Union Hockey Blog

Union #2 in INCH Rankings

2012-02-13T02:35:00.000-05:00

It becomes surprisingly easy to grow unimpressed with high rankings after a prolonged stretch near the top. For schools like Cornell, Boston University, or Minnesota this is old hat. With success comes inevitable apathy: until a team starts slipping in the standings, it is the fan's wont to become complacent, if not unaware of his team's place in the pecking order.

With Union's ascension to the rarified air of the college hockey polls, Dutchmen fans are caught in a precarious position. The team's success is far too new to play off with a shrug or a dismissive "what have you done for me lately?" Every win is an exciting new opportunity for fans to grow alongside their team. Still, with success comes the inevitable complacency. That's why any fan in need of a reminder of the team's place in the hockey universe should check out this week's new INCH (Inside College Hockey) power rankings poll:

Let's deconstruct this for a moment. Three years ago, hell, even last year, if someone had predicted that Union would be ranked higher than the reigning national champions, we would have laughed it off. Our Union hockey?

By no means is this poll permanent, nor is it meaningful in terms of the NCAA tournament. But something else is happening here: something far more visceral. We feel a collective swell of accomplishment when the block "U" next is positioned next to the number 2. Enjoy this, Union Hockey. You deserve it.

Game Time: Union at Dartmouth

2012-02-10T19:21:00.001-05:00

The #11/11 Dutchmen (16-6-7 overall, 10-3-4 ECAC) take on the Dartmouth Big Green (9-10-4 overall, 6-7-3 ECAC) tonight at Thompson Arena in Hanover.

Dartmouth

21 Nick Walsh - 14 Doug Jones - 19 Eric Robinson
13 Mark Goggin - 16 Tyler Sikura - 11 Eric Neiley
15 Jason Bourgea - 17 Jesse Beamish - 18 Brandon McNally
8 Troy Mattila - 29 Alex Goodship - 25 Paul Lee

27 Mike Keenan (not the coach) - 3 Connor Goggin
4 Jim Gaudet (he is the coach's son, however) - 5 Taylor Boldt
23 Rick Pinkston - 7 Dan Nycholat

1 Jody O'Neill
30 James Mello
33 Cab Morris

Union
9 Daniel Carr - 27 Jeremy Welsh (A) - 7 Josh Jooris
15 Matt Hatch - 19 Kelly Zajac (A) - 21 Wayne Simpson
23 Cole Ikkala - 18 Max Novak - 11 Sam Coatta
16 Kevin Sullivan - 12 Kyle Bodie - 17 Daniel Ciampini

22 Mat Bodie - 28 Shawn Stuart
20 Greg Coburn - 14 Shayne Gostisbehere
2 Nolan Julseth-White (C) - 4 Taylor Reid

30 Colin Stevens
1 Troy Grosenick
31 Dillon Pieri

Game Notes

Mark Bennett is out, so Max Novak takes his spot on the energy line. Daniel Ciampini takes the spot of Trevor Mingoia. This is becoming quite standard for Coach Bennett; there are a few spots that are more or less proving grounds for some players. Charlie "Tuna" Vasaturo is replaced by Taylor Reid tonight.
No Troy Grosenick still; the Man with the Golden GAA is still shelved after an ankle injury that kept him out of the lineup last weekend. Dillon Pieri makes the trip as a backup.
Colin Stevens gets his third straight start. His third consecutive start should help ease any lingering butterflies from last weekend. Stevens is immensely talented, so some consistency might help him improve on his previous performance
Jody O'Neill gets the start for Dartmouth. Last time Union played Dartmouth, Cab Morris started.

Update:

Kelly Zajac scores on the first shot of the game, Kyle Bodie connected soon after to make it 2-0. O'Neill is out, replaced by old Union nemesis James Mello.

Follow Along

Listen/watch with Dartmouth's feed.
Follow on Twitter with Dartmouth's feed, Union Hockey's feed, and CHN's Justin Churchill.

Dutchmen Details: Zajely Advice

2012-02-07T18:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Dutchmen Details, where we scour the internet for Union Hockey related news so you don't have to!

Kelly Zajac: all-time assists leader
and the subject of a terrible pun.

Congratulations to Wayne Simpson and Shayne Gostisbehere, who won the ECAC player of the week and rookie of the week awards, respectively.
Wayne capped a great week with two goals against Colgate and one against Cornell. He also added an assist against the Raiders.
Gostisbehere, lovingly referred to as "Ghost" by Head Coach Rick Bennett, and "Ghostbuster" by our own Mike Rivkin, continued his stellar freshman campaign. Via UnionAthletics.com:

On Saturday night against Cornell, Gostisbehere matched a school record for assists in a conference game with four on the night.

The ECAC website has the fancy type and all that jazz

While we're on the topic of self-promotion, be sure to check out UHB's very own Evan Slavit's Concordiensis articles every week. They provide stellar insights and recaps. Also, we know that he's still floating somewhere in the vicinity of Cloud Nine after his Giants won the Super Bowl.
Freshman Mark Bennett may not have been as happy with the outcome. Kevin Sullivan probably felt differently.
Hey, we're not done with self promotion. Welcome to our newest member of the team, Mike Rivkin. Check out his recaps from this weekend. He's already gotten more comments than the rest of us.
Colin Stevens got some ink in the Times Union after Friday's win against Colgate.
Ken Schott has some post-game video from Friday and more from Saturday night.
Union moves up in the national polls to #11 in both the USCHO.com and USAToday editions. More importantly, Union is now tied for #10 in the Pairwise rankings with Notre Dame. That means, of course, were the season to end today, Union would be in the good graces of the NCAA bid-givers.
Union is now 16-6-7 overall and 10-3-4 in ECAC play.
Boston University is at the top of the rankings.
Congratulations again to Senior Kelly Zajac, who passed Adam Presizniuk to become Union's all time assist leader in the Division I era. He also has an 11-game point streak going.
And oh yeah, he scored that game tying goal to send Messa Rink (filled with 2,507 fans) into a frenzy on Saturday night. Not a bad weekend.
And finally, Daniel Carr wins our Tweet of the Day award, Super Bowl edition:

Go eskis? #CFLisstillbetter— Daniel Carr (@DanCarr9) February 5, 2012

Vote: Union Hockey 7th Player Award

2012-02-07T17:46:00.001-05:00

The athletic department announced its annual 7th Player Award campaign yesterday. Per Union's media guide:

Courtesy Union Athletics

[The trophy] is presented to the Union College Hockey Player recognized by the fans as an individual who, with extra effort and skill, consistently creates excitement and aggressive play, resulting in a team advantage.

The voting is open to everyone through February 26th. There will also be something called paper balloting (is that a thing?) during the last home series of the regular season February 17-18 against Princeton and Quinnipiac.

You can vote here.

Previous winners:

2006: Augie DiMarzo
2007: T.J. Fox
2008: Matt Cook
2009: Mike Harr
2010: Mario Valery-Trabucco
2011: Adam Presizniuk

In Which We Tenuously Connect Hockey To Football

2012-02-06T00:05:00.000-05:00

One of the tried-and-true traditions of the Super Bowl -- ahem, sorry Big Game (copyright issues, you know?) -- remains the commercials. This this gem from Budweiser has been making the rounds.

This isn't fabricated. You can see more here. If this isn't the nicest thing you've seen all day, just look at the players' mismatched socks.

So maybe there can't be confetti or a giant chicken at Messa Rink. But for those collegiate players, the presence of over 2,000 screaming fans might suffice. Hockey is a labor of love, after all. There's a reason players of all ages and skill levels brave obscenely early practices and ungodly late ice times. There may not be a direct Union connection here, but hey, sometimes hockey transcends boundaries. It can even make its way into a football game.*

*Speaking of which, how 'bout that game, eh?

Post-Game Recap 2/4/12

2012-02-05T12:46:00.009-05:00

Union and Cornell Tie 4-4

As it has become tradition, I consulted Phil Cohn (correction, team video coordinator) for the Cornell scouting report going into the game yesterday. Cornell's goalie, Andy Iles, has played every minute of every game, only leaving in favor of an empty net. Iles leads the ECAC in time played. On our end, Kelly Zajac was one assist away from the Union D-1 all time assist record. But, enough with individuals. This game was particularly important given the standings. There was a little less pressure on the Dutch after Cornell's tie last night but winning against Cornell would mean Union would pull away from the pack (5 points ahead of #2 Cornell). Between Zajac's record and the standings, this game had a lot riding on it.

First Period

Like last night, Union had a bit of slow start. A burst of physical play by Cornell lead to a 2-1 which Stevens could not stop. Like Friday, Union started the game down 1-0. The game went on with chippy, back and forth play. As Union starting to get there feet moving, Cornell got called for tripping at 11:06. With several opportunities, Cornell's goalie, Iles, came up big, keeping Union off the board until none other than Kelly Zajac feeded Wayne Simpson with a beautiful pass to the low slot. Simpson took a quick one timer and with that, Zajac became Union's all time assist leader and thus, tied it all up 1-1 (secondary assist to Kyle Bodie). Not long after that, Union was put on another power play after a hooking call. Zajac, clearly not feeling content with just being 1 assist above the record, drew the goalie out of position and fed Kyle Bodie the gift wrapped present of an empty net. 2-1 Union. After those two goals, Union continued to control play but were unable to get another past Iles. Union led shots 12-7.

Second Period

The first 6 minutes of this period was solid back and forth hockey with chances at each end. The back and forth paid off for Cornell when a backhand shot from around the faceoff dot sailed over Stevens' shoulder to even it up. Zajac almost scored a rebuttal on a delayed penalty. Unfortunately when Cornell gained possession and our powerplay began, a soft elbowing call on Kyle Bodie evened the teams up at 4. Neither team was able to capitalize during their short power play time. On Cornell's first shot after scoring, a point shot ricocheted to a Cornell forward's stick who buried the shot while Stevens was out of position. The following shot on Stevens also went in after he was screened. 3 goals on 3 shots. Cornell up 4-2. Union, showing signs of fight, came back with a goal from Gostisbehere, who's shot from the left point beat a screened Iles. 4-3 Cornell.

Third Period

Back and forth play, with chances each way resulted in near misses for each team. Cornell overtook Union in SOG in the third. The officiating, which had been questionable for most of the game, came to a boiling point for the fans by the 13 minute mark where countless icings were waved off and several offsides were called as Union was attempting to enter the zone. Whether this was a result of frustrated play by Union or blown calls is up for debate. In my opinion, it was this inconsistency in calls that resulted in a hurt Cornell player, as a waved off icing drove Welsh and a Cornell player to come rushing to a puck in the corner after gaining a lot of speed, resulting in a clean but awkward collision. With 3 minutes to go, Hatch capitalized on a defensive lapse but was stopped by Iles. By this point, the stadium was buzzing. At around the 18 minute mark, Gostisbehere entered the offensive zone, got the puck to Wayne Simpson, who drew Iles out of position, passed the puck to Zajac, who emphatically shot the puck in the empty net. 4-4 and the stadium goes wiiilllddd. Cornell almost spoiled our fun after a shot just inside the blue awkwardly hit Stevens and just floated over the crossbar. And we're headed to overtime.

Overtime (Italics for tension)

Union had control early in the period but, alas, 5 minutes was not enough to decide the game. Zajac had a shot go wide and Coburn cleaned up a big rebound off Stevens who was out of postion but there weren't too many opportunities for either team. The game ending in a 4-4 tie that felt almost like a win.

Union and Cornell tie 4-4

Notes

For what it's worth, when the game ended, I was not upset with a tie. Coming out with a point after that second and third period felt like a small victory. Personally, I was happy that we were able to tie it up since Cornell ALSO tied RPI on Friday after a blown lead. Someone should tell those guys to play hockey better.

-Kelly Zajac: The now Union leader in all time assists had an awesome 3 point night. Definitely the first star. The kids behind me would not stop talking about "his older brother on the Devils." Freshman.

-Shayne Gostisbehere (Ghostbuster): Jeez louise, this guy did NOT play like a freshman. Talk about a defenseman with a ton of offensive upsides. Ghostbuster did a great job of setting up plays by gaining the offensive zone and allowing the team to set up their system. My only caveat is that he did lose the puck in the defensive zone after a failed dangle. I'm really excited to see him next year.

-Daniel Carr and Josh Jooris: These guys never give up. They skate hard and can easily create momentum for this team, especially when we're down goals.

-Jeremy Welsh: He threw around the body, gained the offensive zone, got shots on goal, and won faceoffs. That's what you need out of a center. He also got some silky smooth dangles in there. Good work, buddy.

-Early on, Welsh threw a hip check that just barely connected but still send the Cornell player flying. Later on, Bodie showed the crowd what a textbook open ice hip check looked like. Let's see if Welsh took notes. If you're looking to see what the new bread of defensemen in the NHL look like, look no further than Mat Bodie.

-The third period was delayed a few minutes due to an ice malfunction. Eventually, they brought out a fire extinguisher and got it all sorted out.

The Crowd

This was one of the loudest games I've ever been at. The Cornell Big Red (dumb name), brought out their candy-cane pep band. We started out with a "we found waldo" (see picture) chant before the game started. Their tradition for the star spangled banner is to yell "and the rocket's RED glare" to which we responded with a well timed "sucks". Perfect. Some other good chrips included yelling "NERDS" whenever the Cornell Red entered the zone next to the student section and standard goalie harassment.

Game Time: Cornell at Union

2012-02-04T18:11:00.003-05:00

Cornell (8-3-4 ECAC, 11-6-5 Overall) at Union (10-3-3 ECAC, 16-6-6 Overall)
Messa Rink at Achilles Center, Schenectady, NY.

After a big win last night against the ever-dangerous Colgate Raiders, the Union Dutchmen take the ice for the second time in two days against their closest competitor in the ECAC standings: Cornell. Union is a full three points ahead of the Big Red in the ECAC standings.

Colin Stevens, Nisky Native!

Tonight's Lines:

15 Matt Hatch - 19 Kelly Zajac (A) - 21 Wayne Simpson
16 Kevin Sullivan - 12 Kyle Bodie - 29 Trevor Mingoia
9 Daniel Carr - 27 Jeremy Welsh (A) - 7 Josh Jooris
23 Cole Ikkala - 10 Mark Bennett - 11 Sam Coatta

22 Mat Bodie - 28 Shawn Stuart
2 Nolan Julseth-White (C) - 6 Charlie Vasaturo
14 Shayne Gostisbehere - 20 Greg Coburn

30 Colin Stevens
31 Dillon Pieri
1 Troy Grosenick (probable, injured)

Notes:

Kevin Sullivan slides back into the lineup, replacing Dan Ciampini, who got some well-deserved playing time last night.
Charlie "Tuna" Vasaturo* takes Taylor Reid's spot on the blue line.
Colin Stevens, who played brilliantly last night, gets the start with Grosenick shelved for a second straight night. Remember when goaltending was supposed to be an issue for the Dutchmen?
Trevor Mingoia takes Max Novak's spot on the second line.
Other than the Kyle Bodie line, which will occasionally feature the likes of Novak and Ciampini in place of Sullivan and Mingoia, Coach Bennett has solidified his lines. The Carr-Welsh-Jooris line is a given, as is the well constructed Hatch-Zajac-Simpson iteration. However, a big reason for Union's success is their depth--something that can't be overstated. Coach Bennett lauds the "energy line" of Ikkala-(Mark) Bennett-Coatta, and for good reason.
Tonight's game has been virtually sold out since Thursday. Expect a raucous crowd tonight at Union's home ice.

*If that's not a nickname for Vasaturo, let's make it one.

Game Highlights: Colgate at Union

2012-02-04T17:11:00.001-05:00

Post-Game Recap 2/3/12

2012-02-04T11:02:00.012-05:00

Union defeats Colgate 3-1

As I walked to Messa rink last night, I did not understand the kind of battle this game was going to be. I spoke with Phil Cohn (the student manager) just prior to the game, who told me about Colgate's 6-4 220 behemoth captain, Corbin McPherson and how they have the nation's leading goal scorer, Austin Smith (26g, 27gp). On top of that, Phil alerted me that our own Troy Grosenick, the nation's leading goaltender, would be sitting tonight in favor of our back-up, albiet strong back-up, Colin Stevens. This game was going to be no walk in the park.

First Period

Right after puck drop, you could see that Union did not get a good jump out of the gates. The defense did not play all that well in the opening minutes. Colgate, on the other hand, came out swinging. I suppose they smelled fresh meat when they saw that Troy was not in goal. The Union defense allowed Colgate offensive zone freedom, and worse, let the forwards get past them. It only took 2 shots on goal before Colgate's Mark Nasca scored on a stuff-in. Stevens seemed to have a tough time getting into a rhythm, putting himself in dangerous positions, but once he had about 9 shots on him, he closed the door. Despite only getting a few shots off at this point, a duo you get used to hearing over the PA in Messa rink evened it up. Welsh (19) from Carr at 11:52 with Coburn picking up the secondary assist. By the end of the period, Union looked like they finally had their feet under them.

Second Period

The second period started with both teams working hard. This first noteworthy event was a familiar sight: a Hatch breakaway. Unfortunately, he hit post. 17:30 left in the second, and we're still tied, and tied we shall stay. The aforementioned behemoth, McPherson took a boarding call not long after the breakaway. Two things became apparent after this call: Union's physical play stepped up to a point in which the Colgate forwards seemed more concerned about not getting hit, than keeping the puck and the confidence of Colin Stevens, who controlled rebounds and began to catch pucks out infront of him was at a high. This strong play was needed as Colgate would go on the PP from a Coburn holding call. Colgate spent virtually the entire PP in their offensive zone but Colin Stevens came up big several times to keep it even. Union was able to make the SOG more even this period after being outshot greatly in the first.

Third Period

In a game as important as this one, I was not comfortable going into the third tied. While Union controlled play in the second, it only takes one bad defensive lapse and Colgate could have the lead. Luckily, there was no such lapse.

Only a minute and a half in and Union went on the powerplay (slashing). Jooris beat the goalie but could not beat the post. Not long after this heart-breaker, Wayne Simpson (14) scored on the power play. In such a tight game, this goal meant everything. In hard working form, Union did not turtle after this goal. A 2-1 game with 10 minutes left is a game you can still lose. Although Union was put on the power play nearly 11 minutes in, Austin Smith, the nation's leader in short handed goals, was absolutely robbed of a shorty at point blank when Colin Stevens flashed the leather, keeping the Dutch on top. In the end, after the first goal let in, Stevens made 20 straight saves and was one of the stars on the ice. In the final 5 minutes, play was back and forth, with Austin Smith cherry picking at the blue line and our own fair share of opportunities. With each team taking time outs with between a minute and 30 seconds left, Colgate's goalie was pulled in favor of an extra skater. In a game where Union completely dominated faceoffs, a big defensive zone win lead to Simpson's (15) second of the night, and empty net goal to seal the deal.

FINAL SCORE UNION OVER COLGATE 3-1

Notes

-Mat Bodie: I couldn't count the amount of times he came up big in the defensive zone. On a team that prides itself on hard work and consistency, Mat Bodie was the epitome of just that.

-Kelly Zajac and Shayne Gostisbehere: Zajac Almost had a Datsyukian, highlight reel assist late in the third and Gostisbehere had what is being referred to as "the silkiest dangle ever seen at a Union game." Maybe I'll throw some video up!

-Jeremy Welsh, Nolan Julseth-White, & Shawn Stuart: A lot of BIG clean hits. They had Colgate scared. Stuart with the hit of the night, utterly annihilating Austin Smith.

-Austin Smith (leading the league in just about everything if I haven't already made that clear) was about as irrelevant in this game as he was trying to play goalie in the empty net right before Wayne-o scored. What an sieve.

-Union beat Colgate on faceoffs something like 45-15. That's how you win games.

-People seemed to think that there were a lot of missed calls in the first. The refs let the kids play.

-The more shots Stevens got under his belt, the better he became. Grosenick is a game time decision tonight against Cornell and if Stevens is in net, I would not feel nearly as nervous as I did going into last night's game.

-Speaking of Cornell, guess who TIED RPI last night after blowing a 2-0 lead? If you guessed Cornell, well, it was pretty obvious given the lead in.

-Guess who got a shout out from Pierre McGuire on NBC sports last night? If you guessed Union, once again, it was kind of obvious.

Big night tonight against Cornell. A win tonight will keep us in the top spot in the conference and give us a bit more breathing room.

INAUGURAL POST

This is my first post on the UHB and surely won't be my last. Evan, Justin, and (Wolfman) Zach are all graduating next year so I was brought on board to learn the ropes before shouldering the weight of the world famous UHB. I'll be doing interviews, the occasional game recap (if Zach misses a game), and whatever else falls my way. Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions in the comment area. I'm very excited to keep this blog running strong.

Tonight's Lines (1/28)

2012-01-28T18:24:00.002-05:00

Union

Cole Ikkala-Mark Bennett-Sam Coatta
Matt Hatch-Kelly Zajac-Wayne Simpson
Daniel Carr-Jeremy Welsh-Josh Jooris
Daniel Ciampini-Kyle Bodie-Max Novak

Mat Bodie-Shawn Stuart
Shayne Gostisbehere-Greg Coburn
Nolan Julseth-White-Taylor Reid

Troy Grosenick
Colin Stevens
Dillon Pieri

St. Lawrence

Gunnar Hughes-Kyle Flanagan-Chris Martin
Sean Logue-Kyle Essery-Patrick Doherty
Jacob Drewiske-Mark Armstrong-Justin Bruckel
Greg Carey-Tommy Thompson-Max Mobley

George Hughes-Riley Austin
Nelson Armstrong-Pat Raley
Jordan Dewey-Mac Strtford

Matt Weninger
Robby Moss

Notes

• St. Lawrence is currently in the middle of a six game league winless streak (0-5-1)
• Kyle Flanagan is the Saints leading scorer with 26 points (10g, 16a)
• Union has won six straight against St. Lawrence
• The Saints power play is scoring at a 20.2% clip. It’s penalty kill is at 78%.
• Kelly Zajac is two assists away from tying Adam Presizniuk for the all-time assists lead in Union College history.
• Jeremy Welsh is one goal away from tying Olivier Bouchard and Chris Ford for 4th all-time in Union College history. He is also one power play goal away from tying Jordan Webb for most power play goals all-time
• Daniel Carr is only one power play goal behind Welsh, so is two away from tying the mark

Tonight's Lines

2012-01-27T19:01:00.003-05:00

Matt Hatch-Kelly Zajac-Wayne Simpson
Cole Ikkala-Mark Bennett-Sam Coatta
Kevin Sullivan-Kyle Bodie-Trevor Mingoia
Daniel Carr-Jeremy Welsh-Josh Jooris

Shawn Stuart-Mat Bodie
Nolan Julseth-White-Charlie Vasaturo
Greg Coburn-Shayne Gostisbehere

Troy Grosenick
Colin Stevens
Dillon Pieri

Notes

• Union on longest winning streak in rivalry with eight straight victories. Outscored Clarkson 45-14 during that stretch.
• Clarkson currently on a 5-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2) in ECAC play.
• Goaltender Paul Karpowich has posted a .931 save pct and a 2.10 gaa, and five shutouts this season.
• Last two times Clarkson has played at Messa Rink: 11-2 loss, and, more recently, an 8-1 loss. A win would be the first at Messa Rink since March 6, 2005.
• Nick Tremblay is on a 4-game point streak. Tied with Louke Oakley for scoring lead with 23 for Clarkson.
• Union is 20-0-0 when it scores 5 or more goals over the past two seasons.
• Kelly Zajac one point from tying Jason Walters for 2nd most all-time. 3 assists away from tying Presizniuk’s all-time assist record.
• Jeremy Welsh 1 goal from tying Olivier Bouchard and Chris Ford for 4th most all-time goals.

Dutchmen Details: Five Short of a Seven Nation Army

2012-01-27T16:20:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Dutchmen Details, where we scour the internet for Union Hockey related news so you don't have to!

As we noted yesterday, Union will unveil a new goal song tonight at Messa Rink when the Dutchmen take on Clarkson (11-10-5). Hopefully the stylings of Jack and Meg White will inspire the crowd. Remember, the chorus is an eminently unforgettable "Oh, oh, oh."
Just in case you need a reminder:

***

Women's Hockey

The Dutchwomen take on rival RPI today at Messa Rink at 3:00. Union (2-10-2 ECAC) looks to gain some ground on the Engineers (3-9-2 ECAC). A win today will propel Union into a tie with RPI in the standings
Senior goaltender and Minnesota native Kate Gallagher continues her stellar campaign. Much like her counterpart on the men's team, Gallagher is climbing the leaderboards in the ECAC. Her 1.88 GAA is good for fifth in the ECAC. Her stellar .945 save percentage leads the conference.
After a win and a tie last weekend, the surging Dutchwomen look to make it a successful weekend. Union Athletics has a nice rundown of today's vital stats.
You can listen to today's game here courtesy of 91.5 WRPI.
The Dutchwomen complete what should be a fun home-and-home tomorrow in Troy. A successful weekend could see them pick up four points over their rivals.

Men's Hockey

The #13/14 Dutchmen face two
Joe Meloni of CHN has Troy Grosenick listed as a "Hobey Hopeful." Only two other goalies (Joe Cannata, Merrimack; Shawn Hunwick, Michigan) are listed. Only one other ECAC player makes the list: Colgate's always-dangerous Austin Smith.
Speaking of goaltenders, Union Hockey's Official Blog has a nice interview as a part of their "Meet the Freshman" segment with Colin Stevens.

Again, Union Athletics has a nice rundown of what to expect this weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence.

Check back later today for a pre-game look at tonight's Dutchmen-Clarkson game.

New Goal Song at Messa Rink

2012-01-26T21:22:00.001-05:00

The Dutchmen will be installing a new song to celebrate goals this weekend:

In years past Messa Rink used to be drowned out with the sounds of the "Hey Song" and fans used to add their own chants to accompany it. Recently, the administration has looked to move away from that tradition, but the songs they have picked have not elicited the same fan response.

If that Michigan video can show you anything, it is how fun and intimidating this song can be if the whole crowd gets into it. So spread the word, and make sure everyone is prepared to drown out the arena in this fun tune. Hopefully two wins will accompany this new tradition!

And, lest we forget, a classic music video:

Game Time: Union at Brown

2012-01-21T19:35:00.001-05:00

Union (13-5-6 overall)
15 Matt Hatch - 19 Kelly Zajac (A) - 21 Wayne Simpson
9 Daniel Carr - Jeremy Welsh (A) - 18 Max Novak
16 Kevin Sullivan - 12 Kyle Bodie - 29 Trevor Mingoia
23 Cole Ikkala - 10 Mark Bennett - 11 Sam Coatta

28 Shawn Stuart - 22 Mat Bodie
14 Shayne Gostisbehere - 20 Greg Coburn
2 Nolan Julseth-White (C) - 4 Taylor Reid

1 Troy Grosenick
30 Colin Stevens

Brown (4-5-2 overall)
Matt Lorito - Jack Maclellan - Ryan Jacobson
Bobby Farnham - Massimo Lamacchia - Jarred Smith
Chris Zaires - Francis Drolet - Jeff Ryan
Matt Harlow - Michael Juola - Mark Hourihan

Dennis Robertson - Matt Wahl
Kyle Quick - Mike Wolff
Richie Crowley - Jeff Buvinow

Mike Clemente
Marco De Filippo
Anthony Borelli

***

Union (7-2-3) holds a slim lead for first place in the ECAC coming into tonight's game against Brown (4-5-2) in Providence. After a stellar win last night at the ~~Yale Whale~~ Ingalls Rink, the red-hot Dutchmen look to continue their five game winning streak. Coach Bennett keeps the same lines intact from last night's Yale contest. Max Novak slides into Josh Jooris' spot as he nurses an injury.

Follow Along

Hopefully Union's radio feed will work tonight.
If not, try Brown's feed, although it may cost you.
Either way, Live Stats are a good thing.
Follow Union Hockey and Ken Schott on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates.

Update:

After one, Union leads 2-0. Following a recent script, Jeremy Welsh potted the first goal, with assists from Shawn Stuart and Max Novak. The second goal came from the always offensive D-man Mat Bodie, with another assist for Kelly Zajac.

Also:
Congratulations to the Dutchwomen, who beat Yale today at home 2-0 during "Pink at the Rink" to improve to (2-10-2) in ECAC play.

College Hockey Video of The Week: 1988 Stunner

2012-01-19T23:17:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since we've done a college hockey video of the week, but coming off the heels of Union's 5-1 win last Saturday against RPI, it seems fitting to select this one--an oldie, but a goodie.

Remember, as of the 1988-1989 season, Union was not yet a Division I school. RPI was. Union, beaten the previous year 13-0 by the Engineers, looked to win their first ever game against their Troy rivals.

Also, isn't it great to see boards sans ads?

Reflections from November 5, 1988

Edit: Jim Teresco, who put together this page, comments, quite nicely, below:

Great video and great memories. I was going to post a link to my old writeup of this game, but I see there is already a link to it. In there, I say I that after seeing Union beat RPI that night, I hadn't missed more than a handful of home games in 10 years. I haven't missed many more since then, still a season ticket holder now back for my 24th season following the team.

You can follow Jim on Twitter here.

Pink At The Rink

2012-01-19T23:00:00.003-05:00

In a post to our Facebook wall, frequent reader Steve reminds us that this Saturday, the Dutchwomen will be hosting Pink at the Rink for the fifth straight year. Be sure to wear pink to Messa Rink on Saturday at 4:00 PM to support the Dutchwomen against Yale, and more importantly, to support the fight against breast cancer. Stop by their table in Reamer Campus Center this Friday to find out more and purchase pink apparel.

Remember, admission to the game is free with a donation to the American Cancer Society. Help the Dutchwomen continue an outstanding tradition and help raise cancer awareness and donate to end it once and for all.

Sweater 'Sthetics: Mercyhurst vs. AIC

2012-01-19T19:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the inaugural "Sweater 'Stethics," a soon-to-be weekly feature here on UHB that will pluck two teams from the world of college hockey and compare them based on their jerseys alone. Vote below, and we'll announce the winner next Thursday.

Today's competition pits two Atlantic Hockey foes against each other.

Mercyhurst

Courtesy Mercyhurst Athletics

Courtesy theophilsyslo.com

***

American International

Courtesy American International Athletics

Courtesy USCHO.com

Courtesy American International Athletics
(Third Jerseys)

Game Time: RPI at Union

2012-01-14T18:02:00.000-05:00

No Bounties on Anyone's Heads, OK?

The Union Athletic department must have figured that the best way to break the student body out of the winter doldrums was to schedule a game at (Frozen) Fenway Park, immediately followed up by a prime-time Saturday matchup versus rival RPI. The fans will be excited, that's for sure, but can the players carry over some of the effervescent energy that was on display last night in Boston?

Coach Bennett is counting on it, sending in a carbon copy of last night's lineups to the printer tonight. Tonight's lines are as follows:

#14/13 Union (11-5-6 overall, 5-2-3 ECAC)
15 Matt Hatch - 19 Kelly Zajac (A) - 21 Wayne Simpson
9 Daniel Carr - 27 Jeremy Welsh (A) - 7 Josh Jooris
16 Kevin Sullivan - 12 Kyle Bodie - 29 Trevor Mingoia
23 Cole Ikkala - 10 Mark Bennett - 11 Sam Coatta

28 Shawn Stuart - 22 Mat Bodie
14 Shayne Gostisbehere - 20 Greg Coburn
2 Nolan Julseth-White (C) - 4 Taylor Reid

1 Troy Grosenick
30 Colin Stevens
31 Dillon Pieri

RPI (4-16-1 overall, 1-7-1 ECAC)
22 C.J. Lee - 23 Brock Higgs - 7 Zach Schroeder
9 Mat Neal - 21 Mark McGowan - 39 Ryan Haggerty
15 Jacob Laliberte - 27 Marty O'Grady - 28 Matt Tinordi
24 Josh Rabbani - 13 Joel Malchuk (C) - 14 Greg Burgdoerfer

10 Curtis Leonard - 8 Mike Bergin (C)
3 Guy Leboeuf - 29 Nick Bailen
5 Luke Curardi - 4 Pat Koudys

34 Scott Diebold
32 Bryce Merriam

Lineup Notes:

Coach Bennett is finding his preferred lines, or so it seems. These are virtually the same lines from the 7-1 win against Dartmouth, save for some slightly different defensive pairings. (Also, Charlie Vasaturo played instead of Greg Coburn last Saturday).
It's important to have Troy Grosenick in there as much as possible--after all, the Man with the Golden GAA has been outstanding. Bennett is banking on the Wisconsin native to follow up last night's shutout with a typical Troy effort. Except, if Colin Stevens was ever to get a start, tonight would be the night. The Niskayuna native would not only play in front of a raucous Capital Region crowd, but could provide some needed relief after an emotional game and long ride back home. (If Grosenick is anything like me, he needed 12 hours in bed to recover from the drive to-and-from Boston. But there's a reason I'm not a Division 1 athlete...)

Intellectual Smack Talk:

The inimitable RPI blog Without A Peer throws the gauntlet for tonight's game. Ah, the beauty of rivalry.

There's a natural way of things. The ratio of a Euclidean circle's circumference to its diameter is pi. When gravity equals drag, terminal velocity is achieved. And the hockey program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is superior to that at Union College. Some things in nature, of course, get upset from time to time, but there's a reason the expansion from 10 to 12 teams in the ECAC playoffs was referred to as the "Union rule," and why RPI's record is presently described as "Unionian."

Editor's Response:

I'll abstain from my own two cents. If you have nothing nice to say, don't type it at all, right? Whatever the outcome tonight, we can take solace in the fact that one thing will always be as "constant" as Euclidean Geometry: the fact that RPI and Union have one of the best rivalries in college hockey.

USCHO.com Prediction:

Culled from Nate Owen's picks:

Union goalie Troy Grosenick is tops in the nation in goals-against-average (1.74) and third in save percentage (.932). RPI meanwhile, simply can’t score, averaging 1.52 goals a game, second to last in Division I. Union 5, RPI 0

Programming Notes:
We'll post the game recaps from tonight and last night's win against Harvard tomorrow in one neat package of weekend recaps.

Tweet of the Day:
Matt Hatch works the public relations angle:

Game Time: Union vs. Harvard

2012-01-13T17:05:00.001-05:00

Update: Game time has been pushed back to 7:30 because of high winds.

Last week at this time, we talked about what #14/13 Union needed to do to beat a sometimes underwhelming, sometimes stunning, and always interesting Harvard team. "Play well in the first." Check. "Finish the game strong." Not so much.

Ted Donato's bunch had fight in them , coming back to tie the Dutchmen 3-3. The Crimson have made a habit of clawing back into games this season. Tonight, the Dutchmen try to avenge what was otherwise a deflating tie.

Tonight is no "normal" ECAC game, however. It may well be the palpable fruition of a program's ascension into the upper echelon of college hockey .

Coach Bennett, his players, and the devoted horde of Union fans en route to the game. While typing this up (on my phone) we've seen several cars with Union stickers salute us in solidarity. The fans are giddy, as are the players.

The Harvard contingent must be experiencing a similar phenomenon. Harvard may be the hometown team and technically the home team (meaning we're likely to see Union on garnet tonight), but the cheers rising from the Union contingent may challenge that.

Below are tonight's lines, courtesy of Union's Official Blog. Nice to see senior Taylor Reid get in there; after a solid game against Dartmouth, coach Bennett rightly rewards one of the hardest working players on the team.

Troy Grosenick, the man with the Golden GAA, starts. Bennett keeps his forward lines intact from last game. And why not? Their chemistry was superb against Dartmouth.

As always, follow us on Twitter. Also give @concordiensis, the school's paper, which will be tweeting live as well.

Photo courtesy of our buddy Dan Greene.

Links to consider:
http://unionhockey.tumblr.com/post/15789003399/pictures-and-links-from-fenway-park

Field of Dreams? More Like Rink of Dreams

2012-01-13T14:44:00.001-05:00

We've compiled some of the Dutchmen's reactions on Twitter about today's upcoming face off against Harvard.

I'm blogging mobile-ly, so I'm not quite sure how these pictures will be formatted.

In any case, part of the enjoyment of this game is watching the players revel in it. Tonight should be a prime example. Also, Mat Bodie seems to be the poet laureate of the team?

Photo credits, in order: Trevor Mingoia, Dillon Pieri (with Tyson Fulton and Max Novak), Josh Jooris (Mat Bodie is the subject), Mat Bodie, Cole Ikkala (with Jooris), Mark Bennett (with Charlie Vasaturo).

Link: Old Time Hockey! (Sans Eddie Shore)

2012-01-12T12:26:00.001-05:00

We were going to include this in our Dutchmen Details segment for today, but this article is just too cool (no pun intended) to pass up. And oh yeah, it seems appropriate, considering the fresh blanket of snow outside. Pete Iorizzo writes one of the most fun articles we've seen in a while, chronicling the often comical history of the pre-indoor rink days of Union Hockey.

A jersey that pays tribute to Union's outdoor ancestry

Outdoors Old Hat To Union--Times Union

Check it out. (The pictures are great, too). I'll leave you with one teaser here:

The school first dabbled in hockey in 1904. But because of weather, they played only 13 games over the next seven years. By 1909, the team was so desperate to play it scheduled games against Union's canoe and boat clubs.

Also, bonus points awarded to whoever picks up on the Slapshot reference.

Post Game Interviews: January 6-7, 2012

2012-01-08T19:44:00.000-05:00

Jan. 6th (vs. Harvard)

Daniel Carr and Josh Jooris:

Mat Bodie:

Rick Bennett:

***

Jan 7th (vs. Dartmouth)

Dartmouth Head Coach Jim Gaudet:

Trevor Mingoia and Daniel Carr:

Game Time: Dartmouth vs. Union

2012-01-07T17:57:00.003-05:00

Tonight's Lines:

Union
15 Matt Hatch - 19 Kelly Zajac (A) - 21 Wayne Simpson
16 Kevin Sullivan - 12 Kyle Bodie - 29 Trevor Mingoia
9 Daniel Carr - 27 Jeremy Welsh (A) - 7 Josh Jooris
23 Cole Ikkala - 10 Mark Bennett - 11 Sam Coatta

28 Shawn Stuart - 14 Shayne Gostisbehere
2 Nolan Julseth-White (C) - 6 Charlie Vasaturo
22 Mat Bodie - 4 Taylor Reid

1 Troy Grosenick
30 Colin Stevens
31 Dillon Pieri

Darmouth
14 Doug Jones (A) - 9 Matt Lindblad - 19 Eric Robinson
18 Brandon McNally - 16 Tyler Sikura - 15 Jason Bourgea
21 Nick Walsh - 17 Jesse Beamish - 11 Eric Neiley
29 Alex Goodship - 25 Paul Lee

3 Connor Goggin (A) - 27 Mike Keenan (C)
4 Jim Gaudet (A) - 5 Taylor Boldt
23 Rick Pinkston - 24 Andy Simpson
7 Dan Nycholat

33 Cab Morris
1 Jody O'Neill
30 James Mello

Loose Change/Stray Observations:

The personnel remains largely unchanged except for Trevor Mingoia, who takes Max Novak's spot in the forward contigent. Charlie Vasaturo and Taylor Reid take the spots of Greg Coburn and Ryan Forgaard on the blueline.
Kevin Sullivan moves up to the new look Kyle Bodie line, who centers him and Trevor Mingoia.
As such, the regular Carr-Welsh-Jooris line is reunited. They saw time together during the game last night and were instantly visible on the ice.
Coach Bennett must have liked the way his fourth line played last night: with intensity and grit. Cole Ikkala, Mark Bennett and Sam Coatta stay together.
Dartmouth dresses seven defenseman, meaning we'll see some doubleshifting here or interesting line combinations.
Backup Dartmouth goalie Cab Morris has one of the best helmets we've seen: it has a racing stripe down the middle with a picture of a green (the color of Dartmouth) ~~stock car~~ taxi cab (duh, that's his name) on the side. Also, he has a license plate on the back -- a New Hampshire license plate nonetheless -- that says "Big Green." Cool stuff.
We've been having fun with names lately on the blog: don't confuse The Big Green's captain with the Stanley-Cup winning coach of the same name.

Follow Along:

We'll be live tweeting again tonight, so give us a follow over on Twitter -- @UnionHockeyBlog Also, as always, stay in tune with Union Hockey, Ken Schott, and see the view from the other side with Darmouth Hockey's official Twitter.

Tweet of the Night:

Mike Ingoldsby wins tonight's Tweet of the Night. He's right, you know. Tonight is Whiteout Night at Messa Rink. Fans will receive free whiteout t-shirts.

Harvard 3 - Union 3: "I'll Let You Draw Your Own Conclusions"

2012-01-06T22:18:00.001-05:00

Mat Bodie sat down in the Union pressroom after the game, still panting. The first question directed at him was about his injury in the second period, where he was doubled over in pain after blocking a shot.

"It works on so many levels!"

"Right in the moneymakers," he said, without breaking stride. "I'll let you draw your own conclusions from that," he deadpanned. And although Union's 3-3 tie may not have been nearly as painful as Bodie's, um, injury, the immediate reaction from the crowd might have been the same.

After entering the third period with a 3-1 lead, Union let the lead slip away to a Harvard team that has deservedly earned the moniker the "comeback Crimson." Tonight marked the 19th time this season Harvard has trailed in a game. It was also the 15th time they've come back and tied the score. It seems like a mark of a team on their way to stardom. Except Harvard is now 3-3-3, and very much a .500 team in most aspects of their game. They have eight players on their roster who are property of NHL teams and own an impressive 32.2% success rate coming into the game on the powerplay. With two powerplay goals tonight, that's now hovering around 34%--a staggering number.

Still, Harvard entered with a highly-touted yet struggling goaltender (who made some brilliant game-saving stops, as it turned out). Union's first period was dominant: they peppered Steve Michalek with 13 shots to Harvard's four. The Carr-Welsh-Sullivan line started the game and provided some dynamic plays. But it was Wayne Simpson who drew first blood, opening the scoring quickly in the first period. Kelly Zajac's feed to the slot put Simpson second behind Jeremy Welsh for the team lead in goals.

Alex Fallstrom, who seemed to be all over the ice (and in the face of many Union players) netted the second goal of the game, Harvard's first.

Mat Bodie struck back with a pinpoint-accurate slapshot over the right shoulder of Michalek. It was Union's first powerplay goal of the game. But Bodie wasn't done. After evidently tapping the LB button on his controller, he dodged a Harvard defender en route to a beautiful deke/jump that sprang him in the Harvard zone. He fed the puck to his left to a streaking Josh Jooris, who, in turn threaded a pass to an open Daniel Carr. Carr, on the off wing, crouched to one knee and made it 3-1. But after an Alex Killorn goal on the powerplay brought it to 3-2, Danny Biega wristed a shot past a helpless Troy Grosenick. Union was subsequently stoned by Michalek on some brilliant chances; head coach Ted Donato noted post-game that there is a reason this kid already was drafted.

It's easy to walk away from Messa Rink tonight with a sour taste in your mouth. Perhaps with the feeling that you just got hit "in the moneymakers." But Mat Bodie shook it off. So should you.

Why?

Union played a splendid first period tonight, one that had people in the press box wowing their domination of the Crimson. They faltered slightly in the second and third, but Harvard also used its ace in the hole: the top powerplay unit in the country. (They've scored, dating back to last season, powerplay goals in 17 consecutive games). The Dutchmen showed a spark that was reminiscent of the dominant type of play that was a constant last year. With explosive options on the point to grinders down low, each player is visibly committed to their role and to a crisp team game. With these cogs starting to fall into place, Union can make a push toward the top of the ECAC standings. Their next opponents--Dartmouth (tomorrow, home), Harvard (at Fenway), and RPI--will not be pushovers. But they should be a good litmus test for this Union team that is only 1-2-3 on home ice. With Coach Bennett staying as positive as ever, there is little reason not to think that Union can carry some of that dominance on display in the first period tonight over two more periods.

So, as Mat Bodie told us, we can draw our own conclusions. A 3-3 tie could be grounds for concern. Or, more logically, excitement for upcoming stretch of games. This team is poised to make another run for the Cleary Cup. It just depends on how quickly you can get up, get back on the ice, and start skating again. If this team's collective ethos is any indicator, they won't miss a shift.

Game Time: Harvard vs. Union

2012-01-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

Tonight at Messa Rink Harvard (4-4-4 overall) faces #14 Union (9-5-5 overall). The ECAC matchup will be a preview to next Friday's Frozen Fenway matchup. Nonetheless, Union and Harvard are tied with 8 points a piece in the ECAC. Harvard holds a 3-3-2 record in ECAC play, while Union is 3-2-2. Cornell, at 6-1-1 in conference play, leads with 13 points. It is at this point in the schedule when teams begin to even out in games played.

Tonight's Lines

Union

15 Matt Hatch - 19 Kelly Zajac (A) - 21 Wayne Simpson
9 Daniel Carr - 27 Jeremy Welsh (A) -16 Kevin Sullivan
18 Max Novak - 12 Kyle Bodie-7 Josh Jooris
23 Cole Ikkala - 10 Mark Bennett -11 Sam Coatta

28 Shawn Stuart -22 Mat Bodie
20 Greg Coburn -14 Shayne Gostisbehere
2 Nolan Julseth-White (C) - Ryan Forgaard

1 Troy Grosenick
30 Colin Stevens
31 Dillon Pieri

Harvard

21 Marshall Everson - 19 Alex Killorn (A) - 16 Alex Fallstrom
63 Colin Blackwell - 26 Luke Greiner - 22 David Valek
13 Tommy O'Regan - 10 Eric Kroshus - 11 Daniel Moriarty (A)
17 Rence Coassin - 12 Colin Moore - 27 Petr Placek

5 Dan Ford - 9 Danny Biega
8 Patrick McNally - 6 Ryan Grimshaw (C)
15 John Caldwell - 44 Max Everson

34 Steve Michalek
30 Raphael Girard

Players To Watch

Wayne Simpson, Union:
Aside from his nifty interview for Union Hockey, Wayne Simpson looks to log a lot of icetime tonight. Coach Bennett returns to the Hatch-Zajac-Simpson line. Hatch plays the role of the speedster, Zajac the playmaker, Simpson the sniper. Simpson is fifth on the team with 13 points. The Boxborough, MA native (Boxborough is only about 20 miles from Cambridge) looks to defeat his hometown team, so to speak.

Steve Michalek, Harvard
The highly touted freshman came into the season with high expectations. He hasn't quite lived up to expectations yet, posting a .886 save percentage and 3.54 goals against average in eleven games. Union will look to test him early and often, while the Harvard defense, anchored by Danny Biega, will need to play "big" in front of their netminder.

Loose Change

Expect Section Q at Messa Rink -- the "U Crew" -- to have some fun with assistant captain Daniel Moriarty's name, especially if they saw the newest iteration of Sherlock Holmes.
As an Islanders fan, I can't help but think of this when I hear David Valek's name. Just swap out an "o" for that "a"...
Harvard has eight players who are betrothed to NHL teams:

Alex Killorn (Tampa Bay, '07)
Alex Fallstrom (Boston, '09)
Colin Blackwell (San Jose, '11)
Petr Placek (Philadelphia, '11)
Danny Biega (Carolina, '10)
Patrick McNally (Vancouver, '10)
Max Everson (Toronto, '11)
Steve Michalek (Minnesota, '11)

Congratulations to the Sweedish World Juniors team, which beat Russia in the world championships.
Finally, the Dutchwomen lost 9-1 today against Cornell at Messa Rink.

Follow Along

Follow us at @UnionHockeyBlog for up-to-the minute updates on Twitter. A reminder: always follow @UnionHockey and @SlapSchotts (Ken Schott).

Last, But Not Least
Troy Grosenick wins tonight's coveted Tweet of the Day award.

Game Time: Union at Colorado College

2011-12-31T19:12:00.000-05:00

No. 10/10 Union takes on 6/5 Colorado College tonight at the Colorado Springs World Arena in Colorado Springs. After a tough loss last night to Denver, Union looks to rebound against a very good Colorado College team. The Tigers, a top flight team in the country, dropped their last game 2-1 vs. Air Force. Colorado College has won two NCAA titles in its history, in 1950 and 1957. With 18 points in the competitive WCHA, they trail only Minnesota and reigning NCAA champs Minnesota-Duluth.

Tonight's Lines, via our friends over at Union Hockey's Tumblr. Be sure to bookmark that site--it's probably the best source of fly-on-the-wall coverage of Union hockey on the interwebs.

After coming off of a difficult 3-1 loss last night, the Hatch-Zajac-Simpson line sports a different feel. Last night, Hatch played on the third line with Kyle Bodie and Trevor Mingoia. The second line is shaken up, however, with Welsh centering Carr and Sullivan. Last night, Jeremy centered Brian Yanovitch and Josh Jooris. Jooris is scratched tonight, Yanny moves to the third line. Kyle Bodie stays on the third line, but Max Novak slides next to him on the wing after playing center on the fourth line last night. Finally, while Cole Ikkala stays in, Mark Bennett takes the place of Mingoia tonight.

On defense, Bodie and Stuart flip sides, while Juice plays on the right with Charlie Vasaturo, who takes the place of Ryan Forgaard. Coach Bennett continues the theme of the flip-flop; Gostisbehere and Coburn trade places on the point.

Players To Watch:

Troy Grosenick

He's putting up stellar numbers this years, ranking among the top goalies in the nation. After Colin Stevens was between the pipes yesterday, Coach Bennett looks to a rested Grosenick to stonewall a potent Colorado College offense.

Rylan Schwartz

Named the WCHA player of the week, he boasts impressive numbers this year. Union defenseman need to watch for his playmaking skills on the first line.

"Eye of the Tigers:"

"Schwartz holds the team lead with 23 points, 16 goals, six power-play goals and three game-winners. His 23 points are the 10th-most in the WCHA, his 16 goals are tied for the second-most in the country and his average of 1.07 goals a game leads the nation. Among current CC players, he’s tops with 89 career points, including 32 career goals."

Tweet of the Night:
Freshman Sam Coatta earns the honors:

Players Not In Attendance Tonight:

Jaden Schwartz

Jaden Schwartz, the 14th overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft by the Blues, would be a force to reckon with, but he is instead captaining the Canadian team in tonight's World Junior Championships--preliminary round. He's an impressive player, so Union should feel lucky to avoid him. The CBC has a poignant article on him. And oh yeah, his brother happens to be Rylan Schwartz.

Of course, all of us here at UHB wish you a happy and healthy new year.

Jaden Schwartz

Video: We Stand Together

2011-12-28T12:24:00.002-05:00

The masterful Phil Cohn strikes again. The guru of the Union highlight film, Phil sent this video our way:

Be sure to follow Phil on Twitter. He's always coming up with some great material.

Highlights: Union at Merrimack

2011-12-28T01:41:00.000-05:00

Highlights from Union's win against #5 Merrimack on December 17th, complete with commentary.

Items of Note:

Merrimack's Shawn Bates has no relation to the former NHLer. But if, by some chance this Bates makes it to the bigs, he will forever have a twin in the Hockey Almanac.
I'm a sucker for Blue and Gold jerseys. Merrimack's sweaters are nice, but the yellow could be, uh, a little less Nashville Predator-y.

Finally, a huge tip of the hat to Ryan Fay, who supplied us with these highlights via our Facebook page.

Game On: #12/11 Union vs. #5 Merrimack

2011-12-17T13:14:00.002-05:00

The Dutchmen play what may be their most important--or at least most telling--non-conference game of the season so far at 4:00 today. Union, who moved down in the national rankings from #9 last week to #12 (USA Today) / #11 (USCHO), plays #5 Merrimack, which, at 10-2-2, remains among the upper echelon of college hockey teams. Today's game be a litmus test for Union's potential playoff readiness--expect Bennett's crew to be fully aware of the bragging rights at stake today. Merrimack is 19-6-3 lifetime versus Union.

Here are today's lines, courtesy, as always, of our friends over at the Official Blog of Union Hockey:

#9 Daniel Carr - #19 Kelly Zajac (A) - #21 Wayne Simpson
#16 Kevin Sullivan - #27 Jeremy Welsh (A)- #9 Josh Jooris
#15 Matt Hatch - #12 Kyle Bodie - #29 Trevor Mingoia
#26 Brian Yanovitch - #18 Max Novak - #11 Sam Coatta

#28 Shawn Stuart - #22 Mat Bodie
#3 Ryan Forgaard - #2 Nolan Julseth-White (C)
#14 Shayne Gostisbehere - #20 Greg Coburn

#1 Troy Grosenick
#30 Colin Stevens

Some notable changes from coach Bennett: Kyle Bodie takes Mark Bennett's place as third line center; Brian Yanovitch slides down to the forth line; Cole Ikkala is out in favor of Trevor Mingoia. Otherwise, the top lines of Carr-Zajac-Simpson and Sullivan-Welsh-Jooris remain the same. Defense is almost identical, save for the fact that Coburn and Gostisbehere switch sides on the point.

Union Player to Watch: Max Novak
Novak has proven that he has a nose for the net so far during his freshman campaign. He can provide energy for a very capable fourth line that may have to do some heavy lifting today versus a tough--and deep--Merrimack lineup. Union will need to fire on all cylinders today.

Merrimack Player to Watch: Joe Cannata
Merrimack's potential Hobey Baker goaltender leads Hockey East in GAA and SV%, remaining near the top in national categories. Merrimack must control rebounds and second chances to be successful, considering there is a high likelihood that any initial shot will be stopped.

How to follow:

As always, follow Ken Schott and Union Hockey on Twitter.
Also, if you want to pony up some dough, you can watch here.
Merrimack has game notes here and a live audio stream of the game.
The game will also be on Fox College Sports Atlantic, so check your local listings.

Last, but not least, Daniel Carr tweets:

All we want for Xmas is a #WIN at Merrimack#UHockey

--ZP

A Win For The Rest Of Us: Union 5 - RPI 2

2011-12-12T08:40:00.001-05:00

Still one of the great tournament names in college sports, Union beat rival RPI at the Festivus Faceoff in Lake Placid, NY, 5-2 on Saturday. #9/10 (USA Today/USCHO rankings, respectively) Union captured the Capital Skates trophy for the eighth consecutive year. (The rivals split the season series last year, meaning that the skates were titled to Union). The Capital Skates trophy is awarded annually to the winner of the RPI/Union season series. With Saturday's win against the Engineers, the Dutchmen once again sent the skates back to Schenectady. Union won its first meeting with RPI 5-1 on November 15th behind the efforts of a Daniel Carr hat trick.

Also in action up in Lake Placid: St. Lawrence defeated Clarkson 4-1 in the other half of the Festivus Festivities. It is important to note, however, that these games are considered non-conference. Union improves to (8-3-5) overall and (3-2-2) in ECAC play. Coupled with the fact that the two teams played non-conference, Union's win against a relatively weak RPI squad will likely not be enough to significantly change the team's standings in the national polls.

A fun tidbit purloined from ECACHockey.com: 11 of the past 16 games between these two teams have "been decided by one goal or fewer. Six of those games have gone to overtime with both teams winning twice" and tying twice.

***

Union's 3-goal flurry in the second period was capped by Junior Wayne Simpson's 7th goal of the season (his 12th point). Simpson's powerplay goal (scored on a 5 on 3) was Union's only such goal in 8 attempts. Although the team's success rate dropped, it still has converted on 23.2% (19/82) of all powerplays this season, good enough to be tied for 9th in the country. Harvard is currently on top of the heap in powerplay goals, having scored on a stunning 32.1% of their opportunities. Although he didn't notch a powerplay goal on Saturday, Jeremy Welsh is currently tied for the second most PPG in the nation with 6 behind North Dakota's Brock Nelson.
Union's powerplay, an integral part of the team's historic season last year, seems to be slowly working up to last year's successes. With two powerplay lines capable of scoring (see Simpson, Carr, Welsh, Zajac, Bodie et al.), the team is certainly poised to improve their conversion rate on the man advantage.
Head Coach Rick Bennett was quoted by the Times Union: "Our powerplay finally kicked in, which was nice. We stuck with it and didn't get down."
Although not to nitpick: 1 for 8 on the PP could have very easily been 2 or 3 for 8 against a weak RPI squad that fell to (3-13-0) overall.
RPI is only 4/60 this year on the powerplay.
Daniel Carr added a goal, as did the aforementioned Jeremy Welsh. Welsh is now second in the ECAC in points. Matt Hatch scored Union's first goal, one that tied the score at 1-1. Simpson's powerplay goal put the team ahead 3-2.
Congratulations to Freshman Shayne Gostisbehere, who scored his first collegiate goal.
Goaltender Troy Grosenick is ranked fifth in the country in GAA, at a paltry 1.78. Interestingly enough, there are two ECAC goaltenders ranked above him: Andy Iles (Cornell) and Alex Evin (Colgate). Iles may be the most valuable player in the ECAC so far.
Union's schedule only gets tougher from here: up next? #5 Merrimack, and their star goaltender, Joe Cannata.

A note: following college hockey from Buenos Aires, Argentina (where I am currently on a mini-term), is one of the oddest experiences I've ever had. I've tried to explain (in broken Spanish) what it is, but all people can think about here is the warm weather (not to rub it in) and soccer.

--ZP

Video: Union Hockey's Class of 2015 performs figure skating dance

2011-12-05T17:27:00.000-05:00

Every year at "Skate with the Dutchmen," the freshmen class performs a choreographed figure skating dance. The performance is always entertaining. This year's wasn't that bad considering the guys basically made it up on the spot.

Edit: Thanks to our old pal, Dan Greene for taking the video.

Paradise at (19-17-3)

2011-12-02T15:06:00.000-05:00

"It was love at first sight." --Joseph Heller, Catch-22.

This was not the Nassau Coliseum. There were no crumbling façades, obstructed views, or $8 ~~rubberized meat~~ hot dogs. No, my years of training under the tutelage of the New York Islanders had not prepared me for what I was about to see. Yann Danis* wasn't in goal. Instead, here was a kid--certifiably a kid--who seemed to barely make it past the crossbar. His style was reminiscent of an older type of goalie: one whose skills weren't derived from wingspan or immaculate technique. But he played bigger than his 5'10" frame, often frantically moving laterally with his chest puffed out. The Union crest on Corey Milan's jersey seemed somehow bigger than the rest. It never occurred to me that it was a result of his bulky chest protector.

Yann Danis: Nice pads, at least.

*Want to know how bad the 2008-2009 Islanders were? Their spectacularly bad campaign netted 1st round pick John Tavares. I still watched religiously, naturally. Oh yeah, Yann Danis? An ECAC product from Brown.

But Corey wasn't my only hero of that 2008-2009 crew. As a wide-eyed Freshman, I learned to look for Matt Cook around the net, wait for the crunch of a Mike Wakita hip check against the boards, scan the ice for the imposing 6'3" Brendan Milnamow. It was soon imparted unto me that #15 was a special player--the man they called Mario was a natural goal scorer. Within a few games, I owned Section Q at Messa Rink. This was my domain, my team. I was closer to the game than I'd ever been at the Coliseum, or at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard. Hell, I was even closer than that time I'd seen the CHL's Hull Olympiques.

I'd seen Union play the year before at the Yale Whale as a high school senior who's biggest concern was, well, anything but high school. I remember noting that this kid who wore #23 was pretty good. I made a mental note to keep an eye on Lane Caffaro next year, when I'd matriculate in Schenectady. But my gaze was diverted, once again, to the diminutive goalie. I heard whispers circulate through the crowd that he was having an impressive Freshman campaign--one that would ultimately see him named to the all-ECAC rookie team.

2008-2009 Team Roster

But the late fall of 2008 was different. Reeling from (another) disastrous implosion on the part of the Mets, I turned my focus to the ice. The Islanders, for all their woes, were still my team. I had, of course, suffered through worse. But I had inherited a new team; one with handsome garnet, white, and black jerseys. They played with fire, reckless abandon, and aplomb. I relished their propensity to consistently rack up over 40 shots in a game; often, I sympathized with their inability to win, despite so many shots. But something was different about this team--it had a certain intangible quality that was intrinsically different than the previous year's iteration. I felt preternaturally at home at Messa Rink, learning chants from the student section that would, if said in a few years, be subject for immediate ejection from the rink. I was passionate about my team. But I never quite understood why that team--a team that went 19-17-3-0), captured my imagination even more than the vastly improved 2009-2010 bunch or even the 2010-2011Cleary Cup team.

It would be four years (almost) until I figured why.

***

With the news that Union would face off against Harvard at Fenway Park on January 13th, it is quite possible that the stock of Union's men's hockey program has never been higher. Sure, they've played nationally televised games. Sure, they've been on ESPN. Sure, they've hoisted banners commemorating a first-ever NCAA appearance. Sure, our Twitter background may forever be Brock Matheson hoisting the Cleary Cup. But Fenway represents something far less tangible, and by association, more meaningful.

In 2008, the movers and shakers of the ECAC would have likely quickly dismissed the idea that an outdoor game (which didn't yet exist) should feature Union. With prominent programs--Cornell, Yale, Harvard, RPI, Princeton, or Dartmouth--the ECAC can boast a pantheon of instantly recognizable colleges, which, by the way, happen to be historically good at hockey. For the savvy marketer, a Harvard/Yale outdoor game would be optimal. Slot in Cornell and RPI? Brilliant. Put it in Boston? Entice the locals with a Harvard/Brown contest? Pure hysterics.

But now, in 2011, soon to be 2012, the (19-17-3) team of my Freshman fall and winter, will play at the veritable Mecca of baseball. (Don't worry, Chicagoans, a similar argument can be made for Wrigley Field, and, before ~~corporate greed~~ innovation took hold, New Yorkers could have claimed Yankee Stadium). In some ways, it is an odd juxtaposition. This is not a traditionally venerated hockey venue--see Cornell and BU's recent matchup at Madison Square Garden. But, as I've learned over the past four years, there is often nothing "traditional" about Union's hockey program. And I'd have it no other way.

Consider this: Union has produced pros and been embroiled in coaching scandals; it began its hockey program in 1903, was program-less for 27 years, has been Independent, Division III and Division I. It is a program that has been, in some way, simultaneously prominent and invisible.

When the 2008-2009 "Skating Dutchmen," took the ice, I knew Union's hockey history. But I didn't understand it. In 2011-2012, I'd like to say I could predict the direction of the program. But I can't; college hockey--like Union's hockey past--can be too volatile for any accurate projections of trajectory. In 2008, I saw a team that was on the cusp of greatness. But it was also a team that oozed fun. These were kids my age, who could play the game better than anyone I had seen up close. They were, most of all, kids. They were (and some still are) college students, prone to the same anxieties and fears as any other student. In some strange twist of logic, their presence in an elite hockey program was a great equalizer: any façade that had separated the student and the student-athlete was summarily torn down. These kids weren't playing for us, and we weren't watching for them. In fact, there was no "us" and "them" at all.

Former Union Captain Mike Wakita

***

Four years later, I finally can quantify my appreciation for that 2008-2009 team. Just like the rest of the Freshman class, they were told that they were underdogs. But they didn't play like it. They were living, breathing, skating vindication of every rags-to-riches story, movie, or anachronism. They were smaller, like their goalie, but consistently played as if Rocky, Rudy, or Hoosiers was set on ice. (Some Mike Wakita hits, however, belonged in Slap Shot). The only thing was, they didn't win anything.

At least, a cynic would argue that they didn't "win" anything. But in 2008, they won over a new class of Freshman. In 2009 they did the same. 2010 repeated the pattern. Now, four iterations of one-time freshmen (and countless other installations of one-time Union Freshman will sit, cheer, and likely be cold at Fenway Park. Each generation, as it were, holds a special attachment to their alma mater. Each one, a different experience. Each one, in their own way, an underdog.

And on January 13th, you can bet that Union fans will be the underdogs once again. (It is more likely, though, that Harvard will be underdogs on the ice). In a sea of Crimson, there will be flecks of Garnet. But that won't matter so much; the Garnet-clad fans will simply be glad to be here--and will be looking forward to what's next.

To buy tickets to the outdoor game, either contact Union's Alumni office at www.union.edu/alumni or go to www.redsox.com/frozenfenway

--ZP

Game Time: Union at RPI

2011-11-15T18:24:00.003-05:00

All three Union Hockey Bloggers are going to the game tonight in Troy with a loyal contingent of fans from the student section.

Below are tonight's lines (courtesy of The Official Blog of Union Hockey).

Be sure to follow along on twitter for updates.

Tonight's Lines

2011-11-12T18:11:00.005-05:00

Union

Daniel Carr-Kelly Zajac-Wayne Simpson
Kevin Sullivan-Josh Jooris-Matt Hatch
Brian Yanovitch-Kyle Bodie-Trevor Mingoia
Cole Ikkala-Max Novak-Sam Coatta

Shawn Stuart-Mat Bodie
Nolan Julseth-White-Ryan Forgaard
Shayne Gostisbehere-Greg Coburn

Troy Grosenick
Colin Stevens
Dillon Pieri

Yale

Kenny Agostino-Kevin Limbert-Charles Brockett
Chad Ziegler-Andrew Miller-Brian O'Neill
Nicholas Weberg-Jesse Root-Dan Otto
Josh Balch-Clinton Bourbonais

Gus Young-Nick Jaskowiak
Kevin Peel-Matt Killian
Colin dueck-Tommy Fallen

Jeff Malcolm
Nick Maricic

Notes
-Yale scored two goals against RPI last night, which means they have scored a total of two goals in each of the five games this season.
-Last night's loss to Brown was Union's first ECAC loss of the season. They are now in a 9-way tie for first in the ECAC (out of 12), though two of the teams they are tied with--Quinnipiac and Princeton--have played more total games this season (QU has played one more and Princeton has played two). The other seven teams have an identical 2-1-0 record.
-Union will be wearing their popular black jerseys tonight.
-Lastly, we will be blogging live updates once again.

Let's Go U!

Game Time: Brown vs. Union

2011-11-11T18:00:00.005-05:00

Tonight's Lines:

#9 Daniel Carr-#19 Kelly Zajac (A)-#21 Wayne Simpson

#16 Kevin Sullivan-#27 Jeremy Welsh (A)-#15 Matt Hatch

#26 Brian Yanovitch-#12 Kyle Bodie-#7 Josh Jooris

#23 Cole Ikkala-#18 Max Novak-#11 Sam Coatta

#22 Mat Bodie-#28 Shawn Stuart

#2 Nolan Julseth-White (C)-#3 Ryan Forgaard

#20 Greg Coburn-#14 Shayne Gostisbehere

#30 Colin Stevens

#1 Troy Grosenick

#31 Dillon Pieri

The official Union Tumblr has game notes for tonight and links from around the web.
The Niskayuna native Colin Stevens gets a start in front of the home crowd tonight (and presumably, in front of some family and friends).

Due to a non-hockey concussion (weird, right?) we can't live-tweet the game tonight. But be sure to check out your regular tweeters: Ken Schott and Union Athletics.

--ZP

Scouting the Opposition (11/11-12)

2011-11-11T17:38:00.003-05:00

The Dutchmen return home to play their second weekend of ECAC games. Their opponents are Brown and Yale.

Brown has been one of the weaker teams in the ECAC in recent history during the regular season. This does not mean they will be an easy opponent. They have always given Union a tough time, and this year should be no different.

In four ECAC games so far, they are even at 2-2. Their two wins have come against Princeton and Cornell. Cornell beat Yale 6-2 last week.

They are not known as a great offensive team, but put up five goals last Saturday to beat Cornell. Offensively they are led by Massimo Lamacchia, a freshman, who is off to a great start. He has 4 pts in 4 games (3g 1a).

Other notable offensive players are Jack Maclellan who was tied for first on team with 31 points last season, Chris Zaires who was third with 21, and Dennis Robertson who had 17 as freshman last season.

In goal for the Bears is Mike Clemente who has started all four games. He is not off to a great start this season, posting a 3.03 gaa and .885 save pct.

For special teams, the Bears have been lackluster on the power play, but have only allowed two power play goals this season (2-21) in four games, not allowing more than one power play goal in a single game.

Moving on, Yale will be the focus this week. The game will be televised on Time Warner Cable Sports. Yale was considered the front runners for the Cleary Cup this season, as they were chosen to finish first in both the preseason polls. Currently they are ranked 13th in the nation (Union is ranked 9th)

Yale lost a good group of players like Union, but still returns a potent offense and solid goaltending.

Like Brown they have only played four games (all ECAC). They currently have a 2-1-1 record, with their one loss against Cornell, which was a 6-2 beatdown.

In goal for the Bulldogs is junior Jeff Malcolm who has started every game. He has posted an impressive 1.98 gaa and a .938 save pct.

On offense the Bulldogs return top scorers Brian O'Niell (46 points) and Andrew Miller (45 points).

The offense hasn't been that great yet, only scoring two goals in every game so far.

For special teams the power play hasn't been spectacular, but they have scored a power play goal in every game. For the kill, they have only allowed one power play goal all season, and have only taken 14 penalties all season.

Both of these games should be tough for Union, but they have a chance to walk away with four more points. Both teams are beatable, with Yale looking a little worse than they were last season.

Lets Go Union!

This Past Weekend (11/4-5)

2011-11-08T15:41:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend the Dutchmen faced St. Lawrence and Clarkson for their first two ECAC matches of the season. For the first weekend this season, Union won both its games and collected 4 points in ECAC play. The only other team in the ECAC to win both its matches was Dartmouth.

On the first night, Union faced off against St. Lawrence and beat them 2-0. Troy Grosenick had a great game for the Dutchmen posting a shutout, his second of the season. Perhaps what is most impressive about the shutout is the fact that St. Lawrence had 8 power play opportunities.

The two goals were scored by Wayne Simpson and Jeremy Welsh. The two of them lead the team with 6 goals each for the season. Also, both were on power plays, with Welsh's coming on a 5-on-3. Overall the Dutchmen were 2-7 on the power play.

The next night the Dutchmen played Clarkson. Union absolutely dominated this game. They tallied three goals before Clarkson could get on the board, and held them to 9 shots in the first two periods.

Kyle Bodie, Brian Yanovitch, and Greg Coburn scored for the Dutchmen. Yanovitch also assisted on Bodie's goal to get his first two points of the season.

Clarkson was able to score a goal with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game to end Grosenick's bid for a second straight shutout. Grosenick won the ECAC goaltender of the week for his efforts.

For full recaps check these out:
Union Athletics - Union at St. Lawrence
Union Athletics - Union at Clarkson

That was a great way to start league play. St. Lawrence and Clarkson are probably two of the weaker teams in the ECAC, but 4 points is 4 points. It's not like either team is a complete pushover either. Just ask RPI, they lost to both of them this weekend. In fact, they were the only team that didn't pick up a league win the ECAC.

Grosenick looked great this weekend. It took over five periods for him to give up a single goal. He really has been great for the Dutchmen so far. Fair or not, most of the offseason attention was on Union's goaltending. So far that hasn't been an issue.

Perhaps a big part of that has been the stellar play of the defense. Over the weekend the Dutchmen killed all ten penalties they had, and limited both teams to single digit shots in each of the first two periods. The only troubling note was that they were outshot in both third periods.

Offensively the Dutchmen could've done more, but that is just being picky. Wayne and Welsh picked up a goal each and Zajac added three points to reach the 100 point mark, but the games were closer than they needed to be, especially with 13 power play opportunities over the weekend.

Overall, though, it was a very good weekend for the Dutchmen, who are now ranked # 9 in the nation in both the USCHO and USA Today polls. Next weekend they return home to play Brown and #13 Yale. We will have a preview for those games later in the week.

The "U Crew:" the Student Section Has a Name

2011-11-08T10:47:00.007-05:00

After the results of a campus-wide poll were returned, Section Q at Messa Rink will be officially dubbed "The U Crew" this weekend. The five options were, in no particular order:

-The U Crew

-Section Q Crew

-The Student UNION

-Messa Maniacs

-Q Crazies.

There was also an option for a write-in candidate.

A fun game: try and spot someone you know in the crowd.

Although "U Crew" rhymes, it seems to lack the punch of something a tad more creative, or at least, distinguishing. My vote, if not for "Zolot Zealots," would have gone to "Messa Maniacs." But nonetheless, this is a good thing for the fan dynamic at games. With the student section as popular as ever during games, naming it anything (and branding corresponding merchandise--t-shirts will be on sale this weekend at the rink) is a step in the right direction. With Union currently sitting at #9 in the national polls, having a named student section is an important brick to set in the wall of a nationally renowned program. The initiative has previously taken strides with the introduction of a pep band, "The Nott Noisemakers."

Should Union's ultimate goal be to have something like the video below? Or something like Michigan's Student Section? Or something unique? Leave your thoughts below in the comments section.

Dutchmen Details: Everybody's Winning For The Weekend

2011-11-06T11:49:00.007-05:00

The Dutchmen capped off a stellar weekend in the North Country with a 3-1 win against a surprisingly good Clarkson team. Kyle Bodie scored his second of theseason, Brian Yanovitch had a goal and an assist, while defenseman Greg Coburn fired a power play goal past Paul Karpowich. Troy Grosenick, whose mask beat Karpowich's in College Hockey Inc.'s mask competition, had his shutout streak stopped at an impressive 119:18
Unfortunately, Grosenick's mask was defeated by RIT's Josh Watson, who now goes to the quarterfinals. Go to their Facebook page to vote on the four finalists
The official ECAC website has a game recap here; the box score is here.
Congratulations are in order for assistant captain Kelly Zajac, who notched his 100th career point via assist on Greg Coburn's 3rd goal of the season. Last year's points leader (42) joins the Union College Century Club. Zajac trails former teammate and all-time leading scorer in the Division 1 era, Adam Presizniuk, by 31 points.
Terry Campbell, who played from 1987-1991, topsUnion's record book with 170 career points. (51 goals, 119 assists).

Union's Century Club:

--Joel Beal (101)

--Terry Campbell (170)

--Joe Caruso (121)

--Kip Churchill (132)

--Curt Cole (119)

--Gill Egan (147)*

--Craig Ferrero (139)*

--Tod Fobare (167)*

--Chris Ford (104)

--Tom Hodgins (114)

--Grant Judd (111)

--Don Marshall (105)

--Adam Presizniuk (131)

--Bill Railton (100)

--Nelson Said (102)

--Gary Temush (107)

--Mario Valery-Trabucco (114)

--Jason Walters (115)

--Jordan Webb (114)

--Kelly Zajac (100)

*Members of the Union Athletics Hall of Fame

Jason Klump reflects on the first month of ECAC hockey, while singing Quinnipiac's praises.
By all accounts, Union's two wins this weekend against ECAC opponents should improve their 11/13 rankings in the national polls.
Finally, Mark Bennett earns today's coveted ToTD award:

Scouting The Opposition (11/4-5)

2011-11-04T11:02:00.002-04:00

This week the Dutchmen open up league play on the road against St Lawrence and Clarkson.

This is when things get interesting. For anyone who doesn't know, the point system in college hockey is only based on conference opponents. Basically, right now, the Dutchmen are 3-1-3 with 0 points. Points can only be won in conference play because they only determine seeding within your own conference's playoff. A win is 2 points, a tie is 1, and a loss gets you nothing.

In the past two seasons the Dutchmen have swept both teams in the season series, and they even beat St. Lawrence a third time two years ago in the ECAC semifinals.

This season St. Lawrence has started 0-4-0 in the absence of head coach Joe Marsh who has been on medical leave. Marsh is really one of the best coaches in the ECAC and one of my personal favorites. It is a shame he hasn't been able to be on the Saints bench this year. Here is wishing Joe the best.

As for the guys who are playing, there is not a lot to get excited about. They are 0-4-0, and outside of an overtime game against RIT, haven't even been close to a W.

Their goaltenders have looked dreadful. Three goalies have spent time in net for the Saints. The best numbers of the three belong to senior Robby Ross with a .837 save pct and a 5.73 gaa. He has played in less than 4 periods this season. Matt Weninger, a sophomore, has started the most games for the Saints and started their most recent game, which was against RIT. He gave up six goals in that game. His overall numbers for the season are a .788 save pct and a 5.77 gaa.

Overall, they give up 6.25 goals a game, and their penalty kill has given up a goal 1/3 of the time. Making matters worse, they average over six penalties a game.

There has been a bright spot for St Lawrence offensively. His name is Kyle Flanagan. Flanagan, a junior, has 8 points in 4 games, collecting a multi-point effort in three of the four games. Patrick Doherty is another guy to keep your eyes on. The freshman scored two goals in the Saints most recent game.

Outside of Kyle Flanagan, nothing about the Saints looks that impressive. Still, UNH didn't look too good on paper either, and they beat us last weekend. Also look at who St. Lawrence has played: Ferris State (10th in the nation), Michigan (3rd) and RIT. The loss to RIT came in overtime, after a last second goal by the Tigers tied the game.

The Saints have always play the Dutchmen tough. No reason to look past this game.

One last note: the Saints haven't played a game since Oct. 15th.

Clarkson is the really intriguing game. They are kind of the opposite of St Lawrence.

So far this season they are 5-1-2. Paul Karpowich, their goaltender, was the ECAC goaltender of the month with a .940 save pct and a 1.84 gaa. Their power play is tied for 4th in the nation and their penalty kill is 8th (41-46).

Freshman Sam Lebrecque leads the team with five power play points, which is extremely impressive for a freshmen defenseman.

Their wins have come against AIC, Sacred Heart, and Bentley though. Basically, it is too early in the season to say one team is good and the other is bad. The way things look I would say Clarkson should be pretty good, but not a top four team. As for St. Lawrence, I don't think they are as bad as they have been, but I definitely seem them near the bottom of the league.

Saying all of that, I do expect the Dutchmen to pull out two wins this weekend. Here's hoping for four points!

This Past Weekend (10/28-29)

2011-11-02T13:12:00.002-04:00

This weekend the Dutchmen traveled to face the University of New Hampshire (UNH) before returning home to square off against American International (AIC).

Against UNH Union could only tally one goal. The scorer was Mat Bodie, whose unassisted goal tied the game for Union in the third period.

Unfortunately, Union lost the game in overtime. Less than a minute into the extra frame, the Wildcats formed a rush off a Dutchmen rebound and rocketed one past Troy Grosenick. It was Union's first loss of the season, and UNH's first win.

The next night Grosenick got the start again, but had to leave early in the first as he wasn't feeling well. Freshman Colin Stevens went in his stead, and, after a shaky start, had a pretty solid performance as the Dutchmen went on to win 5-2.

Kelly Zajac had a big game in this one, posting three assists, to bring him within three of 100 career points.

Kyle Bodie, Wayne Simpson, Daniel Carr, Daniel Ciampini, and Max Novak scored the goals for Union.

Bodie, Ciampini, and Carr's goals were their first of the season. In fact, it was Ciampini's first career goal with the Dutchmen, and came at a crucial point, as AIC had made the score a close 3-2.

For full recaps of the games check out these links:

Union Athletics Union at UNH
USCHO AIC at Union
Union Athletics AIC at Union

The game against UNH was a bit disappointing. While Union has had a great stretch these past two seasons, they haven't had a ton of games against some of the power house conferences. It would have been nice to get a win against a Hockey East team, especially since they have been struggling.

To be fair, one of the big reasons for UNH's surprisingly poor play, has been the less-than-stellar performance by their senior goalie, Matt Di Girolamo. Last season he was an All-Star finalist in the Hockey East, and this season he came into the game giving up 5.2 goals on average with a .825 save pct.

It was unrealistic to believe he would play that poorly all season, and he just stood on his head against Union. The Dutchmen did their job by peppering him with 38 shots, but he just had too good of a game.

On the flip side, they kept a struggling offense down, only giving up one goal during regulation on 22 shots, and killed all five power play opportunities for the Wildcats.

The banner ceremony the next night was great. It is very nice seeing a few garnet and white banners in the rink celebrating the Clearly Cup and the NCAA tournament berth. Loved looking at them throughout the game. We will try to get a few photos up, but for now Union Athletics has a nice shot in their recap of the game.

As for the game, it was nice getting to see Stevens play in person. For the most part he looked pretty solid. He let up a goal early, but it was on a power play he faced shortly after coming into the game. The second goal he gave up was during a third period that AIC out shot Union 17-13.

Offensively it was nice to see the power play convert on its first three opportunities, and for Carr to get his first goal of the season. He led the team with 20 goals last season, and maybe that goal is the start of a big stretch for the sophomore.

Ciampini's goal was also great. First, it is always nice to see the freshmen get involved. Second, it was a nice play. The Yellow Jackets turned the puck over in their own zone and Ciampini flew in and brought the puck in front of the net before firing the shot in.

Finally, while it wasn't the game winner, it secured the win for the Dutchmen. For most of the game, the outcome was never really in question, as The Dutchmen outshot AIC 45-11 through the first two periods (58-28 for the game). The only time there was any panic, was in the third when AIC cut the lead to one, and seemed to grab the momentum from Union. Ciampini's goal put an end to that.

This quote from coach Bennett says it best: “That was a monumental goal for us; that was a veteran goal, right there.”

Union has dropped from 11th to 13th in the USCHO poll, from 5th to 7th in Inside College Hockey's (INCH) power ranking, and have stayed at 11th in the USA Today poll.

Next week they will start league play traveling to face Clarkson and St. Lawrence. We will preview those games later this week.

Photo Gallery: Union at UNH - 10/28/11

2011-11-01T23:39:00.005-04:00

Friend of the blog Lindsey Zolot sends along these pictures taken on 10/28/11 during Union's 2-1 overtime loss to UNH. Lest we forget how sharp Union's garnet "aways" look.

Many thanks to Lindsey, and a reminder that if you have any pictures you would like to see on the blog, you can send them along! Check out the "About Us/Contact" page for more information.

Tonight's Lines

2011-10-29T18:42:00.002-04:00

Union

Kevin Sullivan-Kelly Zajac-Wayne Simpson
Daniel Carr-Jeremy Welsh-Josh Jooris
Daniel Ciampini-Kyle Bodie-Sam Coatta
Brian Yanovitch-Max Novak-Taylor Reid

Mat Bodie-Shawn Stuart
Shayne Gostisbehere-Greg Coburn
Nolan Julseth-White-Charlie Vasaturo

Troy Grosenick
Colin Stevens

AIC

Adam Pleskach-Nielsson Arcibal-Jason Popek
Jon Puskar-Steve Mele-Mike Penny
Matt Cassidy-Brandon Fagerheim-Nathan Sliwinski
Nick sandor-Alexander MacMillan-Nick Campanale

Chris Markiewicz-Jake Williams
Nick Grasso-Rob Blanchette
Luciano Primiani-Jakub Simicek

Ben Meisner
Ryan Kerpan
Chandler Long

Notes
-Union will be wearing their black jerseys tonight. Always a fan favorite.
-Tonight Union will put up its banner celebrating last season's ECAC regular season title
-In case you don't know, Union lost last night at UNH 2-1 in overtime
-Union has a 4-0 record against tonight's opponent

Dutchmen Details: Bring On The Wildcats!

2011-10-28T12:29:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the Dutchmen Details, where we scour the internet for Union Hockey related news so you don't have to!

The Dutchmen start their busy weekend tonight at UNH, squaring off against the 0-4-1 (overall) Wildcats. The New Hampshire team is 0-3-0 in the tough Hockey East conference.
Our very own Evan Slavit provides a very nice recap of last weekend's games in this week's issue of the Concordiensis.
For a Union-centric preview, be sure to check out UnionAthletics.com's primer. UNH owns a 4-1-0 historical record against Union. Click through for an interesting note about Union's only win against UNH, which happened back in 1977... (How's that for a cliffhanger?)
SeacoastOnline has a feature on tonight's game with a decidedly UNH bent. Also, the UNH Athletics site has some fun facts/tidbits.
Ken Schott predicts a 4-3 win for the Dutchmen over the Wildcats.
Let's start the countdown for Kelly Zajac; he's only 6 points away from reaching 100 in his college career.
UNH's site will also host a live chat tonight.
CHN has your basic "tale of the tape," too.
Finally, be sure to check out (and bookmark) Union's Hockey's official Tumblr. It's always a great source of information. Click here for some more information on tonight's game.

Odds and Ends:

A scary moment about a week ago for former Union goaltender Keith Kinkaid, now of the New Jersey Devils: he was cut on the neck by a skate. Luckily, he needed no stitches.
UHB's fun fact of the day: Jim Tortorella serves as an assistant coach for New Hampshire. He is the brother of the New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella.
Former head coach Nate Leaman (now of the Providence Friars) gets a write-up in the Bangor Daily News. Quick: let's play a word association game. When I say "Bangor, Maine," what's the first thing that pops into your head? Mine? "Julie "The Cat" Gaffney."
Troy Grosenick's mask beat out Clarkson's Paul Karpowich's in College Hockey, Inc.'s battle of the masks. This is no shameless plug, but vote for Troy's. It's one of the coolest design's we've seen for a Union goaltender.

Follow Along:

Per usual, be sure to check your Twitter feeds for updates on tonight's game. Follow our buddies over at @UnionHockey.
To stream audio from the game, this UNH broadcast should work.
College Hockey News' Tweetcast is here.

Today's Tweet of the Day goes to Freshman Dan Ciampini who reflects on (and plays with) last night's snow:

--ZP

Scouting The Opposition

2011-10-27T16:13:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow the Dutchmen start another slate of games, facing UNH and AIC on Friday and Saturday respectively.

The University of New Hampshire is an interesting opponent. Last season they finished second in the Hockey East during the regular season. They received a bid to the NCAA tournament and even won their first game, 3-1 against Miami. This season they are 0-4-1.

Perhaps a big reason the Wildcats have dropped so far is the loss of their top four scorers from the season before. Paul Thompson (52 points) , Mike Sislo (48), and Phil DeSimone (41) all graduated, and Blake Kessel (27) signed with the Flyers. Overall UNH only returns three players who scored double digit goals the previous season.

Another big factor, is the decline in their goaltender's play. Matt Di Girolamo, a senior, earned an honorable mention as a Hockey East All-Star last season after posting a .923 save pct and a 2.44 gaa. This season he has posted a .825 save pct and a 5.20 gaa. Those are huge declines from the previous season. Not exactly what you want from your senior goaltender.

Overall this season, the Wildcats rank last in the nation in goals scored with an average of 1.8 a game, second to last in defense with an average of 4.8 goals against, and last with a penalty kill of 68.4 percent.

To be fair though, their opponents have been BU, BC, St. Cloud State and Northeastern. BC is the top ranked team in the nation, Bu is 13th and both St. Cloud and Northeastern can be tough opponents. On top of that, aside from the match with BC, all their games have been away from home.

UNH has been a team known to start out slowly, and despite the poor production, there are still people who believe they will turn things around. It should be an interesting game for the Dutchmen.

One last note: Keep an eye out for Nick Sorkin and Stevie Moses. Last year as a freshman Sorkin didn't make a huge impact, but he has already tallied four goals this season. He is the only player on the team with more than one goal. Moses is the top returning scorer from the previous season and is second on the team in points.

Moving on to AIC. AIC resides in the Atlantic Conference, and is currently 0-5 on the season. Last season Union beat them 8-1. Like mentioned earlier on the blog, Union is 41-5-7 against the Atlantic Conference, and 4-0 against AIC in its D-I era.

AIC does return its top four scorers, but their top scorer last season only managed 28 points, and there were only three total players to tally at least 20 points.

Their starting goaltender, Ben Meisner, had a .905 save pct last season, and a 3.70 gaa. This season he has played in four of the five games and has posted similar numbers, with a .907 save pct and 3.52 gaa. Their other goaltender to see time in net is Ryan Kerpan who posted a .846 save pct and a 4.02 gaa.

You hate to assume anything in sports, but Union should pull out the win. Union will be presenting their banner for winning the ECAC last season at the game, and it would be a shame to celebrate that with anything other than a win.

Should be a fun weekend.

Grosenick Is ECAC Goalie of the Week

2011-10-26T15:59:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Sophomore goaltender Troy Grosenick, who has won ECAC Goalie of the Week honors. Troy is 2-0-2 on the young season with an impressive 1.44 GAA and .941 SV%.

Troy Grosenick Looking Pensive On Media Day(Times Union)

Dutchmen Details: Shaken, Not Stirred

2011-10-26T12:50:00.012-04:00

The shakeups are becoming more frequent. With the startling announcement that DI Alabama-Huntsville will convert its hockey program into a club team, many college hockey insiders are fearing that we are nowfeeling the tremors that may precede an earthquake.

Nonetheless, AHU's departure leaves a major void for college hockey in the South. It's hard to imagine the shock their fans must be going through.

Combined with Notre Dame's (official) move to Hockey East and the ensuing problems for the CCHA (Notre Dame's current conference), things may look significantly different next year. Combined with the introduction of the new Big Ten andNCHC (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) conferences next year, even the most Union-centric hockey fan may feel the changes. Case inpoint? RPI is purportedly being courted by Hockey East.

Lest we forget the impact that these shakeups may have on the ACHA, which may stand to lose a lot to its semi-competitor, the NCAA

***

Alas, Union continues to draw favorable reviews in this week's polls. USCHO.com and USA Today both have Union clocking in at 11th in the country. The only other ECAC team ahead of Union in the national polls is #10/6 Yale, which garnered one first place vote in both polls.

Elsewhere, Boston College is the toppermost of the poppermost, with the University of Denver at their heels.

Meanwhile, Union sits at 16th in the PairWise rankings. No reason to fret here. At 2-0-3, Union is in good position.

Both Kelly Zajac and Jeremy Welsh earned honorable mentions on 1989 and Still Waiting's 3 Stars of the Week.

Others are taking note of Welsh's point surge. USCHO's Justin Churchill talks about consistency under Coach Bennett and the solid play in net by Troy Grosenick.

USCHO.com's blog gives Freshman Max Novak some ink, declaring him a promising "Young Blood."

Ken Schott also doles out his ECAC awards of the week. Grosenick shares goalie of the week honors with Paul Karpowich of 4-1-1 Clarkson.

We'll be reminding you throughout the week, naturally, but be sure to try to make it to Messa Rink this Saturday. The atmosphere promises to be electric with the unveiling of banners commemorating the program's first Cleary Cup and NCAA appearance.

HockeyJournal.com has more praise forCoach Bennett, Grosenick and company. Union ranks number 2 in their power rankings. No arguments here.

Although the polls are now closed, it appears (based on Facebook comments) that Troy Grosenick's mask beat out Paul Karpowich's this round in College Hockey Inc.'s bracket to decide the best goalie mask
in college hockey. Ah, aesthetics are fun. Assuming Troy's helmet advances to the next round, be sure to check their Facebook page and vote on head to head helmet match ups. (Pun intended).

(Courtesy: College Hockey Inc.)

Our last Tweet of the Day was an Anchorman reference, so why not give credit to Mat Bodie for coming up with a gem from "Get Him To The Greek?"

--ZP

This Past Weekend (10/21-22)

2011-10-25T22:58:00.011-04:00

Following two ties to Western Michigan the previous weekend, the Dutchmen traveled to play two Atlantic Conference foes. The slate of games seemed like the perfect remedy for Union as they have compiled a career record of 40-5-6 against the Atlantic Conference going into the weekend.

On the first night freshman goaltender Colin Stevens made his first career start for Union against Niagra. Despite beating them 6-1 at home the previous season, the Dutchmen only managed to tie the Purple Eagles 3-3.

Overall Stevens had a pretty good performance. He saved 27 of the 30 shots that came his way. It will be interesting to see if he gets a start again this upcoming weekend.

On the second night, Union dominated RIT. Two years removed from a Frozen Four appearance, the Tigers couldn't even manage to tally a goal against Union's starter, Troy Grosenick.

Union jumped to an early lead, managing to score less than a minute into the contest. They kept up the pressure, going a perfect 3-for-3 on the power play, making it 4-0 before the first intermission. They managed to score one more goal in the game to make it a 5-0 victory for the Dutchmen. The shutout was Troy's first of his career, and led to an ECAC Goaltender of the week honor.

Three Dutchmen netted two goals this weekend. They were Josh Jooris, Kelly Zajac, and Jeremy Welsh. The multi-goal effort was Welsh's second in as many weeks, and puts him as the team-leader in goals with 5 on the season.

Here are some recaps for anyone interested:
USCHO Union at Niagra
Union Athletics Union at Niagra
USCHO Union at RIT
Union Athletics Union at RIT

On Monday, Union moved back up to number 11 in the USCHO rankings. They remained at number 11 in the USA Today rankings.

For those of you interested, last week's opponent, Western Michigan, moved up to seventh in the USCHO rankings.

Overall, the weekend was a successful one for the Dutchmen. While you would have liked to pick up two W's, the results are not discouraging. Union suffered a similar fate last season, tying Army 3-3 the fourth weekend of the season.

This season they stomped Army 8-1, and got locked up against Niagra. Nothing to overreact about. I think the 8-1 victory against Army earlier this season, and the 5-0 victory over RIT this past weekend are more indicative of what this team will be this season than the 3-3 tie to Niagra.

Next week the Dutchmen travel to play UNH on Friday, before coming home on Saturday to face AIC.

We'll have more about each team later in the week. For now know that, while UNH finished second in the tough Hockey East last season, they have started this season out 0-4-1, losing their games by a combined score of 21-6. As for AIC, they are 0-5 and in the Atlantic Conference that Union has compiled that impressive 41-5-7 record against. Union has a chance of coming out of this weekend with two more W's.

Post Game Videos: 10/15 vs. WMU

2011-10-17T23:23:00.004-04:00

Post game videos from Union's 3-3 tie against Western Michigan University:

Jeremy Welsh, The Mad Hatter

Troy Grosenick

Head Coach Rick Bennett

Western Michigan Head Coach Andy Murray

Kinkaid Recalled

2011-10-15T18:42:00.003-04:00

Exciting news out of New Jersey today: with Martin Brodeur on the shelf (temporarily) with a right shoulder injury, former Union goaltender Keith Kinkaid has been recalled to the New Jersey Devils of the NHL. He will back up veteran Johan Hedberg for the immediate future.

Also, who expected to see Kinkaid on the Devils' bench still wearing a Union College helmet?

Game Notes: Western Michigan Broncos vs. Union Dutchmen

2011-10-15T17:39:00.003-04:00

Game 3: Union College (1-0-1)* vs. Western Michigan University (2-0-1)*

*Overall Non-Conference Record

After skating to a 2-2 tie last night at Messa Rink, the

Dutchmen face off against the WMU Broncos for the second of a two game set. The non-conference matchup

features the #11 and #12 ranked teams in the country (Union and WMU, respectively).

Union Keys To The Game:

Special Teams: After going 0-4 last night on the powerplay, Union looks to regain its 2010-2011 form that featured one of the nation's best special teams units.
Pressure: Union looked far more poised, conditioned, and confident than the Broncos in the first period last night--a byproduct of which saw the Dutchmen post 12 shots to WMU's 4. But coach Andy Murray's Broncos came out strong in the second and third and, while the level of effort was there for the Dutchmen, the bounces were not. Union should be able to feed off of another excitable home crowd at Messa Rink while trying to sustain a similar level of defensive pressure.

Late Edition Edit: Tonight's Lines

Union

#9 Dan Carr-#27 Jeremy Welsh (A)-#7 Josh Jooris

#15 Matt Hatch-#19 Kelly Zajac (A)-#21 Wayne Simpson

#29 Trevor Mingoia-#12 Kyle Bodie-#11 Sam Coatta

#23 Cole Ikkala-#18 Max Novak-#10 Mark Bennett

#22 Mat Bodie-#28 Shawn Stuart

#20 Greg Coburn-#2 Nolan Julseth-White (C)

#14 Shayne Gostisbehere-#3 Ryan Forgaard

#1 Troy Grosenick (Starter)

#30 Colin Stevens

#31 Dillon Pieri

Western Michigan

#24 Shane Berschbach-#16 Chase Bailey-#23 Dane Walters(A)

#29 Will Kessel-#18 David Killip-#8 Robert Francis

#21 Trevor Elias-#27 Ben Warda-#14 Ian Slater(C)

#22 Derek Roehl-#10 J.J. Crew-#26 Greg Squires

#5 Danny Dekeyser-#28 Luke Witkowski(A)

#4 Garrett Haar-#7 Matt Tennyson

#15 Jordan Oesterle-#11 Dennis Brown

#33 Nick Pisellini (Starter)

#1 Frank Slubowski

Follow along with CHN's tweetcast, or simply check out Union Hockey Blog on Twitter @UnionHockeyBlog for up-to-the minute coverage of tonight's game.

Per usual, leave your comments below, and enjoy the game!

Game Time

2011-10-14T18:21:00.005-04:00

Tonight the #11 ranked Union Dutchmen will be playing their first of two games against the # 12 ranked Western Michigan Broncos.

The Lines for Union are:

Matt Hatch-Kelly Zajac-Wayne Simpson
Danile Carr-Jeremy Welsh-Josh Jooris
Brian Yanovitch-Kyle Bodie-Kevin Sullivan
Cole Ikkala-Max Novak-Sam Coatta

Mat Bodie-Shawn Stuart
Gerg Coburn-Nolan Julseth-White
Shayne Gostisbehere-Ryan Forgaard

Troy Grosenick

The Lines for Western Michigan are:

Shane Berschbach-Chase Balisy-Dane Walters
Trevor Elias-Ben Warda-Ian Slater
Will Kessel-David Killip-Greg Squires
Derek Roehl-JJ Crew-Kyle O'Kane

Danny Dekeyser-Luke Witkowski
Garrett Haar-Matt Tennyson
Jordan Oesterle-Dennis Brown

Nick Piselline

Last season the Dutchmen were swept at Michigan losing 1-2 the first night and 1-3 the second. If Union wins tonight it will be their first victory against the CCHA in its last six tries. On the other hand, Union was not swept at home all of last season.

Game Notes: Union College Dutchmen vs. Western Michigan University Broncos

2011-10-14T18:15:00.005-04:00

Game 2: Union College (1-0-0)* vs. Western Michigan University (2-0-0)*

*Non-Conference

Adjectives and superlatives tend to fail the fan who is champing at the bit for the first home game of the season since a crushing playoff loss to end last season's home schedule. (Don't worry, newcomers, the Dutchmen still made it to the Big Dance). Tonight, the Dutchmen take on the first of a two game set against the CCHA's Broncos.

In lieu of our regular "Dutchmen Details," the official Tumblr of Union Hockey has put together a very nice list of pre-game reading material you might like to check out.
Union Athletics has a thorough game preview as well.
The WMU Broncos have their own live blog corresponding to the game, if you would like to check out the hue of the grass on the other side of the fence.
CHN Live Box Score: Here.
CHN Live Tweetcast: Here.
Online Audio (WMU): Here.

Leave any comments below, and be sure to follow us on Twitter during the game @UnionHockeyBlog

Dutchmen Details: 8-1 to 1-0 or 1.000%; Simpson 'Trickery

2011-10-10T13:11:00.015-04:00

Coach Bennett's Favorite

Not to be confused with Chicago's 25 to 6 or 4, the men's hockey team put up some crooked numbers of their own, handily beating Army 8-1 on Saturday for their first win of the year. Ken Schott has video over at the Gazette.
For the traditional box score, click here. ECAC.com's column is here. Ken's recap is here.
Union notched an impressive 44 shots evenly spaced over three periods. Army only managed 18. Matt Hatch scored the first goal of the 2011-2012 campaign. Fellow sophomore Kevin Sullivan also found the scoresheet, along with freshman Max Novak (twice), and junior Greg Coburn. Kelly Zajac had three points (all assists in classic Zajac style), while Cole Ikkala also contributed a "2" under the "A" column.
And, oh yeah, Wayne Simpson added an assist to his first career hat trick for an impressive four point game. Wayne earns "1989 and Still Waiting's" ECAC first star of the week with his performance. Dan has an interesting tidbit:

"This was the second season in a row that a Union p

layer scored a hat trick in the home opener (Josh Jooris did it last year in his first collegiate game)."

The Dutchwomen, meanwhile, had a decisive 9-2 win against Sacred Heart, firing an astounding 75 shots on goal. 75. The Dutchwomen improve to 1-2 on the season with the win. UnionAthletics has a recap 0f the ~~destruction~~ dominance here.
INCH (Inside College Hockey) posted its preseason predictions/ruminations on Saturday. Union receives the onus of having the most "Pressure To Perform." INCH's reasoning is one that we've heard repeated ad nauseum this preseason: that Union's goaltending will miss Keith Kinkaid.
An editorial aside here: any media outlet (us included) has concluded that a key to Union's success will be the goaltending in place of the very capable Kinkaid and Milan. What seems to be missing in the onslaught of preseason predictions is the fact that Grosenick, Stevens, and Pieri are very good. By all indications, the goaltending will be a non-issue this year. But as players related to us on Media Day, the pollsters' opinions are relatively meaningless to them. The squad understands the volatility of the ECAC in recent years and is committed--just like the 11 other teams--to winning the Cleary Cup. But we digress...
On Saturday, the Times Union ran an interview with Coach Bennett. Now you know: he's a Dallas Cowboys fan, while his favorite Clint Eastwood movie is "Hang 'Em High."
The fantastic RPI blog "Without A Peer" has an interesting piece on potential divisional realignment and its impact on college hockey.
And finally, ~~so we have content for you tomorrow's Dutchmen Details~~ we'll break down Keith Kinkaid's first game in net with the Albany Devils, a 4-2 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, tomorrow. We'll also talk about Corey Milan, now of the ECHL's Elmira Jackals (affiliate of the Ottawa Senators).
Our Tweet of the Day goes to Brian Yanovitch. Any Anchorman reference is almost a guaranteed win for our TotD honor:

--ZP

Videos From Media Day

2011-10-07T15:17:00.003-04:00

Senior Forward Wayne Simpson:

Senior Defenseman Taylor Reid:

Sophomore Forward Daniel Carr:

Freshman Goaltender Troy Grosenick:

Freshman Goaltender Colin Stevens:

Dutchmen Details: Get Well Soon, Mike

2011-10-05T22:32:00.007-04:00

Editor's Note: Happy Birthday, Chester A. Arthur.

In a piece of news that we unknowingly glossed over yesterday, the inimitable Ken Schott at the Daily Gazette reports that sophomore defenseman Mike Ingoldsby will miss at least the first term of school, according to head coach Rick Bennett. Ingoldsby, who projects to be a key cog in the program's future, is suffering from post-concussion syndrome stemming from an concussion he recieved last year against RPI. Not only has Ingoldsby been kept off the ice, but he has been unable to attend classes. Ken has a great video over at his blog. Here's hoping that Ingoldsby's symptoms subside quickly. Concussions are fickle injuries; moreover, they are scary injuries.
Potentially big news from "1989 And Still Waiting:" it appears as if Union could lose a big division rival as early as next year. With the addition of Notre Dame to Hockey East, that division may look to the ECAC for a 12th member. Rumored to be interested in switching divisions? RPI. Union fans are collectively holding their breath: replacing such a good enemy would not be easy. Could Union possibly...gulp...lobby for RPI?
Ken also reports that Union has a new recruit on defense for 2012-2013: SebImage via Wikipediaastien Gingras. Gingras is entering his third season playing for the Brockville Braves (Ontario) of the CHL. The 20-year old Quebecois defenseman's best season came in 2009-2010, where he notched an impressive 55 points in only 56 games--an Orr-like performance. Click here for Gingras' career statistics from HockeyDB.
Here is video of Gingras, who is incredibly candid in an interview from February:

Former Union goaltender Corey Milan remains on a tryout with the AHL's Binghamton Senators after the team trimmed its roster. With the demotion of Brian Stewart to the ECHL--another goalie in the B-Sens camp--Milan is now one of three goaltenders on the defending Calder Cup champions' roster. He served as a backup in Binghamton's last preseason game against the Hershey Bears on Monday. Also of note: former Clarkson defenseman Mark Borowiecki also represents the ECAC on the Senators' roster.
Dredging up another poll from the murky depths of the ocean of preseason predictions: here is Hockey Hourly's prediction for Union this year.
Finally, a shameless plug for our friend Ken, whose radio spot will be back on the air Thursday at 11:00 on 980 AM
Late Edition Edit: Our Union Hockey Tweet of the Day goes to Sam Coatta, at Tyson Fulton's expense.

--ZP

Dutchmen Details: Pollsters Take The Ice

2011-10-04T15:56:00.010-04:00

The Times Union has a nice feature from Media Day yesterday with some candid quotes from Coach Bennett and from Sophomore netminder Troy Grosenick. Evan and I were at Media Day--more on this later--and saw a photographer at the far end of the ice taking pictures of Troy in the crease. We now know that it yielded this result (which looks uncomfortable for anyone but a goaltender):

Grosenick also starred in the best of this week's tweets over on the fantastic ECAC blog, "1989 And Still Waiting." If you haven't been there yet, go. Bookmark it. We'll wait. Enjoy Union's budding comedian, who, by the way, looks to winthe starting job in net. He might have competition in the form of Mike Ingoldsby, however.

Dan also provides big news for the Twitterverse: Troy's handle has changed from the now defunct @goaler27 to @TGrose1.

Moving away from this Grosenick-centered edition of Dutchmen Details, and into arguably the biggest news of the day(!) the annual ECAC poll was released. Union is ranked second behind Yale in both the coach's poll and the media poll. Union recieved 11 first place votes in the former and 2 in the latter. No Union players were named to the ECAC Media All-Conference Team or the ECAC Coaches All-Conference Team.

None of this should be worrisome to Union fans--last year's team was predicted to finish third in the ECAC. As Dan Carr told us yesterday at media day, putting too much stock into polls can be dangerous, especially in a division as historically volatile as the ECAC. (If, though, you want to see UHB's predictions, check out our preseason predictions. Just promise us you won't hold it against us in the future...)

Finally, Pete Dougherty has some news about how to listen to this year's installment of "Union College Hockey Coach's Corner," with brand new star Rick Bennett. The shows will be broadcast from Bomber's on State Street at 6:00 pm on Wednesdays.

--ZP

(Photo by Philip Kamrass/Times Union)

Dutchmen Details: Milan, Garnet and White, Leaman In News, Media Day

2011-10-03T13:14:00.008-04:00

Welcome to a ~~new~~ updated feature of UHB: the Dutchmen Details. We scour the internet for Union/College Hockey related news so you don't have to!

It's starting to feel quite a bit like hockey season 'round Union. With the Garnet and White intra-squad game in the books. In less than a week, the Dutchmen kick off their schedule away, against Army. UHB will have a full pre-game breakdown for you before that.

-Former Union goalie, Corey Milan '11, has been invited to camp with the Binghamton Senators, the AHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators. Congrats, Corey! Let's hope for an Albany Devils/Senators matchup with Kinkaid and Milan in net...

-On Saturday, White edged Garnet 2-1 in the annual Garnet and White game. Union Athletics has the story here.

-USCHO has a story on former Union coach Nate Leaman's new home in Providence. Color me unimpressed by Friars' silver and black jerseys.

-Media Day is today, and Union will have coverage during. Remember to follow us on Twitter @UnionHockeyBlog as we check in with the guys at Messa Rink. Live tweeting is often a thrilling, if not terrifying, experience. Come back tomorrow for full recaps and video.

-Also, be sure to follow Phil Cohn, purveyor of great videos like these on Twitter.

-ZP

Video: 2011-12 Union College Season Preview

2011-10-02T11:13:00.000-04:00

As I said earlier, Phil Cohn would have the completed video done by the Garnet & White game. And here it is! Gets better every time, and I don't know if he will be able to top this. Watching this vid will get you so pumped for the season. We're less than a week away from the first regular season game!

NHL Bits: Kinkaid and Presizniuk

2011-09-22T18:57:00.006-04:00

Two players who were integral parts of last year's Cleary Cup team made news in the NHL sphere: Keith Kinkaid started a preseason game last night against the Rangers, while Adam Presizniuk was cut from the Boston Bruins' training camp roster exactly one week ago.

Kinkaid logged 10 saves--on ten shots--in 31:13 of icetime. The former all-ECAC goaltender suited up in new pads in Devils red and black. However, he donned his Union helmet while wearing number 50.

For Presizniuk, however, the press wasn't quite as rosy. After playing in Boston Bruins' rookie camp, the former Union standout was let go only nine days later. There is still time, however, for Adam to sign with another team. His opportunity to crack the pro ranks will likely come via a PTO, a professional tryout agreement, with an AHL team. From there, the prolific college scorer will hopefully bring his nose for the net to the pro ranks.

-ZP

Naming the Student Section

2011-09-21T15:07:00.004-04:00

There has just been an announcement that the school plans on naming the Student Section. In order to vote on the name you must visit http://www.unionathletics.com/sb_output.aspx?form=21.

Cast your vote, and if you come up with a clever name for other, post it in the comments section. Who knows, if enough people like it, your name could be the winner.

Video: Union College Hockey - The Storm Is Coming

2011-09-13T20:13:00.000-04:00

Phil Cohn is back at it again with another stellar pump-up video. His videos are getting better and better each time. Just imagine what he has cooking for us later this season (or even as soon as opening weekend)!

We are less than one month away from the game at Army, so get pumped!

2011-2012 ECAC Preseason Poll

2011-09-01T13:58:00.016-04:00

Note: Look for UHB's all-conference team prediction and a rundown of our top 16 teams in the country shortly.

Click here or click through to enlarge the poll).

Edit: A tip of the hat to Dan, who correctly pointed out that Clarkson defenseman Mark Borowiecki is no longer with the Golden Knights--he signed with the Senators back in March.

Follow Your Favorite Dutchmen on Twitter

2011-08-19T15:13:00.001-04:00

We figured this would be a good time to tell you all that the founder of UHB, Dan Greene, has begun his new blogging project. His new blog is called "1989 & Still Waiting," and covers all of ECAC men's hockey. The URL for the blog is www.ecachockeyblog.blogspot.com, and you can follow it on Twitter at @ECACHockeyBlog.

The blog is only a week old, but he's already done some good stuff, including making a list of ECAC Hockey players on Twitter.

Here's the list he compiled of Dutchmen you can follow on Twitter:

Daniel Ciampini - @dchamp26
Charlie Vasaturo - @cvasaturo6
Trevor Mingoia - @tmingo12
Kelly Zajac - @Kzajac19
Kevin Sullivan - @KevinSullivan27
Mat Bodie - @MBodes22
Josh Jooris - @JJooris19
Mike Ingoldsby - @mikeingoldsby
Tyson Fulton - @tysonfulton
Sam Coatta - @samcoatta
Max Novak - @NaxMovak8
Troy Grosenick - @goaler27
Mark Bennett - @markbennett91

Here's a few "shared" Twitter accounts some Dutchmen have:

Matt Hatch/Kevin Sullivan - @Da222cru
Brian Yanovitch/Cole Ikkala - @GreenMachin2618

And here's some other "shared" accounts, but they're a little tricky. Can you figure them out:

Ryle Simpgaard - @136park_2nd
Gregemy Stuburn - @136park_1st

You can also follow Keith Kinkaid at @k1nkaid and Corey Milan at @U_Tendy31

To follow other current ECAC players, check out Dan's list on his new blog: http://ecachockeyblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/ecac-hockey-players-on-twitter.html

July 2011 News

2011-07-29T13:25:00.003-04:00

Kelly Zajac at the New Jersey Devils Prospect Camp

Hello Union Hockey fans! We're still here! It's been a very busy summer for the UHB team, but we have not forgotten about our beloved Dutchmen. We've been updating on Facebook and Twitter over the past month about all the latest exciting news about Union College Hockey and the College hockey world.

This off-season has been the most exciting in the history of college hockey with the official announcement of the "super conference," the possibility of Minnesota-Moorhead creating a DI team, all the coaching changes, and many players leaving the NCAA for juniors. Here is a summary of some of the biggest Union and college hockey news in July (from earliest to most recent):

- Four current Dutchmen and one former Dutchman participated in NHL Prospect Camps this month. Mat Bodie and Jeremy Welsh attended the Chicago Blackhawks camp, Kelly Zajac and Keith Kinkaid attended the New Jersey Devils camp, and Josh Jooris attended the Boston Bruins camp. All did a very good job, especially Josh Jooris, who was highly praised, and Kelly Zajac who scored a bunch of goals. You can read all the links, and view pictures and videos of these guys at the camps on the UHB Twitter. [UHB Twitter]

- Former Union star Mario Valery-Trabucco signed with Augsburger Panther in Germany. [ECAC Hockey]

- Western Michigan Coach Jeff Blashill left for a job with the Detroit Red Wings. [USCHO]

- Flin Flon Bombers forward Andrew Johnston committed to Union for 12-13 season. [Flin Flon Bombers]

- Devils blog ranked Keith Kinkaid the 14th best prospect in NJ Devils system. [In Lou We Trust]

Keith Kinkaid at the New Jersey Devils Prospect Camp

- Keith Kinkaid talked about being with the Devils. [Fire & Ice]

- The face of college hockey has changed with the creation of the Big 10 conference, and the announcement this summer of the creation of the six team "super conference" called the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The WCHA and CCHA has had some major scrambling to do, and may change the situation in the east, especially with Atlantic Hockey. There have also been rumors of Notre Dame joining with Hockey East or the ECAC. [USCHO] [New York Times]

- Union goaltender recruit Julien LaPlante is ineligible after admitting to playing 20 minutes for the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks, a Canadian major junior hockey team. He could still have come to Union after sitting out one season, but Coach Bennett didn't want that. [Ken Schott]

- Kevin Sullivan took part in the "Big Assist III" in Stamford, Connecticut. It was a charity game to benefit the Obie Harrington-Howes foundation. Sullivan got the chance to play with NHL stars like Martin St. Louis and Matt Moulson. [Darien Patch]

- The Zajac brothers were featured at the Devils camp. [Fire & Ice]

- Reports said that Minnesota State - Moorhead is trying to add DI ice hockey. [MSUM Athletics]

- Union announced their incoming recruiting class (Class of 2015): forwards Mark Bennett, Sam Coatta, Daniel Ciampini, Tyson Fulton, Trevor Mingoia, and Max Novak, defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Charlie Vasaturo, and goaltenders Dillion Pieri and Colin Stevens. This was pretty much what we expected. [Union Athletics]

Josh Jooris at the Boston Bruins Prospect Camp

- Goaltender Colin Stevens, a Niskayuna native, is coming to Union one year early after the problems with Julien LaPlante. He's supposed to be an excellent goaltender. [Ken Schott]

- Sam Bowles '08 has resigned with the Columbus Cottonmouths of the SPHL. [ECAC Hockey]

- Julien LaPlante has followed former Union coach Nate Leaman to Providence, but will have to sit out the upcoming season. [Ken Schott]

- Jooris, Welsh, Bodie, and Zajac all shared their thoughts on attending the NHL prospect camps. [Official Blog of Union Hockey]

- The College Hockey Blog named Jeremy Welsh as a sleeper for the 2012 Hobey Baker Award. [The College Hockey Blog]

- Keith Kinkaid has his own Wikipedia page. Sweet. I bet the best pickup line ever is, "Hey have you seen my Wikipedia page?" I wish I had one. [Wikipedia]

- Versus is looking into a college hockey TV package. [Ken Schott]

- Instant replay has been installed at Messa Rink. [Twitpic courtesy of @UnionHockey]

- Inside College Hockey ranked Union 6th in their preseason Top 10 poll. [INCH]

Jeremy Welsh at the Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Camp

- Union has released their 2011-12 roster. Notes: Only numbers not used are 5, 13, and 24... Jean-Sebastian Bergeron is not on the roster... Cole Ikkala has changed his number from 18 to 23... the Freshmen have received their numbers: #6 Vasaturo, #10 Bennett, #11 Coatta, #14 Gostisbehere, #17 Ciampini, #18 Novak, #25 Fulton, #29 Mingoia, #30 Stevens, #31 Pieri. [Union Athletics]

- Former Union captain Mike Wakita '10 has resigned with the Missouri Mavericks of the CHL. [ECAC Hockey]

To follow the latest college hockey news go to USCHO, INCH, or CHN.

Show your Support for 'Goals for Good'

2011-06-24T17:23:00.006-04:00

Hi folks,

A friend of mine and a former player on Colgate's playoff-run Cinderella team, Kevin McNamara, asked me to share with you his new project.

'Goals for Good' is a non-profit charity which partners teams in the ECAC with charities in close relation to the schools and/or communities. This initiative will utilize the competitiveness of the teams, fans, students, and alumni of these universities to better assist the various chosen charities.

This project will operate though a website and allow donors to give to the various partnered charities. Prospective contributers will be able to donate money by way of the amount of goals scored by a chosen team in a weekend, goals scored by the team over the course of the season, or a one-time donation.

Their mission is to provide a vehicle inspiring people to donate to chosen non-profit organizations through collegiate ice hockey competition. For more information please contact Kevin McNamara at kevin@goalsforgood.org, or 'Like' the 'Goals for Good' facebook page here!

-JZ

Score for Kristen & the Kids raises over $10,000 for Ewing's Sarcoma patients

2011-06-24T12:42:00.003-04:00

Union College Athletics has announced it raised $10,383,81 in funds for patients of Ewing's Sarcoma through its “Score for Kristen & the Kids,” fundraiser during the men's and women's ice hockey seasons.

Ewing's Sarcoma / Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors (PNET) of bone is a type of cancer usually found in children and young adults. Kristen Shinebarger is an active eight year old who was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma in November. She is the daughter of Shelly Shinebarger, the Director of Student Support Services at Union College.

"We have found the Union College community support incredibly comforting and as a result are able to focus on Kristen's care and well-being," the Shinebarger family said in a statement. "We want you to know that you have made a difference."

During this initiative, funds were raised by pledges toward each power play goal by the Dutchmen and Dutchwomen, from January 7 games through the end of each season. Donations were also accepted at each game in a donation box in the lobby of Messa Rink.

Union Announces 2011-2012 Regular Season Schedule

2011-06-16T17:55:00.004-04:00

Hi folks,

Hope everyone enjoyed the Stanley Cup Finals this past week. What a win for the Bruins, huh? First Cup in 39 years. I dont think many people expected them to get passed Vancouver. I was in downtown Boston last night to celebrate with fans, and I will most certainly be there on Saturday for the parade.

But in other news, Union College just recently announced their schedule for next season. On paper, this looks like a very challenging schedule, but I think the Dutchmen will definitely rise to the occasion. I am very excited to see them matchup against University of Michigan, University of New Hampshire, Merrimack, Denver, and Colorado College - all of which made the NCAA tournament this past spring.

I am also excited to see a Tuesday night game in Troy against RPI. Wouldn't that be a hoot to bus students from Union over to RPI to see the game? What else is there to do on a Tuesday night in October?

Below is the 2011-2012 schedule:

10/8 @ Army

10/14 vs. Western Michigan
10/15 vs. Western Michigan

10/21 @ Niagara
10/22 @ R.I.T.

10/28 @ University of New Hampshire
10/29 vs. A.I.C

11/4 @ St. Lawrence
11/5 @ Clarkson

11/11 vs. Brown
11/12 vs. Yale

11/15 @ RPI

11/27 @ University of Michigan

12/2 @ Quinnipiac
12/3 @ Princeton

12/10 vs. RPI (in Lake Placid)

12/17 @ Merrimack

12/30 @ University of Denver
12/31 @ Colorado College

1/6 vs. Harvard
1/7 vs. Dartmouth

1/13 @ Harvard
1/14 vs. RPI

1/20 @ Yale
1/21 @ Brown

1/27 vs. Clarkson
1/28 vs. St. Lawrence

2/3 vs. Colgate
2/4 vs. Cornell

2/10 @ Dartmouth

2/17 vs. Princeton
2/18 vs. Quinnipiac

2/24 @ Cornell
2/25 @ Colgate

So plan ahead, clear your weekend schedules, and come see the Dutchmen!

-JZ

Goodbye and Farewell

2011-06-11T14:00:00.000-04:00

Dear UHB Readers,

This is my final post.

I really don't know what to say except thank you. Thanks to everyone who reads this blog and everyone that has helped me during my four years. I can't believe how much this blog has grown, and how many people read and care about it.

There are so many people to thank. I have to start off with Mark McGuire of the Times Union, who gave me the idea of creating the blog. My junior year he came to a Concordiensis workshop to talk about sports writing. After his presentation I chased him down in the parking lot and asked him about the world of sports media. He said I had to get on the Internet and to create a blog. Right after we talked I went into my room and created this thing.

I also have to thank the legendary Ken Schott, who has been my buddy in the press box for my four years. He's taught me a lot about being a sports writer and I learned a lot about the profession through observing things that he does. I remember my first game in the press box with Ken. Union just scored a big goal and I jumped out of my seat and yelled "Yeah!" Ken gazed at me and basically said that's not allowed. It was the first of many lessons I learned from Ken. The same can be said of Sean Martin (Times Union), who was the friendly face in the press box this season.

This past season I've been lucky enough to have a great mentor in Jeff Weinstein, who is Union's Assistant Sports Information Director. Jeff has been so great to me since Day 1, and I 've learned so much from him. We've spent so much time together this season and each second has been extremely fun and valuable. Jeff has helped me with decisions on my future and for that I am so thankful, but more importantly he has been a great friend. Union's Athletics department has been tremendous as a whole. I honestly feel that Eric McDowell is the nicest guy in the sports media world. He truly does care about every student-athlete on this campus and Union College as a whole. Dave Heberger has also been a great guy to work with, and I wish him good luck on his next job. Also, AD Jim McLaughlin has been a great person to work with. Like Mr. McDowell, he really loves the students here and the school. I also have to thank Kevin Zalaznik who has been a great help to me at Union and with the Albany Devils. I have learned a lot about professionalism and work ethic from him.

I also have to thank the boys. Over these four years my relationship with them has grown tremendously where I can call many of them my friends. I remember my freshman year when Brock Matheson and Corey Milan lived in the same hallway with me in the Fox Basement. Since then, these guys have gone from the super-Canadian dude (Brock) and the crazy guy with the drumset (Corey) to friends of mine. The team as a whole has been so great as professionals and as friends. They know when it's time to have fun and when it's time to get down to business. It's been a pleasure working such a great group of guys, especially the seniors. I want to wish them all good luck in their futures and I hope we cross paths in the years to come. On the same note, I have to thank Coach Leaman, Coach Bennett, and the other coaches for treating me like a professional. I'm sure it might get annoying having some 20-something kid asking some tough questions about you and your team. Good luck to Coach Leaman and Coach Barr at Providence, and Coach Bennett with his new position. I really think Mr. McLaughlin made a great decision in promoting Coach Bennett.

Also, special thanks to team manager Phil Cohn '13 and superfan Will Friedman '10 (aka UnionHockeyManiac) for the support of this blog. These guys are down to talk Union Hockey all the time.

Last, but definitely not least, I have to thank my parents for their support. I can honestly say that if my Dad never took me to my first Army Hockey game when I was four years old that I would not be a college hockey superfan and this blog would not be here today. I also have to thank my Mom for allowing my Dad and I to keep our season tickets after I told her that I wanted to go to Army and play hockey. I guess she really didn't want me with a crew cut haha.

If I forgot anybody I am very sorry.

Even though I am graduating on Sunday, I am ecstatic to announce that UHB will live! Justin Zolot will be the new head honcho for the blog, and will receive help from Evan Slavit and Zach Pearce. You guys already know Justin, but let me briefly introduce Evan and Zach. Evan has replaced me as Sports Editor of the Concordiensis and has been co-Sports Director of WRUC 89.7FM with me. Zach is the new head of WRUC and is a writer for the Concordiensis. You might remember him from the great article he wrote about Dennis Flavin. I know for a fact that these guys will make this blog even better, and will bring it to a whole new level.

As for me, my future is still pretty undecided. I'm still waiting to hear back from a few jobs I applied to and the Georgetown Sports Industry Management school. But, I have a great summer internship lined up. I'll be working for PuckAgency, which is led by Union grads Jay Grossman and Adam Paget. I am very excited to work with these men and learn more about the business of sports. Who knows what will happen after the summer? Maybe I'll end up back in Schenectady.

Well, that's it. There really isn't much more to say. I really can't describe how important this blog and Union Hockey as a whole has meant to me during my time here. I love this school and I love this team. I will forever and always be a loyal supporter.

The show goes on...

Sincerely,
Dan Greene

Video: Senior Athletes Appreciation Dinner

2011-06-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

In honor of Senior Week I thought I would post this video.

Last week all Union senior athletes were honored at the annual Athletics Appreciation Dinner. Many Union hockey players won awards and some made speeches. Here is the video of the entire dinner.

Check out the speeches from these Dutchmen:
Brock Matheson (1:43:50)
Stephane Boileau (2:06:24)

Have a great week guys!

Beal named new Volunteer Assistant/ Local kid Jeff Taylor committs

2011-06-08T12:57:00.001-04:00

Union has announced that former Union star Joel Beal '05 will be the new volunteer assistant coach for the Dutchmen. He replaces Jason Tapp, who was promoted to assistant coach a few weeks ago. I heard rumblings that Beal would be joining the staff earlier in the week.

From 2001 to 2005, Beal collected 27 goals and 74 assists for 101 career points. He is one of 19 Union skaters to ever eclipse 100 points. Beal also shares the single season assists record with Kelly Zajac (29 assists).

For the past two years he has coached locally for Albany Academy as an assistant coach and as a head coach for Troy Albany Youth Hockey Minor Midget AAA team. Beal also coached for the Schenectady Youth Hockey Association after his graduation.

I like this move. It's always great to bring back former players (and good one's for that matter) and put them on the coaching staff. Since they're at their alma mater they probably have a little more incentive and passion. Beal will also know what it's like to play at Union and can help the guys out with things he went through while he was at Union. He could also help with recruiting since he knows what it's like to play here and has a good idea of the talent in the NE Prep Leagues.

Fun Fact: Beal is from Brantford, Ontario which is the hometown of another famous hockey player... Wayne Gretzky.

For more check out Union Athletics.com.

On another note, Rick Bennett has reeled in his first recruit and he didn't go too far to get him. According to Heisenberg, Albany Academy's Jeff Taylor has committed to come to Union in 2013 or 2014. As a junior defenseman for AA, Taylor picked up 35 points in 36 games in a tough New England prep league. He is currently listed at 5'11" and 170 pounds, which isn't too big. But, he will play one more year at AA and at least one year of juniors where he will continue to grow and develop.

We'll see how this kid develops, but right now he seems like a good pickup. The numbers he put up this past season are pretty impressive and hopefully he will get even better. Plus, it's nice to have local guys on the team.

For more go to Ken Schott's Blog.

College Hockey Video of the Week (6/6/11): Most Memorable Moment of my Union Hockey Experience

2011-06-06T10:15:00.000-04:00

This will be my last week running this blog, so I thought this would be a fitting video to show. I will have more news later in the week about the future of UHB.

This video contains highlights from Union's 5-0 victory over Princeton on Senior Night to claim the Clearly Cup. I will forever remember this moment, and I'm sure the seniors on the team will call this moment the greatest of their careers. From the time I got to the rink to having Andrew Buote thank me during his speech to celebrating with the team after the game, I can easily say that night was the most fun and exciting nights of my four years.

Good luck to all the Union students in their upcoming finals, and congratulations to all the seniors that will be walking with me at graduation this upcoming Sunday.

Whatever it takes...

College Hockey Video of the Week (5/30/11): Former College Players making a difference in the Stanley Cup Playoffs

2011-05-31T01:30:00.000-04:00

The Stanley Cup playoffs has reached the final round as the Vancouver Canucks take on the Boston Bruins. Some of the most important players on each of these teams are former college stars like Kevin Bieksa (Vancouver/Bowling Green), Ryan Kesler (Vancouver/Ohio State), and Tim Thomas (Boston/Vermont).

Here are some videos about each of these players (and Martin St. Louis) on their college careers.

Union names Tapp and Dumais as assistant coaches

2011-05-25T21:24:00.001-04:00

Union has announced that Jason Tapp and Joe Dumais will be a part of Rick Bennett’s coaching staff next season. These men fill the voids after Bennett was promoted to head coach and Ben Barr followed Nate Leaman to Providence.

Tapp has been a part of the Union coaching staff for the past two seasons as a volunteer goalie coach. He has overseen the development of Keith Kinkaid during this time. He played his college hockey at Boston University.

Dumais previously was an assistant coach at UConn (Atlantic Hockey) for three seasons. He played college hockey at Quinnipiac from 2002-2006. In his senior season Dumais was named team captain and the Bobcats played their first season in the ECAC. From what is sounds like, Dumais was a “grinding” forward when he played.

It’s hard to judge how good these signings are. Behind the scenes stuff is hard to judge and both of these guys don’t have much of a track record. One good thing is that these guys are young, which is an important characteristic for an assistant coach.

With Tapp, it will be beneficial that the team is familiar with him. He will have the very important job of developing Troy Grosenick, Julien LaPlante, and eventually Colin Stevens into goaltenders that can replace Keith Kinkaid. To learn more about Tapp, check out the interview I did with him over the summer (click here).

The one thing I like about Dumais is that he played in the ECAC, so he knows what it’s like to be an ECAC student-athlete. His experience could be very beneficial in recruiting. I’ll admit that I’m a little surprised that Union hired a guy from UConn, which is a pretty mediocre Atlantic Hockey program at best. I guess I was hoping they’d get a guy from a more proven program than UConn. Maybe there weren’t too many of these guys available. But, you never know what will happen. For all we know Dumais will become a great choice.

Either way, the entire coaching staff has a lot to prove and tons of pressure on them. They will be counted upon to continue Union’s success and bring them to the next level.

For more info go to:
Union Athletics.com
Ken Schott’s Blog

College Hockey Video of the Week (5/23/11): College Hockey - Time Of Your Life

2011-05-24T09:34:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the late post. This is a video from College Hockey Inc. interviewing NHL players that played college hockey.

And as an apology for posting a day late, here is a bone crushing hit (and glass shattering hit) from a DIII game between Curry and Hobart.

College Hockey Video of the Week (5/16/11): Denver's David Makowski scores 195 foot goal

2011-05-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

This took place this past February in a game between Denver and Michigan Tech.

Out Of The Woods: Parts 9 and 10

2011-05-13T14:30:00.000-04:00

Here are the last two segments of "Out Of The Woods." I hope you all enjoyed watching the documentary. I really enjoyed it! The 1993 Maine team is arguably the best college hockey team ever and Paul Kariya might be the best college hockey player of all-time. It's really interesting to get an inside look of this team.

Out Of The Woods: Parts 7 and 8

2011-05-12T13:50:00.000-04:00

Out Of The Woods: Parts 5 and 6

2011-05-11T09:45:00.000-04:00

Here are Parts 5 and 6 of the "Out Of The Woods" documentary.

I hope you're all enjoying this!

Out Of The Woods: Parts 3 and 4

2011-05-10T09:45:00.000-04:00

Here is the third and fourth segments of the "Out Of The Woods" documentary about the 1993 U of Maine national championship team.

Parts 5 and 6 will be posted tomorrow.

Enjoy!

College Hockey Video of the Week (5/9/11): Out Of The Woods

2011-05-09T09:45:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm going to try something different with the CH Video of the Week since news is very slow. Instead of showing one video, I will be showing a whole documentary. The documentary is called "Out Of The Woods," which is about Maine's 1993 championship season. This Maine team is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) college hockey teams of all time. With the help of guys like Paul Kariya, Jim Montgomery, Garth Snow, Mike Dunham, and the Ferraro brothers the Black Bears lost only one game that season and went on to win the national championship in dramatic fashion.

Luckily for us, YouTube has this documentary and has is split up into 10 parts. So, for the next five days I will be posting two parts.

Please let me know if you like or dislike this idea. I'm just trying something new.

Here are parts 1 and 2 of the documentary. Enjoy!

Believe In Rick Bennett and Troy Grosenick!

2011-05-06T16:14:00.000-04:00

Some people are worried about what's going to happen to the Dutchmen without Coach Leaman and Keith Kinkaid. Union fans should not be worried because Rick Bennett will be a great coach and Troy Grosenick will provide solid goaltending. The biggest thing is believing in them. If the fans believe in them then they will believe in themselves.

I believe in these guys! Happy Springfest!

Rick Bennett fights for the NY Rangers (blue jersey):

Troy Grosenick celebrates with Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (#27):

Jason Klump Reports From The Leaman Press Conference in Providence

2011-05-05T09:45:00.001-04:00

The following is a report from Jason Klump, who attended the Nate Leaman press conference at Providence on Tuesday. He talks about the differences and similarities between Union and Providence, along with other topics.

This post contains the opinions of Jason Klump only. I just edited it. You can follow Klump on Twitter at @Jason_Klump.

Thank you Jason for taking the time to attend the press conference and writing a very insightful column for UHB.

There was never much confusion as to why Providence College wanted Nate Leaman and why he in turn saw the job opening there as a good fit for himself.

Although the financial terms of his deals both at Union College and PC were undisclosed, it is safe to say Leaman is receiving a pay increase as he relocates to Rhode Island. In addition, he is going to a school that is a full Division I institution and will be able to offer scholarships to recruits for the first time in his career as a head coach. Yet the local press was quick to be pessimistic about the recruiting potential given that he would be competing against the titans of eastern college hockey.

"At Union, we didn't have an overly impressive sell and we ended up having seven players with over 30 points last year," Leaman shot back.

Leaman is also going somewhere that is committed, it seems, to putting the money into rink renovations needed to help the program grow. Many have been calling for Union to upgrade from tiny, outdated Messa Rink since Leaman started to lead them to success, but there has never been any interest shown by the school in doing so. This is something that was clearly important to the coach.

"In two years, (PC's Schneider Arena) will be a completely different rink," Leaman noted. "The school is committed to doing a very large renovation to the rink. That money has already been approved. It's something I spoke with (President) Father Brian Shanly about before taking the job and it's something I'm very excited about because I believe Schneider is going to be one of the finest arenas in the East within two years."

And why did PC want him? Quite simply, he did at Union exactly what must be done at PC. He has a proven his ability to take a program at the bottom of D1 hockey all the way to the top echelon. And Union and PC, but for location, religious affiliation, and the presence of other D1 sports, are very similar institutions. They are both small liberal arts colleges which put academics first.

"I very much wanted to go to a school where the kids care about education and can earn a very good degree," Leaman said. "And that the education makes young men better. Coming from the Division III background myself and then coaching at Harvard and Union, I deeply believe in guys getting a good education."

To be fair, Union (#41 on USNews' list of national liberal arts colleges) is about half the size and a little more competitive on the admissions end than is PC (#2 among regional universities in the North, though it is technically also a college), but the point is that Leaman is experienced in recruiting top players from all over North America to the type of school that PC is. And now, with the aforementioned scholarships and the chance to play in Hockey East against the nation's top competition, he has even more to work with. Leaman was quick to play down the Hockey East superiority angle however.

"That [PC is in Hockey East, where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Shawn Walsh at Maine] didn't factor in giantly to be honest with you," he said. "What factored in was the type of education that PC offers."

"Absolutely," Leaman said, smiling, when that question was followed up by one asking if he planned to re-establish PC's former non-conference rivalries with ECAC schools. Outside of the annual Mayor's Cup game with Brown, the Friars have only played two other games against their former conference in the last two seasons.

"Seth [Appert] has reached out to play and obviously Rick [Bennett] and I want to play one another. But I've also talked to Joe Marsh about playing a little bit. And hey, look, there's good hockey teams in that league and they're going to make us a better team, so obviously I'd love to play them."

Leaman addressed the similarities when asked to compare the amount of work needed to be done at PC, who he stated had given him an initial six-year deal, to what had to be done at Union, where he spent eight seasons.

"I think there's some work to be done there with getting the right players," he said regarding the length of the deal. "I think it's similar [to the amount of work there was to be done at Union]. The program hasn't made the playoffs in three years. They've only won three games total after January 15 the past three years. That's not great. But I really feel that with the resources and the commitment of the school, that we can build things quicker than we did at Union."

It it true that the resources and commitment of PC are seemingly a step up from Union, but you have to consider the same of the new competition he is facing in Hockey East. So, that kind of balances out. I think Leaman was being modest. The real reason it should happen faster for the Friars than it did for the Dutchmen is that Leaman is now a proven commodity whereas he was an unknown who, as PC Athletic Director Bob Driscoll noted, "took a job no one else wanted" when he took his post at Union. Recruits were certainly wary at first of what they might be getting into with a new head coach at a school with a losing hockey tradition.

Also worth noting is that the youth advantage Leaman had already in the ECAC, where only RPI's Appert was younger, is magnified in Hockey East where he becomes the youngest coach, replacing Lowell's Norm Bazin, who held that distinction less than two days. Coaches Jack Parker of BU, Jerry York of BC, Dick Umile of UNH, and Don Cahoon of UMass are all older than SLU's Marsh, the elder statesman of the ECAC head coaching ranks.

Not that those old guys can't coach anymore or anything, but worth noting nonetheless. Nor do I think Leaman will really be competing for recruits against the HEA power schools at first. He'll get a few blue chips, but most of those guys might not want in right at the beginning of a rebuilding era. The first couple years I think he will be recruiting more against his former non-Ivy ECAC colleagues and the likes of Merrimack than he will against BU, BC, and UNH. That will probably come later. But if Leaman plays the same style at PC that he did at UC, PC may be compared to an ECAC team playing in Hockey East. And I bet they do better than most would expect.

With all the evident similarities between his former and current jobs, there remain, however, two related aspects where Leaman will see a glaring difference between working at Union and PC. The first is the strength of the fan base. Messa Rink, whatever one may say of its shortcomings, has become one of the toughest buildings in the ECAC to play in on the road. Schneider Arena approaches its capacity of just over 3,000, well, never. Of course, that comes with success, so if you expect Leaman to succeed in The Divine City as he did in Schenectady, that will come.

The argument is out there that it will be tougher at PC, where the attention on the Big East basketball program dwarfs that shown to any other sport and there is an AHL franchise to compete with. But the NY Capital District is at its core a basketball first fanbase as well with its own AHL team. And in my mind, the battle is not between different sports at the same institution or in the same town. No one can say that the empty seats at Brown hockey games are due to the popularity of the other sports they play. It is about reigning in the hockey fans that are out there for the getting. And there are no fewer hockey people in Rhode Island than there are around Albany.

But let's go back to those two related aspects. That second aspect can go a long way in helping bring the fans along though. So I asked Leaman about it, starting with some comic relief.

Alice Leaman, the wife of the new coach, burst into laughter of the knee-slapping, teary-eyed variety.

"You got the tape recorder and everything. You got my wife laughing," said Nate Leaman, himself grinning ear to ear and having little success holding back his chuckles.

"Uh, no comment there," he said at first, more because I think it caught him off-guard than that he had nothing to say.

No, the question was not how much he would miss ECAC officiating. It was how much he would miss Ken Schott, who began covering the Union beat for the hometown (Schenectady) Daily Gazette when the program turned D1 in 1991.

More than your average beat reporter, Schott is the undisputed dean of the ECAC Hockey media. The Capital District of course boasts the largest college hockey press corp in the East outside Boston, but Schott takes the cake. In addition to his print stories on the team, Schott maintains a tirelessly comprehensive blog/vlog ("Parting Schotts") and twitter feed (@slapschotts) on college hockey in Upstate New York's Capital District. He also hosts a weekly half-hour radio spot. No one journalist in the East over the last 20+ years has done more for any one program in college hockey than Ken Schott has done for Union College hockey (with apologies to this blog's editor, who is no slouch either).

I would take the position that Union hockey could not have achieved what it did as quick as it did (and I am referring to the eight years of the Leaman era, not the 20 years of the D1 era), given the magnitude and volume of now well-documented obstacles placed in front of the program, without the combined efforts of both Leaman and Schott.

Obviously a head coach has a much greater direct effect on a team's success than does the writer covering them, but when the program is building itself up from the ground level the role of a committed and competent journalist in assisting that process cannot be overstated. You could make the comparison to the differing roles of a CEO and an advertising agency in building a business, except in this case the advertising is free. Teams that play in empty buildings simply don't win championships. And teams with no media coverage don't fill the seats. Simple as that.

Leaman quickly acknowledged all this when he realized the real question was about the role Schott and his colleagues had indeed played rather than any personal feelings he may have about not getting to see him every week.

"I think media coverage is important. It's important that people see what you're building and see the development of the program. That's where media coverage I think is very good is to see the ins and the outs of the program and the growth over the years."

Now, Mark Divver, who is the assistant sports editor of the Providence Journal, has been covering the search for PC's new head coach quite well and I do not want to take anything away from him or his paper. But they will not be covering the games or doing anything close to the volume of writing that was done on the program at Union.

Divver was very polite in introducing himself to me and was candid in his response when I asked him if the hire of Leaman combined with Brown's turnaround since the hire of Brendan Whittet would mean more coverage in the ProJo. "I hope so," he said.

Times are tough in the print media industry, and I would imagine it is particularly difficult in a city located basically in between New York and Boston and having to compete with those city's papers. At this point, he said the demand simply is not there for them to spend the money to hire a college hockey reporter. But then again, the demand really wasn't there for Union hockey reporting in 1991, or for that matter when Leaman took the job in 2003. At Union, he just had to worry about the team itself. Now, he has to bring in the press and the fans as well.

Building the popularity of college hockey back up in Providence and the state of Rhode Island is something I know was important to both Whittet and Tim Army, the coach Leaman replaces, from conversations with each after last season's Mayor's Cup, which drew only 1,400 fans to Brown's Meehan Auditorium after the same number had come out for the event at Schneider the year before. Leaman appears ready to step in as an active promoter of the sport in the community.

"Well, we didn't speak about that, but we did speak about scheduling the Mayor's Cup game," he said of an initial conversation with Whittet. "I have spoken with Roger Grillo, USA Hockey's rep in this area, about getting youth hockey involved. We want to have a couple days. One will be a "Learn Hockey" Day, where there's basically kids that have never played before and we'll have equipment and set up a free clinic. And then also to get the local youth hockey organizations on board. I think it's important and our guys have to go out and be ignitors and ignite the kids into wanting to be hockey players, wanting to be Providence College fans, and just setting a good example."

The coaching voids at both D1 schools in Providence have been filled and filled well. Now, someone just has to step up and fill the media void. I am getting that itch. I need a job after all.

Nate Leaman Press Conference at Providence College

2011-05-04T17:21:00.001-04:00

Jason Klump (former CHN writer) was nice enough to travel to Providence College yesterday to attend the press conference where Nate Leaman was introduced as the new men's ice hockey coach at Providence College.

He took this video of the entire press conference, and is in the midst of writing about the whole situation. I will post his thoughts soon.

College Hockey Video of the Week (5/2/11): USA! USA! USA!

2011-05-02T09:45:00.001-04:00

I was going to post a different video, but after the news that broke last night I had to ride the patriotic wave.

So, here are some great USA Hockey videos. The majority of these players are/were college hockey players, so I'm still keeping with the college hockey theme.

Go USA!

And just for fun...

Union Finds A 3rd Goaltender: Dillon Pieri

2011-04-28T18:32:00.000-04:00

Union's search for a third goaltender has ended. Sorry guys, it's not going to be Kyle Anderson. The man selected for the job is Dillon Pieri. This was confirmed by Chris Heisenberg.

Pieri is from Needham, Massachusetts (pretty sure) and played this past season for the Rivers School and the Boston Advantage Midget Major team. Both teams are very high level programs. Pieri is also listed around 6'2" and 180 pounds. He was born in 1992, so he will be one of the youngest guys on the team.

While I couldn't find his stats from the Rivers School (who went 12-15-1 this season), I did find his stats from the Boston Advantage (click here). In 20 games he went 6-8-5 with a 2.80 GAA and .904 save percentage. Pretty decent numbers in a very competitive league.

Pieri will definitely be the third goalie for the Dutchmen, and will serve his main purpose in practice. He seems like a good choice for this role considering he played in two very competitive leagues that produce many D-I players. But who knows what will happen. Maybe after learning from goalie coach Jason Tapp he can work his way up and get some playing time. Just look at what Michigan's Shawn Hunwick did in his career.

Either way, Pieri will be a part of something special and will be getting a great education at the same time.

For the release and some quotes from Pieri click here.

College Hockey Video of the Week (4/25/11): 1985 National Championship Game Broadcast - RPI vs. Providence

2011-04-25T09:45:00.000-04:00

Since Coach Leaman announced that he will be leaving Union for Providence, I figured I'd show Providence videos this week.

These three videos are actual footage from the last time the Friars made the Frozen Four and National Championship game.

The 1985 Frozen Four sounds like it was a classic with both semifinal games being decided in triple overtime, and the championship game was a 2-1 affair won by RPI.

You got to love the old school TV broadcast, the Hannibal Lecter-like facemasks, and definitely the Providence full hockey pants. I think Leaman should definitely bring back the full pants.

Also, take a look at #7 for RPI (1:20 mark of third video). It's Mark Jooris, who is the father of Union freshman forward Josh Jooris. It's definitely a little weird seeing a #7 and the name Jooris on the back of a RPI jersey. And look out for Tim Army, who is the coach that Leaman is replacing at Providence.

Enjoy!

Intro

First Period play

Final Seconds

The End Of An Era

2011-04-23T17:09:00.000-04:00

The Nate Leaman Era has officially ended. It was an exciting era, especially in the latter half, which saw Union become an ECAC power and a nationally respected program. If you have to credit one person for all of this success, it has to be Nate Leaman. He is the reason why Union Hockey is no longer a joke, and what makes my blog (and other media sources covering the team) and the rest of Dutch Nation relevant. And for that I and the rest of the fans are extremely grateful for Nate Leaman. So, thank you Nate for everything you have done here.

Even though I wanted Leaman to stay, I understand why he left and I think it is the correct move for him. To be able to coach in Hockey East is a tremendous opportunity considering it is one of the three premiere leagues in college hockey. The conference has produced three of the past four national champions, while an ECAC team hasn't won the national championship since 1989 (Harvard). Another factor is that Providence offers athletic scholarships, while Union does not. This will allow Leaman to recruit higher end players. In other words, moving from the ECAC to Hockey East is a big upgrade.

Leaman's new job will be another "building process." Providence Hockey has been dormant for a number of years and has been at the bottom of the Hockey East standings for a number of years. If Leaman is able to bring the Friars back to prominence, who knows what that means for him. Not to look too far into the future, but BC's Jerry York and BU's Jack Parker are not getting any younger, and if Leaman is able to prove himself in Hockey East like he did in the ECAC maybe he will be considered to take over these power house programs. If you look at all-time great coaches like Jerry York and Ron Mason they have both coached three teams (York: Clarkson, Bowling Green, Boston College; Mason: Lake Superior, Bowling Green, Michigan State), and they each moved up the coaching ranks during their careers and ended up having huge success in their third stop. So, maybe Leaman's time at Providence is just one stop closer to winning a national championship at a big program.

While the terms of Leaman's new contract are undisclosed, you have to assume that he will be getting a major raise in pay. Coach has just started his family, so money is a factor and you can't blame him for that. Some people are blaming the administration for not increasing his pay, but you have to remember that this is Union College. This is a school where academics is by far the number one priority, and while I would like to see every penny put towards the hockey program it is simply not an option. It is impossible to pay coaches at Union like coaches at Michigan, Boston College, or other bigger schools. These kinds of schools get revenue from other sports like basketball and football that help fund the hockey programs.

While this program technically is a D-I program, it really can't be treated like it. They cannot offer athletic scholarships and there isn't any outside monetary support to help the program (even though the Garnet Blades does a great job). So people ask, why is Union Hockey D-I anyways? That is a question that I can't really answer. Personally, looking back on it I really don't understand it. Was it to compete with RPI? Perhaps. Who knows? Maybe if Nate Leaman never came along we would be a having a conversation right now on whether the program should go back to D-III. But, we're not so let's just enjoy what we have because it's not going to change.

Now, on to Coach Bennett. I think the immediate hire of Rick Bennett was absolutely the correct move. He's a familiar face that the players like a respect, and knows where this program has come from. Bennett understands what it's going to take to win here and he will follow in the steps of Coach Leaman. I expect the Dutchmen to continue their recent success under Coach Bennett over the next few years. The question I have is whether this program will continue to succeed four years down the road. That will be the true measure of Bennett's success. This success will not only rely on Bennett, but on the assistant coaches he hires within the next few weeks.

Union fans, do not be worried! There are still great times ahead for this program. Yes, our Spencer Penrose Award winning coach and All-American goalie are gone, but their replacements will fill the void. They might be unproven, but know what it takes to win at Union which means to outwork their opponent. I guarantee that Coach Bennett and Troy Grosenick will work as hard, if not harder, than Coach Leaman and Keith Kinkaid and will continue the success we've enjoyed for the past few years.

I believe in Bennett and Grosenick and so should you!

For more on Leaman's departure and Bennett's hiring go to:
Concordiensis
Ken Schott's Blog
USCHO --> Leaman to Providence
USCHO --> Bennett hired
College Hockey News
Providence Journal Blog
Union Athletics
Providence Athletics
Times Union (Sean Martin)
Times Union (Mark McGuire)

Videos From The Nate Leaman - Rick Bennett Press Conference

2011-04-22T20:02:00.000-04:00

Here are two videos from today's press conference where Rick Bennett was named the new head coach and Nate Leaman announced he is leaving Union for Providence.

Keith Kinkaid OFFICIALLY Signs With NJ Devils

2011-04-19T08:30:00.002-04:00

On Monday, Keith Kinkaid officially signed an entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils. At his press conference at Messa Rink, Kinkaid and Coach Leaman talked about the sophomore goaltender's decision to leave school early.

For more check out:
Union Athletics
Ken Schott's Blog
New Jersey Devils
In Lou We Trust Blog

I already gave my opinion a few days ago. Here are videos of Kinkaid and Leaman at the press conference:

Seniors Dominate Awards At End of Season Banquet

2011-04-18T12:28:00.002-04:00

On Sunday at the Mohawk Golf Club, Union held their end of the year banquet and handed out post-season awards. The awards were pretty much swept by the senior class.

Here are the results:

Most Valuable Player: Adam Presizniuk (third time)
Coaches' Award: Brock Matheson
Charles N. Morrison Award: Luke Cain
Thomas VanArden Dukehart Award: Stephane Boileau (third time)
Rookie of the Year: Mat Bodie
Scott Richardson Unsung Hero Award: Andrew Buote (fourth time)
Most Improved Player: Justin Pallos

I can't disagree with any of these selections. But, I also think that Daniel Carr could have been selected for ROY, John Simpson for Unsung Hero, and Wayne Simpson for MIP. You could also make an argument for Keith Kinkaid and Kelly Zajac for MVP. Either way, I bet it was a very tough decision to make for each award.

For more check out Union Athletics.com.

Congrats to the seven players who received an award!

College Hockey Video of the Week (4/18/11): A Tribute To Neal Broten

2011-04-18T12:11:00.001-04:00

At the Frozen Four, Minnesota native Neal Broten was honored before the championship game. He is one of the most popular hockey players in the history of Minnesota. He played at every level in the state of Minnesota and was successful at all levels. Broten was a high school star in Minnesota before playing for the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota North Stars.

His claim to fame is being the only player to ever win an NCAA championship, an Olympic gold medal, and the Stanley Cup. He won the NCAA championship in 1979 where he scored the game-winning goal, was a member of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team, and scored the game-winning goal in the New Jersey Devils' Stanley Cup clinching game in 1995.

For more on Broten click here.

Here are three videos of these three great moments:

(Look for Broten on the ice around the 1:04 mark. He's wearing #9.)

Kinkaid Leaves Union For NHL

2011-04-17T16:03:00.001-04:00

It was reported late Friday that Union sophomore goaltender Keith Kinkaid had signed (or made a verbal commitment) with the New Jersey Devils. In doing so, he will forgo his final two years at Union. The agreement is not official.

Personally, I think Keith should have stayed one more year because I feel he needs to prove himself in the playoffs a little more. It's not that he's played poorly in the playoffs, but he's 2-5 all-time in post-season play. He's never really stolen a game in the playoffs.

But, I also think that signing with the Devils might be the best place for him to sign for a few reasons:

1. Keith is from Long Island (he's an Islanders fan), so he will be comfortable playing on the East Coast. The Devils' minor league teams play in Albany and Trenton. It will be cool for Union fans to see Keith play just a 30 minutes away from Schenectady (that is if he's assigned to Albany).
2. The Devils' goaltending is very thin. In New Jersey, starting goaltender Martin Brodeur is 38 years old and backup goaltender Johan Hedberg is 37. So, there will be vacancies to fill in New Jersey very soon. In Albany, Jeff Frazee, Mike McKenna, and Dave Caruso saw playing time this season (click here to view stats). Frazee will turn 24 in May and has played three full seasons in the AHL and has never appeared in an NHL game. McKenna just turned 28 and has appeared in 17 NHL games in his career, including two this season with the Devils. Caruso will turn 29 in June and has spent most of his pro career in the ECHL (below the AHL). So, what I'm saying is that the guys in Jersey are getting old and the guys under them are nothing special, so this will be a great path for Keith to reach the NHL.
3. The Devils organization (or at least the top team) is known for playing great defense. In most seasons, the Devils are one of the top teams in the NHL in goals against average. A part of this is obviously Martin Brodeur, but the Devils also play a tough defensive game. It's always attractive for a goalie to go to a team that plays consistently tough defense.

For more check out:
HF Boards
Sachem Patch
Ken Schott's Blog
College Hockey News

So, this brings us to the next question: Who will take over in goal for Kinkaid?

Well, you have freshman Troy Grosenick and incoming freshman Julien LaPlante. Grosenick appeared in three games for Union this season, and started one (the tie at home vs. UConn early in the year). LaPlante had a very good year in the AJHL with the Bonnyville Pontiacs, posting a 28-13-8 record with a 2.09 GAA and .925 save percentage. It will probably be up to these two guys to take over for Keith, unless Coach Leaman has something else up his sleeve. From what I've heard, Grosenick is a very capable goaltender and will be a good NCAA goaltender, so I have faith in him.

Colin Stevens, who is supposed to be an excellent goaltender, is slated to come to Union in 2012-2013. Leaman could always see if Stevens wants to come early. But, I really don't see that happening.

This also brings up another question: Who will be the third goaltender? (assuming Stevens doesn't come early)

Most teams carry three goaltenders. In my four years, Leaman has carried four goaltenders except for the small portion of the 2008-2009 season after Brett Bothwell left midseason, leaving Corey Milan and Rich Sillery as the only goaltenders. I find it very difficult to recruit a goaltender to come to Union to become the third string goalie, and I don't think you can transfer without sitting out a year. It is important to carry a third goalie because of injuries. If your starter gets hurt, you need insurance behind your second string goalie just in case he gets injured or overworked.

So, what's my solution: Kyle Anderson.

Who is Kyle Anderson you ask? He's currently a junior at Union and is the top goaltender on Union's club hockey team. Anderson put up good numbers, but it's not entirely sure what they are because the ACHA's stats are not entirely reliable (click here). In 2008, Anderson won the New York State Championship with Massena. He, along with teammate and current Union freshman Matt Hatch, were named to the all-tournament team. The importance Kyle (or any third goalie) would play would be to take the work load off of Grosenick and LaPlante during practice, so they don't get overworked and can take the occasional day off. It might be a stretch, but it's an idea.

Frozen Four: Day 3

2011-04-15T14:18:00.001-04:00

I know this is VERY late, but I figured I post these pictures and videos anyways.

Congrats to UMD on winning the national championship. I guess it was the best case scenario after Union's season ended. Even though a part of me thinks that it could have been Union. The Bulldogs had a very easy route to the championship (2 ECAC teams, no Boston College or North Dakota, etc.), but you still have to win.

Anyways, enjoy these pictures and videos from my final day in Minnesota:

Inside the Mall of America... It had an amusement park!

The mall had a store dedicated to Minnesota (and North Dakota) college hockey

On a ride in the MOA with my brother Adam

Mickey's Dining Car... like in the Mighty Ducks movies

Inside Mickey's... it was an "interesting "experience"

Outside the Xcel Energy Center

At the Frozen Four fan fest

There was live music, and lots of food and beer

The Frozen Four banners hanging throughout St. Paul

A jersey from Harvard's national championship in 1989... the last time an ECAC team won the tournament

UMD's skating cheerleaders and mascot... we need to get some!

UMD celebrates the national championship

More celebration with the trophy

UMD player celebrates with the fans

Coach Leaman Named AHCA Men's Division I Coach of the Year

2011-04-13T14:59:00.000-04:00

It was announced today that Union coach Nate Leaman has been named the recipient of the Spencer Penrose Award, which is given to the Division I Coach of the Year by the American Hockey Coaches Association.

The last ECAC coach to receive this award was St. Lawrence's Joe Marsh in 2000.

Leaman accomplished so much this season including a program record 26 wins, 17 conference wins, and of course Union's first Cleary Cup and NCAA Tournament berth. What he has done over the past eight seasons is absolutely amazing. He took a dormant program and made them into a national contender.

For more on Leaman and the award go to Union Athletics.com.

This award just adds another thing to his resume that makes him even more enticing to bigger programs. There have been mixed reports on whether Leaman is looking a certain jobs, especially the Providence job. A few days ago, Ken Schott reported that Leaman denied being a candidate for the Friars head coaching job, but today College Hockey News reported that he was in Providence and was a finalist for the job.

Despite these conflicting reports, I really believe that Leaman will be staying at Union. From the small rumors that I've heard, it sounds like he plans on staying. Also, if Coach Leaman says he's not interested in the Providence job, then I believe he's not interested. He is a class act and I truly believe he would never lie about something like that. A part of me thinks that CHN reported wrong, and Coach Bennett is actually a finalist for the job. But, you have to take their report in to account.

Anyways, congrats Coach on the award and on a great season!

College Hockey Video of the Week (4/11/11): Minnesota-Duluth Wins First National Championship

2011-04-11T09:43:00.001-04:00

Well, the 2010-2011 college hockey season has officially come to an end. The final game of the season was classic as the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs beat the Michigan Wolverines 3-2 in overtime for the national championship. The season finale was a classic and very emotional for both teams. It was definitely one of the most memorable college hockey games I ever attended.

Here are highlights from the game including interviews from UMD players Justin Faulk (who was my favorite player of the tournament), Jack "Peroxide Jesus" Connolly, and Kyle Schmidt (who scored the GWG):

Also, to find out why Schmidt was the only Bulldog not to bleach his hair click here.

Frozen Four 2011: Day 2

2011-04-09T01:59:00.000-04:00

Today was the "off day" of the Frozen Four weekend, so all the hockey fans had a free day to do what they pleased. We, along with many other college hockey fans, decided to attend Opening Day for the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. I saw a decent amount of North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth fan, and one RPI an RIT fan.

I'm a huge baseball junky (I wrote my senior thesis on the Montreal Expos), and have attend a ton of baseball games throughout the country so I had a great time checking out a new stadium and just watching the game. Target Fied opened up last year and is considered to be one of the best stadiums in baseball. I thought the stadium was nice. I really liked all the granite and some of the touches around the stadium, but I still think stadiums such as Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia) and Comerica Park (Detroit) were better. I also wasn't too impressed with the food selection. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the awesome food at CitiField (NY Mets). It was a boring games as the A's scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning and held on to the 1-0 lead until the bottom of the 8th when the Twins scored two runs before Joe Nathan secured the 2-1 victory for the home team in the 9th. I had never been to an Opening Day before, so I thought there would be a festive feeling at the stadium, but that was not the case. The team did honor some legends and did some ceremonies, but besides that it really didn't feel like Opening Day.

For a late dinner tonight we went to Joe Senser's, which is a sports bar/restaurant right down the street from our hotel in Bloomington (click here). They had some interesting burgers and a decent beer selection. I enjoyed watching the end of the Wild-Oilers game on the big TVs.

Today was also a big day in college hockey as the Hobey Baker and Humanitarian Awards were announced. Miami's Andy Miele won the Hobey (click here), while Boston College's Brooks Dyroff won the Humanitarian Award (click here). Also, as reported before, the All-American teams were announced (click here).

Tomorrow is the last full day of the Frozen Four. Our plan is to head to the Mall of America for a bit and then stop at Mickey's Dining Car before heading to the championship game. It should be an interesting game. I have no idea who I think will win.

Here are some pictures and videos I took at Target Field today:

Outside Target Field

Statue of Rod Carew

View from Right Field

Another view from Right Field

The view from our seats

The Opening Day ceremonies

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