UTICA, NY - November 12, 2022 - Chatham Men's Hockey faced off against reigning UCHC champion Utica tonight in New York. The Cougars kept the Pioneers to a one-goal lead twice throughout the game, but Utica came out on top 5-2.

Utica scored the first two goals of the night early in the first. It would take until the second period for the Cougars to find the back of the net, and senior Matt Mood would do so thanks to a set up by classmate Kenneth Gill and first-year Oscar Saarinen. The assist marks Saarinen's first collegiate point.

The one-goal deficit was short-lived as the Pioneers answered back less than thirty seconds later. First-year Caden Smith would record his second career goal less than a minute after that, with classmate Nick Cyprian and sophomore Zack Conner earning assists in the effort.

Heading into the third at 3-2 in favor of Utica, Chatham's offensive attempts were stymied, and the Pioneers would get two more insurance goals before the final buzzer.

Cyprian led the offensive charge with five shots, while Mood, Gill, Andrew Warhoftig, Evan Mitchell, and Ben Lamm each contributed two.

Senior goaltender Ricardo Gonzalez made 40 stops, including 14 and 16 in the second and third periods, respectively.

The Cougars get another go at the Pioneers tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM. The matchup is their last contest before their home opener against Neumann on Friday, November 18th.