the season ticket section as he restored energy to the Aud and brought the score to 4-2.
 
Utica fiercely fought for another though, as they spent the next few minutes engaging in a series of scrums just outside the Laker net, draining the clock down until there were about three minutes left in regulation.
 
It was at this point that the Lakers pulled their goalkeeper, moving to mount one last all-out offensive against the Pioneers. Piros stood tall initially, shooing away multiple opportunities. Chaos in the crease led to a ricocheting shot from Oswego which thudded into the goal, suddenly bringing the deficit back to one at 4-3.
 
Oswego had a few more opportunities to level the tie, however, Gullichsen got out into space and netted the empty-net dagger bringing the score to 5-3 and all but clinching a massive non-conference victory for the hosts.
 
The Pioneers cemented their opening win of 2025 by salting away the final seconds, sending Oswego home and picking up a big resume-builder before heading into the UCHC gauntlet.