Game Notes Â
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SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—The Union College men's ice hockey team faces a quick turnaround this week, returning to ECAC Hockey play at #2 Quinnipiac on Thursday before facing Princeton on Friday.
LAST TIME OUT //The Dutchmen extended their unbeaten streak to seven with a pair of wins at the 27th Annual Ledyard Classic. Union opened 2016 with a 3-2 win over then #20 Merrimack, beating the Warriors for the second time in six weeks.
Matt Wilkins and
Brett Supinski each scored on the power play and
Nick Cruice scored his first goal since Feb. 22, 2014. In goal,
Jake Kupsky stopped 24 of 26 shots for his second career win.
Union posted its fifth straight win on Sunday, knocking off Robert Morris, 5-4.
Spencer Foo tallied twice and added an assist and
Sebastien Gingras had his first two-goal game since 2012.
Mike Vecchione also recorded his fifth multi-point game of the season with three assists. Junior netminder Alex Sakellerapoulos made 21 saves, earning his fourth consecutive victory. Foo and Vecchione were both named to the Ledyard Classic All-Tournament Team.
WE'RE GOING STREAKING! //Union has won five consecutive games and is unbeaten in its last seven. Since Union began its unbeaten streak on Nov. 28, only North Dakota has more wins (7). The Dutchmen have a posted a +11 goal margin during their streak and are averaging 3.71 goals per game, which is 10th in the  nation, while their 2.14 team goals against average is 13th.Â
VECCHIONE APPROACHING MILESTONE //With three assists against Robert Morris,
Mike Vecchione now has 99 career points. Vecchione's 1.03 points per game and 0.65 assists per game average for his career currently ranks fourth on the team's all-time list, while his 61 career assists are tied for seventh in program history. Vecchione has five multi-point games on the season and currently leads the team with 10 assists, while sitting second with 15 points.
AGAINST CONFERENCE OPPONENTS //The Dutchmen are averaging 2.5 goals per game against league opponents through eight conference games this season. Foo (4 g, 3 a) and
Ryan Scarfo (5 g, 2 a) are tied for the team lead with seven points against ECAC Hockey foes.
Nick DeSimone and
Greg Campbell have each dished out five assists against ECAC Hockey opponents, which is tied for third among the league's defensemen. Sakellerapoulos has been between the pipes in eight of 10 league games this season, going 2-4-1 with a 2.33 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.Â
CAREER VS. THE BOBCATS //Vecchione has been a thorn in Quinnipiac's side throughout his career. In six games against the Bobcats he has compiled three goals and six assists.
Michael Pontarelli has also found success against Quinnipiac, producing four goals and two assists in five games, while
Spencer Foo has four assists in five career games against the Bobcats.
CAREER VS. THE TIGERS //Jeff Taylor has racked up four points in four career games against the Tigers, with all four points (1 g, 3 a) coming in last season's 6-1 win. Vecchione has put up five points on two goals and three assists in three career games against Princeton, registering two multi-point games last season.
THE QUINNIPIAC SERIES
SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC //Quinnipiac enters Saturday's contest with a record of 17-1-3 and 8-0-2 in ECAC Hockey. The Bobcats are ranked #1 in the most recent USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll and #2 in the uscho.com poll. Quinnipiac is 9-1-2 at home this season, but just 2-1-2 in its last five home contests with its lone loss coming against Boston University on Dec. 12. The Bobcats feature the nation's top offense (3.67 goals/gm), but they have scored just seven goals in their last five home games.Â
SERIES AGAINST QUINNIPIAC //Union is 12-17-3 against Quinnipiac in its Division I era, but just 2-8 in the last 10 meetings between the two teams. The teams last met in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals last season with the Bobcats taking the series, 2-1. After dropping the opening game of the series, 4-3, Union forced game three with a 3-2 victory in game two. The Bobcats managed to close out the series with a 3-1 win in the final game. Quinnipiac went 23-12-4 last season, advancing to the ECAC Hockey semifinals and earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament.Â
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS //Sam Anas is 12th in Division I with a 1.10 points per game average, leading the team with 23 points, including a team-high 12 goals. Tim Clifton and Travis St. Denis have each tallied six power play goals, which is tied for fourth in the nation. Clifton is tied for the team lead with 12 goals (t-10 Division I) and leads ECAC Hockey with nine goals and 14 points against conference opponents. Chase Priskie leads the Bobcats with 15 assists (t-10 Division I). Quinnipiac has eight players with a plus/minus rating of +10 or better.Â
GOALTENDING //Senior goaltender Michael Garteig has played all 21 games for the Bobcats, posting a Division I-best six shutouts. He leads Division I in minutes played (1242:50) and ranks third  in goals against average (1.35) and fifth in save percentage (.943). He holds a 1.30 goals against average and a .944 save percentage in ECAC Hockey games this season. Garteig has a 1.24 goals against average and a .951 save percentage through 12 home games.
THE PRINCETON SERIESSCOUTING PRINCETON //Princeton enters this week with a record of 4-12 overall and 3-7 in ECAC Hockey. The Tigers, who have lost four straight, are 1-4 at home. Princeton faces #20 Rensselaer on Thursday.
SERIES AGAINST PRINCETON //Union owns a 27-19-7 advantage in the series against Princeton in its Division I era and is unbeaten in its last 12 against the Tigers (10-0-2). The Dutchmen have not lost against Princeton on the road since the ECAC quarterfinal in March 2009.Â
Union outscored Princeton 11-3 in two games last season, winning 5-2 on the road on Jan. 9 and 6-1 at home on Nov. 14. Former Dutchmen
Daniel Ciampini set a program record with five points on three goals and two assists in Union's 6-1 win, while
Jeff Taylor had a career-high three assists and four points.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS //Three underclassmen have led the way for the Tigers offense this season. Sophomore forward David Hallisley has amassed a team-best seven assists and is tied with freshman forward Ryan Kuffner for the team high with 10 points. Sophomore forward Eric Robinson has potted six goals, leading all Princeton skaters, and is third on the team with eight points.
GOALTENDING //Colton Phinney has started all 16 games in goal for Princeton, holding a 4-12-0 record with a 2.92 goals against average and a .928 save percentage, which ranks 18th in Division I. He recorded his first career shutout in the team's 3-0 win over then #20 Clarkson on Nov. 21, stopping 31 shots.Â
