SCHENECTADY, NY - No. 19/RV Union (17-12-5, 10-8-4 ECAC Hockey) returns to action this weekend in an ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal series against Dartmouth (15-12-5, 9-9-4). Union, the No. 4 seed, and Dartmouth, the No. 5 seed, will meet for the first time in postseason play. The Big Green is coming off of a first round series win against No. 12 seed Harvard, needing a 6-3 win over the Crimson in a deciding Game 3 on Sunday afternoon to advance past the first round. In that contest, Brad Schierhorn had two goals and an assist, Alex Goodship had three assists and Charles Grant made 28 saves to help Dartmouth earn the victory. Union clinched home ice in the ECAC Hockey playoffs with wins over St. Lawrence and Clarkson on March 1-2 to earn a first round bye for the fourth straight season.

Union is seeking to advance to the ECAC Semifinals for the second consecutive year for the third time in the last four seasons. Dartmouth is seeking its first trip since the 2010-11 season, when the Big Green lost to Cornell (3-0), but earned a 5-3 win over Colgate in the third place game on March 19, 2011.

»Union in ECAC Hockey Postseason Series Play
Union has played 15 ECAC Hockey postseason series since joining the conference in 1991-92 and has won three of them. The Dutchmen won their first ECAC Hockey series in 2008-09, defeating Clarkson in the first round, and have won three of their last five series.

»Offensive Minded Defensemen
Union is the only team in the nation with three defenseman among the top-20 nationally in scoring (points per game). Sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (10th, 0.77 points per game) leads the pack, while junior defenseman Mat Bodie (15th, 0.72) and senior defenseman Greg Coburn (20th, 0.68) are also in the top-20.

»Carr Joins Union College Century Club
Junior forward Daniel Carr (52 goals, 48 assists), became the 10th Union player in the DI era to reach 100 career points, and 22nd player in program history to accomplish that feat with two assists in a 4-0 win over Clarkson on March 2.

»Home Is Where The Heart Is
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Dutchmen have an impressive record (31-6-7) in their last 44 regular season home games at Messa Rink. Not including exhibition contests, the Dutchmen are 159-140-46 all-time at home. Union has been even more dominant in ECAC Hockey play at Messa Rink. Since the 2010-11 season, the Dutchmen have compiled a record of 23-5-5 in ECAC Hockey regular season home games.

»Going as Wayne Goes
Union's success this season has been tied to the play of senior forward Wayne Simpson, who is tied for the team lead in scoring with 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists). When Simpson registers a point, the team has a record of 16-2-3. When Simpson is not on the scoresheet, Union's record is 1-10-2.

»Scouting Dartmouth
Top Players (2012-13 Stats): So. F Tyler Sikura (11 goals, 20 assists), Jr. F Matt Lindblad (10 goals, 17 assists), Jr. F Eric Robinson (11 goals, 9 assists), Sr. F Dustin Walsh (10 goals, 10 assists) So. F Brandon McNally (6 goals, 5 assists), Sr. D Mike Keenan (5 goals, 11 assists), Jr. G Cab Morris (8-7-3, 2.10 GAA, .917 Save%), Fr. G Charles Grant (7-5-2, 2.62 GAA, .914 Save%).

Synopsis: Dartmouth's second half of the season after an 8-2-2 start was disappointing, as the Big Green finished the regular season 5-9-3 in their last 17 games to fall out of a top-4 spot in ECAC Hockey. Dartmouth scored two or fewer goals in 12 of 17 of those contests. They have also struggled on the road this season, with a record of 3-7-3 in 13 road contests. The Big Green has been solid on defense this season (No. 19 NCAA, 2.47 goals allowed/game). Despite the recent scoring woes, Dartmouth features a balanced scoring attack led by the top line of Lindblad, Sikura and Walsh, which has helped the Big Green to an average of 2.84 goals per game (29th NCAA). Dartmouth has one of the nation's top penalty killing units at 88.7% (102-for-115, 5th NCAA) on the season to go along with a 15.7% (38th NCAA) conversion rate on the power play.

»The Union-Dartmouth Series
In a series that dates back to 1977, the Big Green own a 24-17-7 advantage over the Dutchmen and a 21-16-7 record in the Division I era. Union is 3-4-3 against Dartmouth in its last 10 games, including a 0-1-1 mark this season. Union's last win over Dartmouth came on Feb. 17, 2012. The Dutchmen are 8-10-5 all-time against Dartmouth at Messa Rink.

»Dartmouth's Most Recent Game
Freshman Brad Schierhorn scored twice and rookie goalie Charles Grant made 28 saves as the Dartmouth men's hockey team eliminated Harvard with a 6-3 victory in Sunday evening's third game of the first round playoff series between the rival programs. Three goals in each of the final two periods erased an early Crimson lead and helped the Big Green advance in the postseason for the third straight year.

»Dutchmen Hot At Home
Union is 6-0-1 in its last seven home contests, the team's longest home unbeaten streak since a 9-0-2 stretch late last season.

»Welsh and Kinkaid Enjoy NHL Success
Former Union Hockey standouts Jeremy Welsh '13 and Keith Kinkaid both reached NHL milestones in early March. Welsh, who has seen action at center in five games with Carolina this season, recorded his first NHL assist on March 7 in a 4-2 loss against Montreal. Kinkaid made his first NHL appearance in relief of Johan Hedberg on March 5, stopping 12 of 13 shots, including a Steven Stamkos breakway, in a 5-2 loss against Tampa Bay.

»Colin Stevens Continues Solid Play In Sub Role
Sophomore goaltender Colin Stevens, a Niskayuna native, has been solid in net in a substitute role this season. On Saturday night against Clarkson, Stevens recorded his third shutout of the season in just his eighth start, making 24 saves in a 4-0 win over the Golden Knights. Stevens is 5-3-0 with a 1.62 GAA and .931 save percentage this season.