TROY, NY – Riding the wave of an eight-game unbeaten streak, the 20th-ranked Union College men's ice hockey team concludes the portion of its 2009 ECAC Hockey slate with a 7 p.m. contest at cross-town foe Rensselaer on Wednesday, Dec. 9. The game is the third of four against the two clubs and Union's last trip to Houston Field House resulted in a 5-4 win, giving it the RPI Holiday Tournament title.

 

Fans can listen to the action on WRUC 89.7 FM or on Teamline.cc with Matt Dubrey and Brian Unger '93 providing the action. Live stats can be followed at sidearmstats.com/rpi/mhockey and live video can be seen at B2tv.com (search RPI).

 

Union, which beat RPI, 5-4, in overtime on Nov. 28 to claim the RPI Holiday Tournament title, is unbeaten in eight-straight games with a 4-0-4 record and remains the only team in ECAC Hockey without a loss. The Dutchmen's 1-0-1 record last weekend made their streak the second longest all-time in the team's Division I history. Only the 1993-94 team had a long span when they went on a ten-game ride, going 8-0-2. The six-game ECAC Hockey streak ranks third all-time just behind the team's seven-straight wins during the 2007-08 season and its 7-0-2 run in 1993-94.

 

The Dutchmen's winning percentage of .633 through 15 games is the highest all-time in program history. Union's seven wins is tied for the second most after 15 games. Last season the team had eight wins at this point.

 

The team ranks in the top 15 in the country in six statistical categories. The Dutchmen are 13 for scoring offense (3.40) and scoring margin (0.80). They are tied for 13 for winning percentage (0.633) and tied for 16th for scoring defense (2.60). Union ranks 15th for power play (21.7) and is tied for third for the nation's longest unbeaten streak (8).

 

After producing five points (2g-3a) in the first eight games, senior forward Jason Walters has come alive with 11 points (4g-7a) in his last six outings. His six-game scoring streak is the longest of the season for any Dutchman and the longest of his career. For the year, Walters has registered six goals and eight assists for 14 points – second on the team. In the faceoff circle, Walters leads the team with 116 wins and is winning 58.6 percent of his draws.

 

Senior forward Mario Valery-Trabucco is having a career year with a team-high seven goals, 11 assists and 18 points through 14 games. He is only 11 points away from tying his career high for points, which he set last season with 29 in 28 games. Trabucco has registered at least one point in nine games this season and has registered three points in an outing twice. The Dutchmen are 4-1-2 this season and 23-8-4 all-time when he scores a goal.