UTICA, NY - The city of Utica battled a blizzard on Friday night, with poor conditions rampant throughout the Mohawk Valley. However, for those who braved the storm and made their way to the Adirondack Bank Center for Friday's second Utica Thanksgiving Showcase Semifinal - they were not disappointed in the slightest, as Andrew Della Rovere and the No. 10 Pioneers pulled off a 5-4 overtime win to advance to Saturday's Championship Game against #8 Hamilton. The Pioneers improved to 5-4 and picked up their fifth straight victory.
Three Stars:
1st - Andrew Della Rovere was the hero in Friday's hard-fought victory, scoring his first two goals of the season, including the overtime game-winner to seal the deal with around one minute remaining in the extra period. He also picked up an assist in the game, finishing with a three point night thanks to his pair of scores with an apple added on. If that wasn't enough, the junior center also continued his streak of success on the draw, taking 20 of his 30 faceoff opportunities to finish with at 66.67% faceoff win percentage. Della Rovere, who was last season's Utica Thanksgiving Showcase MVP, made strides towards achieving that goal in back to back seasons. His breakaway score in overtime got the Pioneers one step closer, as they move on to the championship and renew a rivalry 10 years in the making against nextdoor neighbor Hamilton College.
2nd - Eric Vitale lead a trio of Pioneers who finished with one goal and one assist each, forming a crucial quartet with Della Rovere to help the Pioneers achieve a second-straight exciting win in the semis of the Utica Thanksgiving Showcase. Vitale scored the second goal of the night, firing off attempts all around the crease before finally slotting away the goal on the backside to give the team a 2-0 lead. Vitale was also instrumental in the overtime decider, as he sent the game-winning biscuit across the entire length of the ice to assist Della Rovere on the decisive goal. His two-point night helped the team get the energy they needed to pull away.
3rd - The third star of the night was split between John Gutt and Nick Ahern, as both Pioneers rounded out the scoring, getting one goal each and one assist each to secure a pair of two-point nights. Gutt broke the ice on Friday night, gliding down the middle of the ice and receiving a pinpoint pass from Anthony Bax to give the orange and blue a one-goal lead. He also assisted on the team's fourth goal, taking advantage of the extra space afforded by a Pioneer power play to find Ahern on the back post. Ahern would slot away that opportunity for his only score of the outing, while also assisting on the first goal to Gutt by finding Bax up the ice.
Preston Brighton also turned in an excellent outing, grabbing a pair of assists on the evening to lead the team in playmakers. Alex German, Mathieu MacMillan, Aiden Hughes, and Anthony Bax rounded out the point producers for Utica, with each player logging an assist.
Kyle Curtin got yet another start in net for the team, saving 19 shots as he secured his 5th-straight win.
The Pioneers did well on the penalty kill, not allowing a single advantage goal to the opposition. Because of their superior special teams play, the orange and blue were able to outshoot the Beacons by a 37-22 margin, also taking 44 of a possible 71 faceoff opportunities to grab a 62% faceoff win rate.
The Pioneers shot out to a 2-0 lead, one that was eventually equalized by the end of the first period, as two late Beacon goals tied the score for the visitors. The Pioneers would then score once in the second, and early in the third to make it 4-2, before another Beacon response would see them score twice in the third period to send the game to OT. After a back-and-forth start to the extra period, Vitale found Della Rovere on the break, and the rest is history.
The squad will now look towards Saturday's Championship Game, which will be played at 7:30 PM at the Adirondack Bank Center against #8 Hamilton. This will be a much-anticipated matchup as the two teams haven't shared the sheet of battle since nearly 11 years to the day, last meeting on November 28th, 2014 in a Pioneer win. Be sure to grab your tickets, and pack the Aud tomorrow for a matchup over a decade in the making!