Pittsburgh, PA - On Saturday, #3 Men's Hockey (20-5-1, 11-5-1 UCHC) hits the road to take on #2 SUNY Geneseo (17-7-1, 12-4-0 UCHC) in the UCHC Semi-Finals. Puck drop is slated for 7 pm.
The Cougars advanced to their second straight UCHC Semi-Finals after beating the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles 4-3 in triple overtime, the longest game in conference history, on Wednesday. The reigning UCHC champions, SUNY Geneseo, who are currently ranked 10th in the nation by the USCHO, earned a 1st round bye and patiently waited for the Cougars following their marathon opening round victory.
The Knights come into the game, winning 8 of their last 10 games, including a series sweep over the Cougars. Game 1 saw the Knights score three unanswered goals, clinching a 3-2 comeback victory. In game 2, the Knights dominated on the power play, beating the Cougars 4-2.
In their head-to-head history, the Cougars have 1 win against the Knights in six tries. Their lone win came last season, a thrilling 7-6 road overtime victory. Senior, then a junior, Nick Cyprian scored the game-winner after being set up by Michael Roby.
The goaltending battle is an important storyline entering Saturday night's matchup. Cougars goaltender Cameron Kuntar and Knights goaltender Jacob Torgner have battled it out all season, currently ranking 1st and 2nd for goals-against average (GAA) and save percentage (SV %) in the UCHC. Kuntar has a slight edge in both leading with a 1.89 GAA and a .948 SV %. Capitalizing on the powerplay is also critical to both teams. The teams rank 1st and 2nd for power-play goals this season. The Cougars have also averaged more goals for (5.0) compared to the Knights (3.8).
With a win, the Cougars would advance to the first conference final in program history after falling in the UCHC Semi-Finals in both the 2021-22 and 2024-25 seasons. The Knights are looking to become the second back-to-back champions in UCHC history, joining the Utica Pioneers.
The winner of Saturday's matchup will face off against the winner of the other semi-finals, #4 Nazareth or #1 Utica. The UCHC Championship will take place on Saturday, March 7.
