2025 D-III Men’s National Championship Preview: #4 Utica (24-4-2) vs #2 Hobart (28-1-1)

We’ve made it… we’ve made it to the final game of the Division III hockey season. The women’s D-III National Championship between #2 Amherst (23-5-1) & #4 Wisconsin-River Falls (25-3-2) drops the puck at 3pm CT, we drop the puck at 7pm ET in Utica, NY for the men’s National Championship. I’m in Utica for the men’s Frozen Four as it’s closeby, while Scott Huston is in River Falls, check out his live updates / recaps as well if you’re interested in the women’s Frozen Four!

To read about the two semifinal games that got us here, click the respective recap link below:

#6 Geneseo vs #2 Hobart – Hobart 2-1

#4 Utica vs #1 Curry – Utica 2-1 (OT)

The National Championship : Back-to-Back-to-Back… or First?

We’ve got two programs looking for very very different things in a same outcome-setting… Head Coach Mark Taylor is looking to solidify Hobart into greater history than they’ve already achieved with their back-to-back titles, but Head Coach Gary Heenan of Utica is looking to fordify himself in the history books as a national championship-winning head coach and bring Utica their first-ever ring, this time on home ice.

Head Coach Mark Taylor – Hobart College

• 437 wins – 177 losses – 56 ties (.694) – since ’00.
• 2 National Championships (’23, ’24)
• 6 Frozen Four appearances (’06, ’09, ’19, ’23, ’24, ’25)
• 14 NCAA tournament appearances
• 9 Conference Championships
• 125-16-7 in the last five playing seasons (excl. ’20-’21 covid)
• 85-5-2 during their three seasons of title runs
• Fourth coach in Hobart history

The main storyline here obviously for Coach Taylor and his Statesman is the possibility for three straight national championships… He and his program would join the company of only Middlebury & Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the only other two programs to win three national titles in a row. He’ll have to do it on opposing ice as he’s done the past two seasons. In 2023 they won in Beverly, MA at Endicott College vs Adrian. In 2024, they won in Hartford, CT at Trinity College vs the host (predetermined site) Trinity. The second-straight year the Statesman will be the higher-seed on hostile ice playing (the “home” team) for a championship.

Middlebury – five in a row & three in a row

• Bill Beaney – (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) & (2004, 2005, 2006)

Wisconsin-Stevens Point – three in a row

• Mark Mazzoleni – (1989, 1990, 1991)

Head Coach Gary Heenan – Utica University

• 396 wins – 184 losses – 54 ties (.667) – since ’01
• 3 Frozen Four appearances (’13, ’24, ’25)
• 6 NCAA tournament appearances
• 5 Conference Championships
• 123-15-9 in the last five playing seasons (excl. ’20-’21 covid)
• Founded Utica College (’01 – ’22) / University (’22 – present) hockey in 2001

The main storyline for Coach Heenan and his Pioneers is that they’ve finally silenced the critics who frequently pointed out the early exits for Utica in the NCAA tournament after earning a high seed. Well, after making a Frozen Four last year and now this year, making the title game by defeating the beasts of the west in St. Norbert 5-3 and the top-seeded Curry College 2-1 (OT), he and his Pioneers are ready to win one. His captain Brian Scoville mentioned in his Curry post-game press conference that he came back to bring Coach Heenan a national title…

The Game

This game is an intriguing matchup and an awesome rematch from last year’s national semifinal. Hobart, a grinding four-line style, just wearing out opponents game after game, keeping puck possession and not letting opponents get many blue chip chances, & finding ways to always win hockey games. Utica, a high-flying team that plays an exciting style of hockey, coming back from early deficits, & playing their best hockey at the right time.

A key here is goaltending as it was in the semifinals. Utica goaltender Ryan Piros, a winter-break transfer (Univ. of Dubuque – NCHA), has had quite the freshman year. He enters the game with a 1.98 GAA & .922 save % in 18 games for the Pioneers. Meanwhile, Damon Beaver, a two time national champion who’s no stranger to these bright lights and big moments, enters with a 1.17 GAA & .949 save % in 17 games for the Statesman. Beaver holds an astounding 52-4-1 record in his three seasons at Hobart, with an average cumulative save % of 1.05 in 57 games…

Piros has bounded back significantly after the UCHC final vs SUNY Geneseo where he allowed four goals in approximately nine minutes of action, getting pulled from the game. Since then, he and the Pioneers have taken care of business. We’ll see if the lights are no issue, or possibly too bright for the star freshman goaltender going up against the best in D3.

This season, numbers wise of course, Utica has been tested much more than Hobart, but Hobart’s won the games and just shown everyone they’re still Hobart, beating a strong Trine & Geneseo squad in the quarterfinals & semifinals, respectively. Utica’s in uncharted territory, meanwhile, Hobart’s been patrolling the waters the past two seasons on lookout.

For Hobart, their main threats on offense this season have been:

Tanner Daniels – (18G, 22A)

Luke Aquaro – (16G, 17A)

Shane Shell – (8G, 19A)

For Utica, their main threats on offense this season have been:

Jakob Breault – (17G, 20A)

Drake Morse – (13G, 17A)

Matt Wood – (9G, 21A)

Jonny Mulera (16G, 12A)

Hobart has a handful players with high +/-‘s, multiple 30+ (highest is 36) players and high 20s, but Utica has one key piece that stands out from the rest… Defenseman Brian Scoville has a +/- of 36, the next highest Pioneer has 26, that should come as no coincidence as the defenseman has only 4 goals on the year, but 20 assists, an attacking-minded defenseman. Scoville assisted on both goals vs Curry, the lone multipoint player of the semifinal round.

It shall be an exciting game, I believe if Utica wants to win, they cannot have their slow starts that they did vs Geneseo & St. Norbert, Hobart is a different animal and too solid defensively to come back if down big. The home crowd will be an advantage for Utica, it’s not the Aud, but the Nexus Center will be rocking for this one.

Hobart on the other hand, just keep doing Hobart things, that’s all that needs to be said here… As Coach Taylor told us and many, they play the same style of hockey and do their thing. It’s seemed to work out for them the past few years, I don’t suggest changing it.

Tune in Sunday night at 7pm ET. For live coverage & content, head on over to X & Instagram (@diiihockeynews).

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