SCHENECTADY, NY - No. 10 Union men's ice hockey (3-1-1, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) concludes a stretch of five games away from Messa Rink with a trip down Route 7 to face ECAC Hockey rival Rensselaer (1-1-2, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) in the conference opener for both teams. Friday night will mark the 84th meeting between the two teams as the Engineers are the most common opponent that Union has faced in program history. The Dutchmen are 7-1-1 in their last nine games at Houston Field House and have not lost a contest in regulation at RPI since a 5-1 setback on Jan. 9, 2004. Since the beginning of the 2004-05 season, Union is 18-4-4 against RPI, including an 8-1-1 record in the last 10 meetings between the two teams. Union won all five games last season.
»Union in ECAC Hockey Openers
After a five year winless streak in conference openers from 2005-2009, Union has won its ECAC Hockey opening game in each of the last two season. This marks the first time that Union has opened up ECAC Hockey play with RPI since the 2000-01 season, when Union won 4-2 on Nov., 4, 2000 at Messa Rink.
»Last Time Out
Senior defenseman Greg Coburn scored at 13:47 of the third period to help Union men's hockey rally for a 2-2 tie against Connecticut in front of 946 fans at Freitas Ice Forum on Oct. 27. Senior forward Wayne Simpson added a goal in the first period for the Dutchmen and junior goaltender Troy Grosenick made 21 stops in net. UConn's Brant Harris broke a 1-1 tie in the third period, scoring on a wrap-around at the 7:45 mark to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead. With Union pressing for the tying score junior forward Josh Jooris won an offensive zone faceoff back to Coburn, who fired a long wrist shot over the shoulder of UConn goaltender Garrett Bartus to even the score.
»Special Teams Success
The Dutchmen are off to a solid start in special teams play, one year fielding a power play which ranked fourth in the nation with a 24.2% efficiency rate and penalty kill unit which finished the season 12th in the nation at 84.5%. Union has scored eight power play goals over the past four games, while allowing just two power play goals on the season. Through four games, Union is 17-for-19 (89.5%) on the penalty kill and 8-for-24 (33.3%) on the power play.
»Road Warriors
Union has established itself as one of college hockey's toughest road teams over the past two seasons. Union is 14-5-4 in true road contests since the start of the 2011-12 season. The Dutchmen are 12-2-2 in their last 16 ECAC Hockey road contests, dating back to the end of the 2010-11 season. Union will play 20 contests away from Messa Rink during the 2012-13 regular season, including a season-long eight game stretch from Dec. 7-Jan. 12. The Dutchmen are currently in the midst of a five-game stretch away from home, their second longest road swing of the season.
»The Capital Skates Trophy
A Capital Skates trophy was added for the second Capital Skates Classic in 1997 to add significance to the game. The Capital Skates Trophy features two skates, originally ordered for former Rensselaer forward Mauro DiPaulo, on top of an octagon-shaped base.
One of the laces for the skates is cherry (for Rensselaer) and the other garnet (for Union). In front of the skates are three pucks, one with a Union logo, one a Rensselaer logo and the third displaying the name of the trophy.
Union is attempting to retain the Capital Skates Trophy for the ninth straight year, the longest run since the trophy was first awarded in 1996. The trophy is awarded to the team that accumulates the most points each year in the Union-RPI series.
»A Memorable Playoff Series
Last season, Union and RPI met in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals on March 9-10, 2012 at Messa Rink, the fourth time in the history of both programs that the two teams met in the league playoffs.
Union won Games 1 and 2 to take the series in two hard-fought contests. In Game 1, Union rallied from an early deficit, as Greg Coburn scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on the power play in the second period to help the Dutchmen earn a 3-2 win.
In Game 2, RPI rallied back from a 2-0 hole with two goals in 1:33 late in the second period. RPI got on the board at 15:03, as Brock Higgs scored on a drive from the bottom of left circle, with assists from CJ Jee and Cullen. Just 1:33 later, after a hitting from behind penalty on senior forward Kelly Zajac at 15:21, the Engineers tied it at 2-2 on a pretty tip in front by Bergin, who tipped in the pass from Higgs.
But Kevin Sullivan scored twice for Union, once at 17:37 of the second period, and again at 5:58 of the third period to help Union clinch the series victory on their way to the program's first Whitelaw Cup.
»The Union-RPI Series
Union's biggest rival owns a 45-28-10 overall record against the Dutchmen, including a 29-25-9 Division I mark. However, Union has gone 7-1-1 in the last nine outings, including a 5-0 showing last year.
All-time against the Engineers, the Dutchmen are 9-23-5 in road contests against Rensselaer, but are 7-1-1 in their last nine contests at Houston Field House.
»Scouting RPI
Top Returning Players: Jr. F Brock Higgs (3 goals, 20 assists), Sr. D Nick Bailen (7 goals, 15 assists), Sr. F C.J. Lee (8 goals, 10 assists), So. F Ryan Haggerty (7 goals, 8 assists), Sr. F Marty O'Grady (6 goals, 7 assists), Sr. G Bryce Merriam (31 GP, 10-19-2, 2.36 GAA, .908 save %)
Top Departing Players: Sr. F Patrick Cullen (6 goals, 8 assists), Sr. D Mike Bergin (2 goals, 8 assists), Sr. F Joel Malchuk (7 goals, 1 assist), Sr. F Alex Anders-Goulet (2 goals, 3 assists)
Synopsis: Union played RPI five times in the 2011-12 season and won all five meetings – an unprecedented achievement in the Route 7 Rivalry.
The Engineers struggled mightily on offense to start the season – at one point scoring a goal or less in seven straight contests. But RPI righted the ship in the second half, finishing the season 9-8-3 in its final 20 games.
At 1-1-2, the Engineers are off to a solid start, including a win and a tie against nationally-ranked Ferris State in their season-opening series at Houston Field House on Oct. 12-13.
After a disappointing 2011-12 campaign in which RPI finished 12-24-3 overall, the Engineers are scoring at higher rate this season, and have been excellent on special teams
