Game Notes
SCHENECTADY, NY – It has been a week of giving back for the Union College men's ice hockey squad.
On Tuesday the team served Thanksgiving dinner at the Schenectady YMCA. On Friday the Dutchmen open its doors for free to members of the armed services with a military ID. Friday also marks the first day of the Union Athletics/Marine Corps' annual “Toys for Tots” toy drive. Fans are encouraged bring unwrapped toys to Messa Rink before any of the Dutchmen's home games before the New Year.
This weekend the Dutchmen (4-4-1) will try and give themselves a gift as they go against Army (3-7-1) on Friday and Providence (2-9-1) on Saturday. Both non-league outings will begin at 7 p.m. at Messa.
Union fans can follow the game through online with
live stats,
live video,
live audio. They can also catch the action by tuning into WRUC FM 89.7.
Union enters the weekend with a 3-1-1 record in non-league games. Two of the three wins, however, have come against ECAC Hockey teams in contest not counting towards the standings (Quinnipiac, 6-5 OT, and Colgate, 4-2). Union has outscored its opponents 23-20 and own a +29 rating as a team in those games. Sophomore goaltender
Corey Milan has played in all five non-ECACH games, posting a 2.31 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. Union's last loss to a non-conference team at Messa Rink was against Nebraska-Omaha (4-2) on Dec. 15, 2007. The Dutchmen's only non-conference loss this season: Nebraska-Omaha (2-1 OT) in the Mutual of Omaha Stampede Championship Game on Oct. 18.
Junior forward
Jason Walters was named to the ECAC Hockey Weekly Honor Roll, the league announced on Nov. 17. Walters, who was named to the honor roll for the first time this season, tallied a goal in each of the Dutchmen's contest last weekend. He scored Union's second goal against Quinnipiac in the second period to make it 3-2 and registered his team's goal against Princeton to make the score 3-1. Walters, who is currently on a season-long three game scoring streak, is tied for fifth on the team with three points and tied for second with two goals.
So far this season Union has been led by a couple of sophomores. Forwards
Stéphane Boileau and
Adam Presizniuk lead the team with eight and seven points, respectively. The duo has combined for 25 percent of the team's points.
Boileau has tallied a team-high five assists and is tied for second with three goals. Presizniuk leads the team with four goals and is tied for second with three assists. Both players have registered at least one point in three of Union's four wins this season. In Union's 6-5 victory on opening night against Quinnipiac, they both registered a season-high three points. Boileau leads the team with two game-winning goals, while Presizniuk is second with a +4 rating.
The Black Knights are on a three-game skid and most recently lost two games at Mercyhurst on Friday (6-2) and Saturday (6-3). Their last win came on Nov. 16 at RIT (5-3). Junior forward Owen Meyer and sophomore forward Cody Omilusik lead Army with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Meyer is Atlantic Hockey Conference's leading league goal scorer with eight tallies, while Omilusik is second on the team with six.
Between the pipes, senior Josh Kassel has seen the majority of action. In eight games, he has posted a 4.12 goals-against average, .861 save percentage and a 2-6-0 record. Sophomore Jay Clark has played four games with a 3.23 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and a 1-1-1 record.
Friday's contest will be the 28th meeting between the schools all-time and the 11th since Union made the transition to Division I during the 1991-92 season. Overall Army leads 14-12-2, but Union had the DI advantage with a 9-1-1 record. The first contest between the two schools was in 1924, where Army prevailed 6-2. The Black Knights had won the first nine contest played, but most recently the Dutchmen have won seven straight. Union has not lost to Army since Nov. 7, 1992 when Army won 6-5 in Schenectady. In the Dutchmen's 10-game unbeaten streak against the Black Knights, Union has oustcored Army 45-15. In the last 10 games, Union has limited Army to two goals or fewer seven times, while scoring three goals or more eight times.
The Friars are on a seven-game winless streak with its last victory coming on Oct. 25 against Holy Cross (6-4). Last weekend they lost to UMass-Lowell (6-1) and New Hampshire (4-2). Providence is lead by freshman forward Matt Bergland, who has 12 points behind three goals and nine assists. His nine assists tie for six in the Hockey East Conference.
Senior forward Matt Taormina and forward John Cavanagh are second and third on the team with eight and seven points. Taormina has three goals and five assists, while Cavanagh has a team-high four goals and three assists. Providence has three NHL draft picks on its team: senior forward Pierce Norton (Toronto), junior defenseman Mark Fayne (New Jersey) and sophomore defenseman Joe Lavin (Chicago).
In goal freshman Justin Gates has played 10 games, posting a 3.98 goals-against average, a .849 save-percentage and a 1-7-1 record.
In a series that began during the 1994-95 season, Providence owns a 7-1-1 record and is unbeaten in the last six outings. Union's senior class has only played one contest against PC, which was last season (Dec. 7) and the Friars won 5-2. Union is 1-1-1 against Providence in Messa Rink and is unbeaten in the last two home games. The last time the two teams met in Schenectady, they skated to a 4-4 tie on Nov. 20, 2000.
