UTICA, NY - The Big Dance is back, and the Utica University Pioneers are ready to take center stage. The No. 4-seeded Pioneers will welcome No. 13-seed and NESCAC Tournament Champion Williams College to town this Saturday, March 14th, for the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Tournament. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM at the Adirondack Bank Center in downtown Utica.
After downing SUNY Geneseo by a 4-1 final in last weekend's UCHC Championship, the Pioneers took home the UCHC Tournament Title and also grabbed the UCHC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Along with all of those achievements, the Pioneers' recent run of dominance was capped off by a jump up to #4 in the final NPI, solidifying them as a host for this weekend's NCAA Tournament First Round, along with a quarterfinal matchup should they win. For the orange and blue, this means that the road to the program's first-ever NCAA National Title will run exclusively through the Adirondack Bank Center, as after hosting the first two rounds of action, the Pioneers would also be slated to host this season's NCAA Division III Semifinals and National Championship. However, the road to the top is no easy path, and will begin with the Pioneers taking on one of the hottest teams in all of Division III; the NESCAC Champion Williams College Ephs.
This weekend begins another NCAA journey for the team. Get caught up on all the action ahead of this Saturday's first-round matchup!
Check out all the information about this weekend's contest!
Looking for a
Ticket? You can grab your ticket for this NCAA Tournament matchup by heading to the following link:
https://empirestatetix.evenue.net/events/UCP
General admission is $12.
Stream: You can stream this weekend's matchup by heading to the following link:
https://www.empire8network.com/utica/
Live Stats: Interested spectators can follow along with live statistics by clicking the "live stats" tab on our men's hockey schedule page, or by heading to this link:
https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary
Recapping Last Weekend's UCHC Championship: Last weekend, the Pioneers claimed their sixth conference tournament championship, finally vanquishing the SUNY Geneseo Ice Knights to snap a recent losing streak against their Western New York rival. The Pioneers wouldn't just win, though, as they would make a major statement, returning to their stellar postseason form as they outshot the visitors by a 40-10 margin.
John Gutt would open the scoring with just a few minutes remaining in the first period, cleaning up an Eric Vitale rebound to beat the Geneseo goaltender Jacob Torgner on the back post. Torgner was solid in the matchup; however, the Pioneers did well to get the big goalie moving around in the crease, creating some gaps beyond his line of sight. Gutt's goal would cement his spot on the UCHC All-Tournament team.
After a scoreless second period, Geneseo would equalize late in the third period, grabbing a wacky goal against the run of play to knot the affair up at one apiece.
Now in danger of seeing yet another matchup slip away against their direct rival, the Pioneers faced a major tipping point. Thankfully, midseason transfer Nicholas Rogers was there to make sure it tipped in the orange and blue's favor.
Moments after Geneseo tied the matchup, Rogers received the puck at his own blue line, before carving his way through numerous Geneseo defenders en route to beating Torgner at the back post with an amazing wrap-around score. Rogers' goal was the score of the season for the orange and blue, and gave them a 2-1 lead with just under six minutes left in the contest.
After holding on for the next few minutes, the Pioneers would seal their UCHC Championship with a pair of empty net goals courtesy of Drake Morse and Aidan Hughes. The 4-1 win would send the Pioneers to their seventh NCAA Tournament.
Here was the UCHC All-Tournament Team:
2026 UCHC Men's Hockey Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player
Nicholas Rogers, Jr., F, Utica
2026 UCHC Men's Hockey Championship All-Tournament Team
G - Kyle Curtin, Utica
D - Alex German, Utica
D - Dakota Zarudny, SUNY Geneseo
F - John Gutt, Utica
F - Aiden Hughes, Utica
F - Filip Wiberg, SUNY Geneseo
MVP - Nicholas Rogers, Utica
The Field of 14: After all the dust had settled following this past weekend's conference championships, the field for this season's NCAA Tournament was set, and the path back to Utica for the Division III Semifinals and National Championship became clear. Below is the seeding for the 14 teams in this season's NCAA Tournament, along with their first-round opponent:
Asterisks denotes at-large bid
1: Hobart | 28-0 | SUNYAC - Bye in first round, host quarterfinal
2: Endicott | 21-3-3 | CNE - Bye in first round, host quarterfinal
3: Hamilton* | 19-5-2 | NESCAC - vs Neumann
4: Utica | 19-7-1 | UCHC - vs Williams College
5: Wisconsin-Stout | 21-5-1 | WIAC - vs Anna Maria
6: Salve Regina* | 20-4 | Independent - vs Norwich
7: Aurora* | 23-5-1 | NCHA - vs Saint John's (MN)
8: St. Norbert | 21-6-2 | NCHA - vs University of New England
9: University of New England* | 21-6 | CNE - @ St. Norbert
10: Norwich | 18-5-4 | LEC - @ Salve Regina
11: Saint John's (MN) | 17-6-4 | MIAC - @ Aurora
12: Anna Maria | 20-5-2 | MASCAC - @ Wisconsin-Stout
13: Williams College | 12-13-2 | NESCAC - @ Utica
14: Neumann | 17-8-2 | MAC - @ Hamilton
Craziness during last weekend's conference tournament games caused some drastic changes in the NPI heading into Selection Sunday. For example, Bowdoin, who was ranked #4 and in the driver's seat to secure two rounds of home NCAA action, fell in overtime during the NESCAC Semifinals to a Middlebury squad that was the #4 seed in the NESCAC Tournament, bumping them down to #11 in the NPI and resulting in their exclusion from the field despite ranking in the top four nearly all season. Additionally, Adrian College, who have a stellar history of postseason success, missed out on this year's field by one single spot, due in large part to their 0-5 record against conference rival Aurora, despite being 20-2-1 against all other competitors. It was also entire groups that missed out on the Big Dance for the first time in what seems like eons, as no SUNYAC school made it into the NCAA Tournament this season. SUNY Geneseo would finish 12th in NPI, ranked as the third team out, while Oswego would finish 14th in NPI, ranked as the fifth team out.
After all the chaos, we're left with 14 teams who will compete to make it to Utica in the hopes of winning an NCAA National Championship.
Here is a link to the official bracket:
https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/icehockey-men/d3/2026
Here is a link to an in-depth look at the NCAA Tournament field on
DIIIHockeyNews.com:
https://diiihockeynews.com/d-iii-mens-ncaa-tournament-lets-meet-the-field/
Orange and Blue Archive - NCAA Tournament & Williams College: This weekend, the Pioneers will embark on their seventh NCAA Tournament run. Here are all sorts of facts about the Pioneers' NCAA Tournament history.
Utica Men's Hockey NCAA Tournament History
Appearances:
6 (Selected in 2020 before tournament cancellation)
Games Played:
10
Record:
5-5
Home Record:
4-2
Away Record: The Pioneers have never played a road NCAA game
Neutral Record:
1-3
Goals Scored:
27
Goals Allowed:
25
First Round Record:
1-0
Quarterfinal Record:
3-2
Semifinal Record:
1-2
National Championship Record:
0-1
NCAA Division III Frozen Four Appearances:
3
NCAA Division III National Championship Appearances:
1
NCAA Tournament Records vs Each Opponent
Hobart | 2 Games | 0-2
University of New England | 2 Games | 0-2
Bowdoin | 1 Game | 1-0
Curry | 1 Game | 1-0
Fitchburg State | 1 Game | 1-0
Plymouth State | 1 Game | 1-0
St. Norbert | 1 Game | 1-0
UW Eau Claire | 1 Game | 0-1
Tournament History Year by Year
2013
Quarterfinal | Utica
4, Bowdoin
2 | ADK Bank Center
Semifinal | UW Eau Claire
5, Utica
1 | Herb Brooks Arena
2020
Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19
2022
Quarterfinal | University of New England
2, Utica
0 | ADK Bank Center
2023
Quarterfinal | University of New England
5, Utica
4 | ADK Bank Center
2024
Quarterfinal | Utica
4, Plymouth State
1 | ADK Bank Center
Semifinal | Hobart
3, Utica
1 | Koeppel Community Sports Center
2025
First Round | Utica
5, Fitchburg State
1 | ADK Bank Center
Quarterfinal | Utica
5, St. Norbert
3 | ADK Bank Center
Semifinal | Utica
2, Curry
1 | Utica University Nexus Center
Championship | Hobart
2, Utica
1 | Utica University Nexus Center
The Pioneers are coming off their greatest NCAA Tournament campaign in program history, having played double the number of games during last year's run as opposed to their next-longest tournament journey. In terms of the first round, last season was the team's first foray into the opening games of the NCAA Tournament. They would breeze past their first-ever opening-round matchup, taking down MASCAC Champion Fitchburg State by a 5-1 final. Saturday will be the Pioneers' second-ever NCAA Tournament first-round matchup, and it will be a much bigger test than last season, as a battle-tested Williams College side will come to town.
These two teams have met only twice before, both in 2007. The first-ever meeting between the two programs came on January 30th, 2007, where the Pioneers picked up a late-season victory over the NESCAC side by a 3-2 final on enemy ice. The very next season, these two teams had their second, and most recent clash, as the Ephs took a 3-2 win on the Adirondack Bank Center ice to level the series. Since then, these two teams have not shared the ice. It's interesting that these two teams have so little history considering their proximity (separated by just 110 miles), and the fact that each team's bench boss has been around for over 25 years (Heenan 25, Kangas 36),
Scouting the Ephs: Williams College will enter Saturday's showdown with a 12-13-2 record, but don't let that losing mark fool you. This team is battle-tested, combining a great group of underclassmen with the experienced mentorship of Coach Bill Kangas, who has over 35 years of coaching experience. The Ephs compiled an 8-10 record in the always challenging NESCAC, before embarking on a crazy cinderella run to claim their first ever NESCAC Tournament Championship and book their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. In that tournament run, Williams would defeat #3-seeded Tufts 3-1 in the first round, upset top-seeded Hamilton 5-4 on the Continentals' home ice during the Semifinals, and claim the conference championship with a 4-2 win over #4-seeded Middlebury, also at the Russell Sage Rink. Williams has played an outstanding schedule this season, having the
second-highest strength of schedule among all Division III teams according to the NPI. During their 2025-2026 campaign, the Ephs faced ranked opponents in eight games and played teams ranked in the top 15 of the final NPI nine times. This resume is the mark of a team that is not to be underestimated despite its losing record.
The Ephs have a high-powered offense, averaging 3.11 goals per game. However, they have been exploitable on defense, allowing the most goals per game in the NESCAC at 3.6. This team has played in many explosive matchups, proving willing to get into a high-scoring track meet with their opponents. In their NESCAC Tournament games, the Ephs allowed seven goals over three games, though they offset that by scoring 12 goals. This team will enter Saturday with an offense that's gelling at the right time, and it will take a stellar showing by the UCHC's best defense to limit the purple and gold, with Saturday's clash featuring a top offense in Williams vs a top defense in the Pioneers.
Williams' offense is powered by a pair of 28-point players in Jackson Krill and Jake McManus, both of whom are underclassmen, with Krill having a spectacular season in his rookie year, and McManus also playing well during his sophomore season. Krill, the freshman, leads the team in scoring with 14 goals, slotting in as one of two double-digit scorers alongside junior forward Brady Welsch (12g, 11a). Meanwhile, McManus is the team's main distributor, posting 20 assists to go along with eight goals. The trio of Krill, McManus, and Welsch are the Ephs' only 20+ point players, as Welsch (23 points) and the next closest player are separated by seven points (Connor Berg - 16).
The Pioneers will need to rely on their superior experience, as this Williams squad relies on an array of young talent who have never seen the NCAA Tournament before. For example, the Ephs' engine, Krill, has taken 15 penalties this season, giving the opposition some crucial chances on offense.
The Ephs have relied on two main goaltenders throughout the season, but the junior Harrison Fogel was their starter during all three of their NESCAC Tournament games. The Sandy Springs, Georgia native played every single minute in all three of those games, notching three-straight 30+ save performances to hang on for the tournament title. Fogel has started 15 games this season for the Massachusetts men, compiling a record of 8-6-1 while posting a 2.89 goals allowed average and a .909 save percentage.
Williams' other option is sophomore Kael DePape, who has a 4-7-1 record in his 12 starts, also posting a 4.34 goals allowed average in addition to a .868 save percentage.
Williams will enter this matchup having won seven of their last nine games.
With a Win: The Pioneers would move on to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal round, where they would host the winner of Wisconsin-Stout and Anna Maria on Saturday, March 21st. That matchup would be for a berth in the NCAA Division III Semifinals, with the winner earning a trip back to Utica for the final weekend of the season.
Grab your tickets and make sure to tune in for this weekend's NCAA Tournament First Round matchup!