Utica College and Hamilton Skate to 4-All Tie

Crosstown rivals Utica and Hamilton met for the first time since 2009 on Saturday night and the fans at the Aud were treated to a 4-4 nail biter.

Hamilton had jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second period when Utica stormed back to net three straight goals to take a 4-3 lead early in the third.  Hamilton quickly answered back with a goal at the 16:04 mark and both teams would remain scoreless for the remainder of the 3rd period and the 5-minute overtime.

Hamilton had lost 4 straight and improved their record to 4-9-1 overall.  The Nationally ranked 10/11 Pioneers are still looking for their first victory in more than two-weeks when they beat Western New England in January 10th, as their record moved to 10-4-4 overall.

The Pioneers return to important ECAC Men's West Conference play next weekend when they skate on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in Elmira. Elmira now leads the ECAC West at 6-2 in the Conference and 11-7 overall.  The Pioneers have fallen to third place behind Hobart.

"Every game is a must-win at this point," Gary Hennan told WIBX's Bill Keeler on Friday, as the Pioneers have set their sights on their second-straight appearance in the Frozen Four.  The seven remaining games are all crucial ECAC Conference games.

Following next weekend's road series in Elmira, the Pioneers return home for their final 5 games of the regular season at the Aud.  The ECAC Conference Tournament begins on February 26th and the NCAA Tournament begins on March 12th.