UP Wizards scored two goals in the first two quarters while their third goal came just seconds from the final hooter.
Skipper V R Raghunath gave UP Wizards the lead in the 17th minute by converting a penalty corner before young striker Nikkin Thimmaiah doubled the home team's lead in the 41st minute with a field strike.
Kalinga Lancers, however, pulled a goal back in the 59th minute through their star drag-flicker Gonzalo Peillat who found the back of UP Wizards net from a penalty corner to raise his team's hopes.
The win gave UP Wizards five points which enabled them to jump to the third position in the standings with 21 points from seven games.
The Lancers will next play Jaypee Punjab Warriors at Mohali on Tuesday while the UP Wizards will travel to Bhubaneswar to take on Kalinga Lancers in the return leg match on February 13.