Utica, NY – The #1 Curry Men's Hockey team will take on #4 Utica on Friday, with a spot in the NCAA Division III Championship game on the line. The Colonels enter the game on a 17 game winning streak, and a 25-3-0 record, while the Pioneers are 23-4-2.
The two teams had one common opponent in UNE this year. The Pioneers defeated the Nor'easters 6-5 early in the season, while the Colonels went 2-1 against their conference rival, with all three games being decided by one goal.
The two teams have faced off eight times before. The Colonels won the first three games, occurring from 2007 to 2010. The Pioneers have won the last five, including a 6-2 win in 2022. All but one meeting has taken place in Utica, with the other meeting taking place at a neutral site in 2017. The only players remaining on the Colonels roster from that last meeting are Jonathan Kopack, Makem Demers, George Vonakis, Eelis Laaksonen, and Jacob Crespo.
The Pioneers have a high-powered offense, ranking third in the country with 4.45 goals a game. Curry ranks 10th with 4.14. But the Colonels will look towards the star player in Shane Soderwall to stymy that attack. He has led the team to a second best in the country GAA of 1.46, while the Pioneers sit at 18th with a GAA of 2.45. The Colonels have allowed more than three goals just once this season, and more than two only three times
The Pioneers offense is led by two Jakob Breault, an All-UCHC first teamer, and Drake Morse, an All-UCHC second teamer. Breault has scored 17 goals and tallied 19 assists, while Morse has 13 and 17.
While the Colonels pride themselves on their defense, they are no slouch in the offensive zone. They are led by Eelis Laaksonen's 14 goals and 11 assists. Earlier this season he became the player who has played the most games in program history. He has only scored one goal in the last 10 games, and is due for a breakthrough. Behind him with 11 goals each are Grady Friedman, Karim Gayfullin, and Nolan McDonough.
The Colonels are 24-0-0 in games they have scored first in, and 1-3-0 in games they concede the first goal. The Pioneers on the other hand, the Pioneers conceded the first goal seven times this year, going 4-3, including a win last week against #5 St. Norbert. They are 19-1-2 in games they score first. Friday's game will be his 112th career game, only missing one game in his career.
Both teams have faced some of the hardest schedules in the country. Against teams in the top 25 of NPI, the Pioneers are 6-4-1. However, five of those games have been against fellow Frozen Four team SUNY Geneseo five times this season, going 1-3-1. The Colonels defeated the Knights 3-0 in the NCAA Quarterfinals last season. The Colonels have excelled against other top teams, going 9-3 against top 25 teams, with all but one of those games coming against top 15 teams.
The two teams will battle on Friday at 7pm from the Nexus Center in Utica. Tickets are sold out, but fans can watch the game HERE
