SCHENECTADY, NY – The ECAC Hockey Preseason Coaches' and Media polls selected the Union College men's ice hockey team to finish second in the conference, the league announced Wednesday during the ECAC Hockey Men's Media Teleconference Call. Union head coach
Rick Bennett was featured, along with the 11 other ECACH coaches, taking questions from media members around the nation.
Union set school records for overall wins (26) and conference wins (17) en route to the school's first Cleary Cup (ECAC regular season title) and first NCAA Division I tournament berth. The Dutchmen went 14-1-1 in their final 16 regular season games to clinch the league title. Union led the nation in power play efficiency with a 29.5%.
The Dutchmen return six of their top seven scorers from a season ago in 2011-12. Leading the unit will be senior forward
Kelly Zajac, who led the team in scoring last season with 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists) in 40 games. Junior forward
Jeremy Welsh (16 goals, 27 assists) returns along with sophomores
Daniel Carr (20 goals, 15 assists) and
Josh Jooris (nine goals, 23 assists).
Union returns most of the key players from its record setting defense as well in 2011-12, a group that will be led by senior
Nolan Julseth-White as well as sophomore
Mat Bodie. Bodie, an ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team selection, shattered Mike Schreiber's ('10) school single season records for points and assists by a defenseman by recording 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) in 40 games last season.
Union, which opens play on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7:05 p.m. against Army, earned its highest preseason poll selection in program history. A year ago, the Dutchmen were selected to finish third in both polls.
ECAC Hockey Media Poll
1) Yale (25)
2) Union (11)
3) Cornell (5)
4) Dartmouth (1)
5) Rensselaer
6) Quinnipiac
7) Princeton
8) St. Lawrence
9) Clarkson
10) Colgate
11) Brown
12) Harvard
ECAC Hockey Media All-Conference Team
James Mello - Dartmouth (G)
Brian O'Neill - Yale (F)
Andrew Miller - Yale (F)
Greg Carey - St. Lawrence (F)
Danny Biega - Harvard (D)
Nick Bailen - Rensselaer (D)
ECAC Hockey Coaches' Poll
1) Yale (9)
2) Union (2)
3) Cornell
4) Rensselaer
5) Dartmouth
6) Quinnipiac (1)
7) Harvard
8) Princeton
9) St. Lawrence
10) Colgate
11) Clarkson
12) Brown
ECAC Hockey Coaches' All-Conference Team
James Mello - Dartmouth (G)
Brian O'Neill -Yale (F)
Andrew Miller -Yale (F)
Jack MacClellan - Brown (F)
Danny Biega - Harvard (D)
Nick Bailen - Rensselaer (D)
