SCHENECTADY, NY  - No. 14/13 Union men's ice hockey (14-6-6, 8-3-3 ECAC Hockey) will close out the month of January against St. Lawrence (8-14-3, 4-8-1 ECAC Hockey), tonight, looking to continue its success against its North Country rivals. After last night's 5-2 win over Clarkson, Union has won nine straight games against Clarkson. Junio forward Kyle Bodie had a goal and two assists, and sophomore goaltender Troy Grosenick made 30 saves to lead the Dutchmen.

Union has a six-game winning streak against St. Lawrence, which fell to RPI last night, 4-0 at Houston Field House. St. Lawrence goaltender Robby Moss made his sixth appearance in net for the Saints, stopping 20 of 24 shots. The Saints are 0-6-1 in their last seven ECAC Hockey contests, and 1-4-3 in their last eight contests overall.

Pacing the Dutchmen                                                           
Sophomore forward Daniel Carr has points in nine of his last 11 games (six goals, five assists). Senior forward Kelly Zajac has points in eight straight games (goal, 10 assists). Junior forward Jeremy Welsh has 15 points (11 goals, four assists) in the last 15 games and has scored a goal in nine of his last 15 contests. Welsh leads the team with 17 goals and entered the weekend as one of eight players in the nation with 17 or more goals. Sophomore defenseman Mat Bodie (six goals, 15 assists), has points in eight of his last 11 games (four goals, five assists).  

Grosenick Leading the Nation in Net                                                              
Sophomore goaltender Troy Grosenick, who entered the season with just one career start, is in he midst of a standout season in net for the Dutchmen in 2011-12. Grosenick, who has started 22 of 26 games in net for Union, leads the nation in goals-against average (1.66) and save percentage (.937), and is tied for fifth in shutouts (3).

The Home Stretch                                                                      
Over the past two seasons, Union has made a habit of playing their best hockey in January and February, when Union traditionally has a lengthy stretch of ECAC Hockey contests. The Dutchmen will play nine of its final 15 games this season, all ECAC Hockey contests, at Messa Rink. Union is 4-1-1 in six games in the month of January. In 2010-11 and 2009-10 combined, the Dutchmen compiled a 13-3-1 record in January and February at Messa Rink in ECAC Hockey contests.

Home Is Where The Heart Is
Dating back to the beginning of last season, the Dutchmen have an impressive record (18-3-5) in their last 26 regular season home games at Messa Rink. Not including exhibition contests, the Dutchmen are 143-136-43 all-time at home.
 
The Union-Clarkson Series           
In a series that dates back to Jan. 23, 1923, the Golden Knights own a 27-18-5 advantage, including a 26-17-5 DI mark, over the Dutchmen. Union has won the last eight meetings, outscoring Clarkson 45-14.

Its last loss against Clarkson came on Jan. 23, 2009 in overtime at Cheel Arena.  The Dutchmen are 12-12-4 all-time against Clarkson at Messa Rink.

The Union-SLU Series           
Since Feb. 22, 1929, the Saints have posted a 33-22-2 record against the Dutchmen with a 29-18-0 Division I mark. Friday's game will be the 58th meeting all-time between the two teams. Union has won the last six games against St. Lawrence, including a 2-0 win at Appleton Arena in November. Union is 11-14-2 all time against St. Lawrence at Messa Rink, but has won three of the last four meetings at home.

Scouting St. Lawrence               
Junior forward Kyle Flanagan is in the midst of his best season, despite missing eight games midway through the year with an upper body injury. Flanagan has 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) in 17 games this season. Sophomore forward Greg Carey (seven goals, 14 assists) and freshman forward Chris Martin (eight goals, seven assists) have provided consistant scoring for the Saints

Sophomore goaltender Matt Weninger has played in all but four games this season, and is 7-11-3 with a 3.04 GAA and .899 save percentage.

Entering the weekend, the Saints had allowed a power play goal in all but five contests this season and are 78.0% (47th NCAA) on the penalty kill. St. Lawrence is converting at 20.2% (20th NCAA) on the power play. St. Lawrence head coach Joe Marsh continues his leave of absence from the team to deal with a medical issue. Associate head coach Mike Hurlbut is behind the bench in his absence.

The Last Meeting                        
On Nov. 4, 2011, junior forwards Wayne Simpson and Jeremy Welsh both scored power play goals to help Union earn a 2-0 win over St. Lawrence in the league opener for the Dutchmen.

Union went a perfect eight-for-eight on the penalty kill, and sophomore goaltender Troy Grosenick stopped 27 shots for his second shutout of the season to help the Dutchmen earn the win. Union finished two-for-seven on the night with the man advantage.

With a 1-0 lead in the first period, the Dutchmen converted on a 5-on-3 power play late in the third period to take a commanding lead. Sophomore defenseman Mat Bodie fed cross-ice to Welsh, who fired a one-timer into the net at 11:51. Junior forward Wayne Simpson gave the Dutchmen a 1-0 lead on their second power play opportunity of the contest. With St Lawrence's Jeremy Wick in the penalty box for elbowing, junior forward Kyle Bodie won a faceoff back to Simpson.

Simpson stepped into the shooting lane and fired a wrist shot over the shoulder of Weninger at the 10:12 mark. The Dutchmen killed off three penalties in the first period, as Grosenick and the Union penalty kill unit were up to the task. St. Lawrence's Patrick Doherty appeared to tie the game at the 16:13 mark, but a video review confirmed that Doherty kicked the puck past Grosenick, and Union maintained its 1-0 lead. Union continued its solid play on the penalty kill in the second period, killing off a Kevin Sullivan interference call at 7:57 and a Cole Ikkala roughing call at 11:08, both on hits in the neutral zone.