[Photo Gallery] Pioneer Men Win UCHC Conference Championship

The Utica University Men's Hockey Team won their 6th UCHC Division III men's hockey championship on Saturday night in front of a full house, March 7, 2026, at the Adirondack Bank Center. Utica defeated Geneseo by a score of 4-1 to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Photo Journalist Nancy L. Ford was commissioned by WIBX to take photos from Saturday's game.

The Pioneers opened the scoring in the first period when John Gutt found the back of the net. After a sustained offensive push, Gutt collected a rebound in front and slipped the puck past Torgner to give Utica a 1-0 lead.

Neither team scored during a tightly contested second period, setting the stage for the dramatic final frame.

Geneseo finally broke through moments after killing off a Utica power play early in the third, tying the game at 1-1 despite being heavily outshot to that point. The tie was short-lived, however, as Rogers’ highlight-reel goal quickly swung momentum back to the Pioneers.

After the Ice Knights briefly tied the game early in the third period, junior forward Nicholas Rogers delivered the decisive moment. The mid-season transfer from Broad Channel, N.Y., drove through the Geneseo defense and scored on a wraparound less than two minutes after the equalizer, restoring the Pioneers’ lead at 2-1 with just under six minutes remaining.

Geneseo pulled goaltender Jacob Torgner late in an attempt to even the score again, but Utica sealed the championship with a pair of empty-net goals. Drake Morse scored first, followed by Aidan Hughes to make it 4-1 and send the home crowd into celebration.

Hamilton College will play Neumann University Saturday night at 7 in Clinton.

Utica controlled much of the play throughout the night, outshooting the Ice Knights 40-10 and winning 41 of 66 faceoffs.

With the victory, Utica climbed to fourth in the latest NCAA Division III power index rankings, positioning the Pioneers to host a first-round NCAA Tournament game next weekend.

Utica will play Williams College in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Adirondack Bank Center.

Check out these additional photos from Nancy L. Ford.

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In the state of New York, we can count on those taxes being high. But how high is our tax burden in the Empire State versus other states?

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Here are the top 10 states from those rankings, And, yes, no surprise - New York made the list. But are we that bad off? See where New York ranks!

Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff

Utica's Chicken Riggies Dish Wasn't Invented in Utica? Say It Isn't So.

The now-famous Utica Chicken Riggies recipe has taken on a life of its own. The dish is now found well outside the Utica-Rome area and it's getting more and more popular as word spreads around the northeast. While there are many variations of the dish today, there's still only one original recipe. So, who created the first "Riggies" recipe and where did it really originate.

Gallery Credit: Bill Keeler

Filed Under: UCHC hockey championship, Utica University Men's Hockey

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