UTICA, NY – No. 1 ranked Utica scored a pair of goals in each period to hand Nazareth its third conference loss of the season Friday night, 6-1. The two squads will match up again on Saturday, with the Golden Flyers hosting the Pioneers at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Bill Gray's Iceplex.
 
Nazareth is now 11-5-2 overall and 9-3-1 in UCHC play, while Utica is 15-2-1 and remains unblemished in league play at 13-0-0.
 
Utica, which boasts the top scoring offense in the conference at six goals per game, were able to notch two goals in the first seven minutes of the first period.
 
The visitors were able to get within 2-1 with a late goal in the first period. Nick Charron scored for the first time in 10 games behind his fifth goal of the season. The senior snuck between two Pioneer defenders and converted a pass in front from Griffin Green and Blake Frost. The score would remain the same into the first intermission.
 
The Pioneers added to their lead with a goal midway through the second to push their advantage to 3-1. Nazareth was dealt a momentum blow late in the period as a Utica forecheck forced a turnover right in front of the net that the home squad was able to bury.
 
Two more goals for Utica in the third would round out the scoring.
 
Raphael Provencher was tabbed with the loss after making a career-high 47 saves.
 
Nazareth finished the game 0-1 with the extra-man advantage, while successfully killing off three penalties against the Pioneers.

The final shots tally was 53 for Utica and 21 for Nazareth.