SCHENECTADY, NY - No. 13/13 Union (9-4-4, 3-2-3 ECAC Hockey) continues a stretch of seven weeks away from Messa Rink with a two game series at Lake Superior State (10-10-0, 7-7-0 CCHA), starting on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. Union snapped a season-high five game winless streak on Sunday with a 4-1 win over Merrimack to close out the Catamount Cup in Burlington, VT.
Senior forward Wayne Simpson had a goal and two assists, and Kyle Bodie added a goal and an assist to lead the Dutchmen, who scored all four of their goals in the third period. The Lakers entered their holiday break on a three-game winning streak, including a 1-0 win at then No. 3 Miami on Dec. 7, and a two-game series sweep at home (3-0, 3-1) against Northern Michigan on Dec. 14-15.
The Last Time Out...
Senior forwards Wayne Simpson had a goal and two assists, senior forward Kyle Bodie had a goal and an assist, and sophomore forward Daniel Ciampini scored the go-ahead goal in a four-goal third period for the Dutchmen as Union earned a 4-1 win over Merrimack at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
Junior forward Daniel Carr also scored, and sophomore goaltender Colin Stevens made 20 saves in net for Union. With the win the Dutchmen snapped a five-game winless streak (0-2-3), its longest since the 2007-08 season.
Union Against The CCHA
Union played five contests against CCHA opponents in 2011-12, finishing the season 2-1-2 in those games, with the lone loss to Ferris State (3-1) in the Frozen Four.
Union swept an early season road series (5-3, 4-1) at Bowling Green on Oct. 12-13. The 2012-13 campaign will mark the CCHA's final season of existence before the conference disbands. Union is 12-11-5 all-time against CCHA teams.
Wayne Simpson Two Points From Union College Century Club
Union has two players nearing 100 career points. Senior forward Wayne Simpson (98 points) and junior forward Daniel Carr (90 points) could become the ninth and tenth players to join the Union College Century Club in the Division I era this season. On Sunday against Merrimack, Simpson had a goal and two assists in the third period to help the Dutchmen earn a 4-1 win over the Warriors.
Union Looks To Continue Trend of Solid Second Half Play
Over the past three seasons, Union has played its best hockey of the season after the Christmas holiday. Since the 2009-10 season, Union is 47-20-3 in games played after Dec. 25, with winning streaks of at least five games in each of those campaigns.
Scouting Lake Superior St.
Top Players (2012-13 stats): Sr. F Nick McParland (5 goals, 11 assists), Sr. F Domenic Monardo (6 goals, 8 assists), So. F Chris Ciotti (8 goals, 4 assists), Jr. D Zach Sternberg (2 goals, 9 assists), Jr. G Kevin Murdock (6-6-0, 1.94 GAA, .941 Save %)
Top Departed Players (2011-12 stats): Sr. D Tyler Hanes (6 goals, 17 assists), Sr. F Fred Cassiani (7 goals, 15 assists), Sr. D Kyle Pobur (1 goal, 1 assist)
Synopsis: Lake Superior St. spent a good portion of last season in the USCHO.com Top-20 and returned virtually all of its key players from a season ago and finished the first half of the season at 10-10-0 (7-7-0 CCHA). The Lakers have gotten outstanding goaltending from junior Kevin Murdock, who entered the season with just 10 career games played. Murdock is 16th in the nation with a 1.94 goals-against average and 7th with a .941 save percentage. Lake Superior St. enters the series on a season high three game-winning streak, allowing just one goal in that span. Top scorers Nick McParland amd Domenic Monardo were both in the lineup when Union and Lake Superior State last met in 2009.
The Union-Lake Superior St. Series
Union and Lake Superior State have met once in the Division I era, at the 2009 RPI Invitational Tournament at Houston Field House. In that contest, Union and Lake Superior St. played to a 0-0 draw, Union's fourth scoreless tie in the Division I era. The game was decided in a shootout to determine who would advance in the tournament, and Union's Mario Valery-Trabucco scored the lone goal to help the Dutchmen advance to the championship game against RPI, which they won the following night, 5-4, in overtime.
