UTICA, N.Y. – The Wilkes University men's ice hockey squad traveled to Utica to face the Pioneers in a United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) showdown for the conference championship and the NCAA Tournament automatic berth that goes along with the title on the line Saturday night.
 
The Colonels (20-5-1), ranked eighth in the latest USCHO.com poll, fell behind the Pioneers (25-2-1), ranked second in the same poll, after a four-goal second period and fell 7-4 to Utica.
 
The Pioneers scored the lone goal in the first period before putting together their four-goal second period that proved to be the difference in the game.  The Colonels finally broke through with a goal from Tyler Dill (South Lake Tahoe, CA/) assisted by Donald Flynn (Randolph, NJ/) at 18:44 in the second period.  The Navy and Gold outscored the Pioneers in the third, with Tyler Barrow (Massapequa, NY/Saint Anthony's) getting help from Michael Gurska (Revere, MA/) and Flynn at 2:01 in the third.  After the Pioneers last goal of the night, the Colonels scored twice in the last four minutes.  Nick Fea (Oak Ridge, NJ/) struck first with assists by Flynn and Dill at 16:19, before Barrow took advantage of a Colonels empty net and a power play to finalize the 7-4 tally at 18:14.
 
Sean Dickson shined in goal for the Pioneers, stopping several good Colonels opportunities on his way to a 26 save victory over the Colonels.  Six different Pioneers scored while the Pioneers outshot the Colonels 37-30 and dominated the faceoff battle in 40-20 fashion. 
 
Fea and Taylor Brierley (East Grand Forks, MN) were both named to the UCHC All-Tournament team. 

The Colonels finished the season with a 20-5-1 record, the most wins in program history. Wilkes just missed out on the team's first trip to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in the field of 12 teams that was announced.