UTICA, NY - On an icy Saturday afternoon, the No. 9-ranked Pioneers wrapped up their 25th regular season in stunning fashion, due in large part to Captain Drake Morse, who exploded for a career-high four goals in a 10-3 victory.
The Pioneers finished the season with a 17-7-1 record, also posting a 13-2-1 record in the UCHC, capturing their 10th straight conference regular season title. Chatham finished the season 19-5-1, and 10-5-1 in the UCHC, grabbing the conference's #3 overall seed.
After notching numerous grade-A opportunities in the early going, the Pioneers grabbed a 1-0 lead late in the first period, with a Nicolas Rogers goal giving the team momentum heading into the middle frame. In the second period, the Pioneers would turn up the intensity, scoring four goals to take a commanding 5-1 lead.. This offensive momentum would continue in the third, where the Pioneers would match their goals total, scoring another five, two of which were courtesy of the Captain Morse.
The orange and blue continued to outshoot their opponents by a large margin, blasting 52 shots on goal compared to just 24 by the Cougars. Not only that, the Pioneers would lead in faceoffs during the season finale, winning 42 of the 70 total, compared to the Cougars, who only won 28 of the 70. Andrew Della Rovere would lead the team with 18 faceoff victories.
Morse showed out on the afternoon, having a season high four goals on the day with two back-to-back in the second period and two in the third. Along with his stellar career high game, he also had an assist on the day, grabbing an apple the first goal by Rogers. Morse finished the day with five-points, and also had the most shots on goal for the hosts with 9.
The Pioneers had a field day on offense. Starting with Rogers' and Eric Vitale's first-period goals, setting the tone for this season finale. Adding to the Pioneer's offensive avalanche was Nick Ahern, who made it 3-0. Morse's two-goal period ensued after Ahern's score, as the Pioneers went ahead 5-1. Alexander Gullichsen started the third period with a goal just over one minute in. After a third goal by Morse, the Cougars would score on the power-play, and once more just over a minute after. But this didn't stop Morse from putting the final nail in the coffin, with his fourth goal just under 14 minutes into the third. Davis Goukler and Will Hilfiker continued to add to the Pioneers' eight goals, with two more at the very end of the matchup.
A slew of Pioneers had assists on the day, led by Della-Rovere, who posted a game-high three assists while capturing the game's second Star. Hunter Longli, Tyler Procious, and Gaberiel Lundberg each had two to finish out the game. Other Pioneers who finished the game with one assist each were Sal Cerrato, Aydin Parekh, Alex German, Preston Brighton, Stepan Kuznestov, Anthony Bax, Hilfiker, Morse, Rogers, and Vitale.
Kyle Curtain would make 21 saves, with the majority coming in the second period as he got back to his winning ways.
The Pioneers captured their 10th straight conference regular season title with last night's overtime win, and will enter the UCHC Tournament as the #1 overall seed. The orange and blue clinched a first-round bye and will host in the semi-finals at the Adirondack Bank Center on February 28th. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM. If the Pioneers win, they continue to the UCHC Championship. Check out our ticket release for more information on the upcoming UCHC Tournament!