SCHENECTADY, NY—The Union College men's hockey team opens the 2016-17 season this weekend with a pair of games at #11/12 Michigan.
The Dutchmen return 21 players from last year's team that went 13-14-9, including nine of their 10 top scorers, 13 players who appeared in 30 or more games and all three goaltenders.
Union is led by 2016-17 Preseason All-ECAC Hockey selection senior captain
Mike Vecchione, who is the NCAA Division I active leader in career points (113) and assists (71). The Saugus, Mass. Native sits 11
th in program history in assists and 18th in scoring.
The Dutchmen are 13-10-2 in season-opening games in its Division I era and 2-2-1 in season openers under head coach
Rick Bennett. Friday's game marks the 16th time Union opens a Division I campaign on the road, holding a 6-9-0 record in the previous 15 contests.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
Michigan went 25-8-5 last season, winning its first ever Big Ten Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament Regional Final before falling to eventual national champion North Dakota, 5-2.
The Wolverines featured the top scoring offense (4.74) and power play (32.0%) in the nation last season, but they return just one of their top seven scorers from 2015-16. This year's roster features 16 underclassmen, including 11 freshmen. Michigan will also look to replace starting goaltender Steve Racine, who made 89 career appearances, posting a 50-22-7 record with a 2.84 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
UNION VS. MICHIGAN ALL-TIME SERIES
This weekend's games will mark just the third and fourth meetings between the two teams in Union's Division I era. The Dutchmen lead the all-time series 1-0-1.
LAST MEETING
Oct. 23, 2015 at Union: #18 Union 5, #11 Michigan 5
Union first-year forward
Mark Dufour tallied his first two career goals,
Jeff Taylor contributed a pair of assists and
Michael Pontarelli produced a goal and an assist. Justin Selman led the Michigan offense, netting two goals, and JT Compher dished out three assists.
After a scoreless first period, Union opened a 3-1 lead in the second on two goals from Dufour and a
Ryan Scarfo shorthanded tally. The Wolverines responded with four goals in the third, taking a 4-3 lead. After Pontarelli tied the game at 4-4,
Roman Ammirato put the Dutchmen in front at 14:32. Michigan managed to salvage a point on Selman's second of the night at 19:30.
NEXT UP
Union goes on the road to take on American International College at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 14 before playing at Sacred Heart at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 15.
