UTICA, NY – Junior forward Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) tipped home the game-winner with 1:03 left in overtime to lift the Utica College men’s hockey team to a 3-2 victory over visiting Morrisville State in front of a sold out crowd at the 12th annual New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss on Saturday night. UC battled from an early 2-0 deficit with three unanswered goals to snap a four-game losing streak. The Pioneers improved to 9-2-1 all-time in Teddy Bear Toss games.
Utica senior captain Kevin Kirisits netted the coveted Teddy Bear Toss goal to cut the Pioneers deficit in half midway through the second period. Freshman Nicky Grose (Fairfax, VA/Powassan (NOJHL)) registered his first collegiate point as he and Riley Egan (Lakewood, OH/Philadelphia (EHL)) each tallied an assist to push the score to 2-1, 8:28 into the second period.
Thousands of stuffed animals were tossed out onto the ice after the Kirisits’ goal and were collected by New York Sash to be distributed to local children throughout the holiday season. Over the course of the last 12 years more than 30,000 stuffed animals have been collected through the Teddy Bear Toss.
Utica sophomore Shawn Lynch (Syracuse, NY/Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)) tied the game up at 2-2 13:06 into the third period as he put in a rebound for his third of the year. Freshman Jarrod Fitzpatrick (Wakefield, MA/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) and junior Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) assisted on the game-tying goal.
Utica killed off a minute and 22 seconds of a Morrisville power-play in the overtime period, before Valenti’s overtime heroics. Carter and senior transfer Connor Schmidt (Monroe, MI/Arizona State (D1-Ind.)) registered assists on the power-play game-winner.
Morrisville opened the scoring at 18:07 of the first period as John Lauer put in his own rebound for his fourth of the year, assisted by Jon Kasper. The Mustangs extended their lead to 2-0 just 3:50 into the second period as a point shot from Joe Ftoma deflected off a body in front and in for his first goal of the season. David Lindau and Joe Santino were credited with assists on the play.
Utica improves to 9-4 on the year, while Morrisville drops to 2-10-2. Freshman Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) made 31 saves in the win, while Morrisville’s Jared Young totaled 35 saves in the loss.
The Pioneers will return to the ice after the New Year when they travel to Oswego State to take on Curry College in the Pathfinder Classic. The puck is scheduled to drop at 4 p.m.
