UTICA, NY - The Utica College men's hockey team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 11:29 of the contest and never looked back as the Pioneers earned a convincing 5-1 victory over visiting Curry College at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Saturday night. Five different Pioneers registered two points on the evening including Easton Powers (South Lyon, MI/Port Huron (NAHL)) (one goal, one assist), Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) (one goal, one assist), Louie Educate (Chicago, IL/Aberdeen (NAHL)) (one goal, one assist), Brett Szajner (Novi, MI/Amarillo (NAHL)) (one goal, one assist) and Brent Wold (Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba/Dauphin (MJHL)) (two assists).
The Pioneers improved their record to 4-5-2 overall on the year, while the visiting Colonels snapped a three game unbeaten streak and moved their record to 4-5-1 on the season. UC has now won three straight contests against Curry. The two teams have met six times and the series is now set at three wins a piece.
Utica goalie Dylan Wells (Nashville, TN/Bonnyville (AJHL)) stopped 21 shots in net and allowed just one goal for the third consecutive game as his record improved to 3-2-1 overall on the year. In six starts this season Wells' boasts a team-best 2.19 goals against average.
Jake Heisinger stuffed home Curry's lone goal of the contest to make it a 3-1 game at the 14:09 mark of the first period. Jordan Reed was credited with an assist on the Colonels goal.
Easton Powers (South Lyon, MI/Port Huron (NAHL)) added his first goal of the season to give UC a 4-1 lead midway through the second period and junior assistant captain Joel Wetmore (Horseheads, NY/Lindsay (OJHL)) sealed the victory with his second goal of the season at the 11:40 marker of the third period to cap the scoring at 5-1.
UC freshman Brett Szajner (Novi, MI/Amarillo (NAHL)) started the scoring just 2:34 into the contest with his second goal of the season to give the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead in front of the home crowd. Louie Educate (Chicago, IL/Aberdeen (NAHL)) registered his seventh assist and Brent Wold (Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba/Dauphin (MJHL)) also added his first assist of the night as the Pioneers gained the early advantage.
Educate then netted what proved to be the game-winner at 10:56 of the first, off assists from senior assistant captain Justin Hogan (Val Therese, Ontario/Brooks Bandits (AJHL)) and sophomore Kevin Kirisits (Buffalo, NY/Brockville (CCHL)). Hogan has a team-best nine assists for the Pioneers this year. Just 33 seconds later Valenti drilled home his fourth goal of the season on a one-timer into the top left corner past Curry goalie Brett Sinclair to give the Pioneers the 3-0 first period lead.
Sinclair, who headed into the contest with a 3-0-1 overall record between the pipes for the Colonels, made 25 saves on the evening.
UC wraps up its five game home stand on Thursday when the Pioneers host Morrisville State for a non-conference contest at 7 p.m. Curry travels to SUNY Potsdam on Thursday also for a non-conference game in a 7 p.m. start. (Game Recap Courtesy of Utica Sports Information)
