UTICA, NY - The No. 3 ranked Utica Pioneers men's hockey team welcomed its final regular season opponent to the Adirondack Bank Center yesterday in a crucial clash to stay in the race for the conference's number one seed. Facing Manhattanville in the first of two legs to end the regular season, the Pioneers needed a win to keep pace with the conference-leading Geneseo Knights. Early on, Manhattanville tried to play spoiler, also looking to keep up their own race for the number three seed with the Chatham Cougars. However, it was the Pioneers who lit the lamp four times in a stunning display of third period dominance to come away with a 5-1 victory.
 
Johnny Mulera returned to form against the Valiants, netting two goals in the effort. The graduate player has terrorized Manhattanville this season, tallying four out of the nine total scores that the Pioneers have planted against their UCHC foe this season. Mulera notched a pair tonight to end as the only multi-goal scorer in the Friday tilt.
 
Andrew Della Rovere, Alexander Gullichsen, and Brian Scoville accounted for the other three Pioneer scores, with Della Rovere's goal serving as the game winner.
 
Round out the Pioneer point-getters were Matt Wood, Drake Morse, Tio D'Addario, Collin Patterson, Colby Jaquet, Jakob Breault, and Gabriel Lundberg who all each added an assist in the action.
 
All four of the recent transfers for the Pioneers managed to make their mark tonight, with D'Addario, Patterson, and Jaquet each adding apples. Jaquet's playmaker was also his first point in the orange and blue since joining them from the USports ranks. Ryan Piros was the final piece of the puzzle, completing a crucial quartet of new transfers who helped the team to victory against the Valiants. Piros improved his Pioneer record to 10-1-1 with the win, also picking up 14 saves in the effort. He was seldom tested but was up to the task when called upon.
 
The lack of Valiant attempts came thanks to the Pioneer defense locking in after giving up a stunning early goal to Manhattanville. After the visitors took a surprise 1-0 lead, the Pioneers began to hold things down on the defensive end. Although the first period ended 1-0 in favor of the Valiants, the Pioneers hadn't allowed anything remotely close to Piros' goal for their opponent since the game's opening score, and had their foot firmly planted on the gas pedal heading into the second.
 
Mulera would open scoring for Utica in the second period, getting out on the rush thanks to a deflection off of a charging Breault. Mulera swung in on net and placed the puck directly underneath the Valiant keeper to level the game at 1-1.
 
Nothing of note occurred over the final stages of the second period and the initial stages of the third period, with neither team allowing the other to have a prime opportunity near goal. Both teams were solid and physical, with no penalty minutes being accrued by either team on the evening despite some board-shaking knocks.
 
As time wound down in the third period, the Pioneers would right themselves on offense, flipping the switch back to juggernaut mode as they sent in four goals during the final 13 minutes of play to send the Valiants packing dispute the opponent sticking around in the tie for the first two periods before that.
 
The Pioneers improved to 19-3-2 on the season and 15-2-2 in UCHC play. They will enter tomorrow's matchup tied atop the UCHC table with Geneseo. With a win and anything other than a Geneseo win, the Pioneers will swoop in and claim the number one seed in the upcoming UCHC Tournament.
 
Tune in tonight to see the conclusion to the regular season!