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UTICA, N.Y. -- Anthony Sciucco struck with 6:53 left in overtime to lift the University of New England over Utica University by a 5-4 margin in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship at the Adirondack Bank Center on Saturday night (Mar. 18) and spoil the Pioneers' postseason for the second consecutive year.

It will be back-to-back appearances in the national semifinals for the Nor'easters (21-6-2), who now square off with Adrian College on Friday [Interactive Bracket]. The reigning champion Bulldogs also needed overtime to advance in their quarterfinal, taking out the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The matchup will take place at Bourque Arena on the campus of Endicott College, which defeated Norwich University to reach the semifinals; in Friday's other showdown, the Gulls will entertain Hobart College, which topped Curry College.

Sciucco's tally brought an end to a wild, action-packed contest, which settled on the same result as the 2022 quarterfinal between the programs. Logan DiScanio carried the puck into the right side of the zone, looking to center it, but a sliding obstruction by Utica's Connor Fedorek forced DiScanio to turn back up the boards. DiScanio fed it up the wall to Daniel Winslow, who fired a wide shot that caught Pioneer netminder Bryan Landsberger slightly off balance and needing to scramble back into position. Sciucco was first to the puck in the corner, well below the goal line, and he flipped a backhand towards the crease that banked off Landsberger for the winner.

It was the second of the game and eighth of the season for Sciucco, while the assist for Winslow was his third of the evening.

Billy Girard IV faced more than twice as many shots as his counterpart in the game, and posted 19 of a career-high 58 saves in the extra session to keep one of the elite offenses in the nation (5.75/game) from scoring again. Utica (25-3-1) had not lost on its own ice in the 15 games since falling to the Nor'easters in 2022, had not lost a game, overall, since October 29 of this season, and was previously 24-0-0 when scoring four times or more.

The hosts had kept Girard very busy down the stretch in regulation, as well, while orchestrating a furious comeback from down three goals. UNE gained a 4-1 cushion just 45 seconds into the 3rd period, but Utica got the crucial next goal with 14:08 remaining as Justin Allen slotted one into the right side through a screen from the top of the left circle. The Nor'easters still had a couple looks to extend the margin over the next few minutes, and started the period's only power play with 7:42 on the clock, but were unable to sustain any zone time.

The Pioneers continued gaining momentum with the support of the home crowd and got another one back with 2:29 to go, when Brandon Osmundson pounced on a rebound in front of Girard and stuffed it under the pads. Then, with 1:47 left, it was Buster Larsson slipping one inside the right post for the equalizer, after a centering feed from the opposite side found his stick on the edge of the crease. Girard had three more big stops to make before the 3rd expired and get the much-needed intermission break.

Play went scoreless through the opening 20 minutes of the night, while the ice was slightly tilted in favor of the Pioneers. The 2nd frame was no different in terms of possession and chances, but the 0-0 game couldn't survive any longer once Utica's second power play opportunity quickly combined with its third to make a 5-on-3 advantage for 84 seconds. The hosts worked in a tight formation at the tops of the circles and Larsson found the back of the cage after 31 seconds (5:53).

That lead lasted a mere 18 seconds, though, as the still-shorthanded Nor'easters answered right back when Chad Merrell skated onto a loose puck in the neutral zone and had Sciucco to his right for a 2-on-1. Merrell saucered a pass over the defender's stick to Sciucco, who just had to pull it to his backhand and chip it past Landsberger to tie things at 1-1.

UNE managed the rest of the penalty-kill safely, and soon had its first power play bid of the contest approaching the midway mark of the 2nd. With six ticks left on the advantage, the visitors took the lead (2-1) off a screen and redirection five-hole by Garrett Devine -- his 10th tally of the season (10:15). Shea Courtmanche collected the miss from Devine's initial slap shot entering the zone and connected with Collin Heinold at the blue line to unleash the drive into traffic. It was the first PPG conceded by Utica in eight outings.

The Nor'easters were still not done in 2nd, striking again as the clock turned under six minutes to play in the stanza (14:16). Winslow took a hit in the defensive end while leaving it for Devine to race up the right wall. Devine was closed off to proceeding behind the net and curled back to spot Kevin O'Keefe streaking into the zone with plenty of space and a step on the two closest defenders, and the rookie defenseman aimed a half-slap inside the left post for his first collegiate score before the goalie could get across.

Landsberger needed two point-blank saves on Devine in the waning moments of the session to keep the deficit at 3-1, but UNE picked right back up after the second intermission when DiScanio's seventh increased the spread to three (4-1) less than one minute in. DiScanio's initial try whistled wide and caromed around the boards to Noah Szretter pinching at the right point. Szretter put one back on target that was kicked away, but DiScanio crashed the back post and tapped in the rebound.

The five goals by the Nor'easters marked the second-highest total allowed by the Pioneers all year (Adrian scored 8 and 4 in wins), and only once in the previous 15 games had seen as many as three make it through. Landsberger, who entered with 1.81 goals against average, finished with 23 saves.

UNE's five came without any of the team's three leading point-getters winding up on the scoresheet.

Playing out of the first round in each of its four NCAA appearances, UNE now owns a 5-3 record versus tournament competition. Tonight's result replaces last year's quarterfinal as the highest ranked win for the Nor'easters in program history, according to the USCHO weekly poll -- entering the championship, Utica held the No.1 spot. The other teams still remaining are No.2 Hobart, No.3 Adrian, and No.4 Endicott.