SCHENECTADY, NY -- In a three-way tie for second place in ECAC Hockey standings, the Union College men's ice hockey team welcomes Clarkson and St. Lawrence to Messa Rink this weekend for a pair of games. Friday's contest against the Golden Knights, which will be televised nationally on the NHL Network, will begin at 7:07 p.m., while Saturday's game against the Saints will start at 7 p.m. Tickets for both contests can be purchased at
UnionAthleticsTickets.com
Union (13-7-6) is in a three-way tie for second place in the ECAC Hockey standings with a 7-3-4 record (18 pts.). Clarkson (5-18-3) enters the weekend in 12th place with a 1-11-2 mark (4 pts.), while St. Lawrence (14-9-4) joins Union in second place with a 8-4-2 record (18 pts.).
Friday's contests will be televised locally on Time Warner Sports Ch. 3 and nationally on the NHL Network. Matt Dubrey and Dan Fridgen will provide the coverage, while Brian Unger '93 and Adam Ullman will have the call on WRUC 89.7 FM and online at Teamline.cc. Dubrey and Unger reunite on Saturday for the radio broadcast.
Live stats and
video for both contests can be accessed at UnionAthletics.com. Scoring updates will be available on Twitter at
@UnionHockey.
The Dutchmen have played in a program-high 11 overtime games this season, going 3-2-6 in those games. Senior
Jason Walters has two game-winners with OT tallies at RPI on Nov. 28 (5-4) and at Army on Jan. 2 (2-1). Sophomore
Luke Cain netted his first goal of the season, giving Union a win at 12th-ranked Quinnipac on Jan. 9 (2-1).
Entering the weekend, the Dutchmen find themselves near the top in several statistical categories within ECAC Hockey. They lead the conference for points (232) and goals (87) and are second for assists (145). Union's power-play (20.8) is fourth, while its goals-against average (2.46) is second and its save percentage (.911) is tied for third.
Walters and senior forward
Mario Valery-Trabucco are tied for fourth for points (28). Watlers is tied for sixth for goals (13), while Trabucco is 10th for goals (12) and tied for fifth for assists (16). Leading all defensemen in points (21) is senior
Mike Schreiber. In the plus-minus category, Union has a strong hold on the top four spots with Schreiber ranking first (+19) and Trabucco placing second (+15) and Walters fourth (+13).
>> Scouting Clarkson
Clarkson is on a six-game losing streak and has gone 1-8-1 in its last 10 games. The Golden Knights' last victory came on Jan. 8 when they knocked off Alabama-Huntsville 3-1 at home.
Senior forward Matt Beca has led the offensive charge with 25 points, including a team-high 13 goals. Junior forward Scott Freeman is the team's assist leader with 15, while junior forward Brandon DeFazio is the go-to power-play man with five man-up tallies.
Sophomore and St. Louis Blues prospect Paul Karpowich has played 20 games in net with a 4-13-3 record. For the year he has posted a 3.74 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage.
>> The Union - Clarkson Series
In a series that dates back to Jan. 23, 1923, the Golden Knights own a 27-14-5 advantage, including a 26-13-5 DI mark, over the Dutchmen.
In the last five outings, Union has posted a 4-1-0 record with its only loss coming on Jan. 23, 2009 in overtime at Clarkson. Union rebounded for a must-win regular season game (2-1) on Feb. 28. The Dutchmen then hosted the Golden Knights for the first round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs, sweeping the series (5-3 and 7-2) on Mar. 6-7. The win was the first playoff series victory for the Dutchmen's Division I history.
Union is 10-12-4 when hosting Clarkson and 9-12-4 at Messa Rink.
>> Scouting St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence is coming off a 3-2 overtime win at Colgate on Saturday -- a day after it lost at Cornell 2-1 thanks to a late goal. The Saints, who have 11 players with 10 or more points, are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and 3-1-1 in their last five.
Senior forward Travis Vermeulen leads the team with 16 points, including a team-high 11 goals and 15 assists. This season he has potted four power-play goals and three game-winners.
Joining him with 20-plus points is senior Mike McKenzie, who has registered 20 points with six goals and 14 assists.
In goal, senior Kain Tisi has seen the majority of time, playing 17 games and posting a 8-4-2 record. This season he has registered a 1.99 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage.
>> The Union – St. Lawrence Series
Since Feb. 22, 1929, the Saints have posted a 33-17-2 record against the Dutchmen with a 29-13-0 Division I mark.
Saturday's game will be the 52nd meeting all-time between the two teams. Union is 3-2-0 against St. Lawrence in the last five with the Saints claiming both contests a season ago.
Union is 8-12-0 when hosting St. Lawrence and
6-11-0 at Messa Rink.
>>Next Up for Union
The Dutchmen return to the road on Friday, Feb. 12 when they go to Dartmouth (6-15-0, 4-10-0) and on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Harvard (5-11-3, 5-6-3). Both contests are slated for 7 p.m. starts.
