This Weekend
The Dutchmen return to Messa Rink this weekend, Dec. 1-2, for an ECAC series against Brown and Yale. Friday's contest against the Bears begins at 7 p.m. (ET) and Saturday's game against the Bulldogs also begins at 7 p.m.
Union athletics will also be conducting a Holiday Food Drive this weekend at the men's hockey games. Fans are encourage to bring and donate non-perishable food items to be collected at Messa Rink.
Media Coverage
Brian Unger and Matt Dubrey will have the call this weekend for both games. Fans can watch the games online through UnionAthletics.tv, or listen for free at TeamLine.cc. Live stats for both games will also be provided online at UnionAthletics.com.
Social Media
Receive real-time updates during all Union men's hockey games by following the team's official Twitter account @UnionMHockey. Additional in-game updates and commentary will be provided by assistant sports information director
Ross LaDue via his Twitter account @RLaDue.
Last Time Out
Union at #3 North Dakota - Nov. 24 - Ralph Engelstad Arena
Union Goals:
Ryan Walker,
Sebastian Vidmar (PP),
Vas Kolias,
Brendan Taylor (EN)
North Dakota Goalie: Peter Thome (L), 17 saves, 3 goals against
Union Goalie:
Jake Kupsky (W) - 37 saves, 1 goal against
Power Play: Union 1-4, North Dakota 0-4
Noteworthy: The Dutchmen played in their first-ever game at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, ND, coming away victorious with a 4-1 win against the Fighting Hawks.
Ryan Walker and
Sebastian Vidmar scored in the first period to help Union jump out to an early 2-0 lead.
Vas Kolias then scored less than a minute after UND got on the board in the third period to put Union up 3-1, while
Brendan Taylor added an empty netter in the final minutes to secure the win.
Union at #3 North Dakota - Nov. 25 - Ralph Engelstad Arena
Union Goals:
Brett Supinski,
Ryan Scarfo
Quinnipiac Goalie: Peter Thome (L), 25 saves, 2 goals against
Union Goalie:
Jake Kupsky (W) - 27 saves, 2 goals against
Power Play: Union 0-3, North Dakota 0-1
Noteworthy: North Dakota had a stronger showing to start the second game of the series and carried a 1-0 lead into the third period.
Brett Supinski and
Ryan Scarfo scored back-to-back goals for Union in the first few minutes of the third period, but UND scored before the end of the frame to force a 2-2 tie.
vs Brown
The Bears own a slight advantage in the overall record with the Dutchmen (22-18-11), but Union has done better in the recent years, going 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings. Union won both of last year's games against Brown, but the two losses to the Bears in that 10-game span both came at Messa Rink (Feb. 14, 2015 and Nov. 13, 2015).
Scouting the Bears
Brown enters the weekend with a 4-5-0 overall record and a 3-5-0 mark in conference play. The Bears were idle over Thanksgiving break, but come to Messa Rink on a two-game winning streak, having beaten Holy Cross, 4-2, on Nov. 21 and Princeton, 3-0, on Nov. 18.
The Bears have 18 skaters on their roster who have already recorded a point this season as well. In net, sophomore Gavin Nieto has played the lion's-share of minutes, recording a .932 save percentage and a 2.35 goals-against average through six games.
vs Yale
Saturday's contest vs the Bulldogs will tip the overall series in the winning team's favor, as the series record is tied at 25-25-4. However, Union has dominated the recent series against the Bulldogs, posting an 8-2-0 record in the last 10 meetings. Interestingly, both teams have losing records against each other while on home ice. Union trails 11-15-1 against the Bulldogs at Messa Rink, while Union is 13-10-3 at Ingalls Rink.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Yale enters the weekend with a similar record to Brown, 3-6-0 overall with 3-5-0 mark in ECAC Hockey competition. The Bulldogs also start the weekend on a four-game losing skid, with their last win coming on Nov. 10 against St. Lawrence.
The Bulldogs are led by junior forward Joe Snively who has five goals and three assists through nine games. Junior Sam Tucker has logged every minute in net for Yale this season, posting a .901 save percentage and a 2.91 goals-against average.
Current Streaks
Three Union skaters enter the weekend having recorded a point in at least the previous two games:
Brett Supinski (8 games - 2g, 11a);
Cole Maier (4 games - 0g, 4a); and
Sebastian Vidmar (2 games - 1g, 1a). Supinski has also recorded a point in all but two games so far this season, and his eight-game streak is currently a career best.
Best of the Week
Posting an undefeated weekend at No. 3 North Dakota, junior netminder
Jake Kupsky was named ECAC Hockey's Goaltender of the Week on Nov. 28. Kupsky made a total of 64 saves over the weekend to help Union earn a 4-1 win and a 2-2 tie at Ralph Engelstad Arena. On the weekend, he posted a .955 save percentage and a 1.44 goals-against average.
With five-point weekend over Oct. 20-21,
Ryan Scarfo led all ECAC Hockey skaters in scoring, and earned Player of the Week honors for his efforts. In the first outing of the weekend, Scarfo put up two assists against RIT in a 6-1 win. Against Niagara, Scarfo scored twice, including the game-winner, and added an assist for a career-tying best three-point night. The weekly honor was the first for the Dutchmen this season.
Spreading the Wealth
A total of 19 skaters have already recorded a point for Union this season, including 18 who have more than one, and 17 who have scored goals.
Junior Leadership
Union is fourth in the country for junior class scoring, having produced 21 goals and 36 assists this season. All six junior skaters have recored at least five points this season.
Brett Supinski leads the class, and the team, with six goals and 13 assists. Of the top-6 junior classes in scoring, Union and North Dakota have the smallest junior classes, with six skaters each.
Fashionably Late
Of the Dutchmen's 48 goals scored this season, the majority of them (21) have come in the third period, and Union is currently tied for fourth in the nation in third-period goal production.
Extra Goals
Forward
Brett Supinski leads the nation in extra-attacker goals. The junior from Collegeville, PA scored with an empty Union net in back-to-back games, Oct. 13-15. Both of his extra-attacker goals were scored within the final 15 seconds of regulation.
Apple-trick
Junior captain
Cole Maier set a personal best on Oct. 21 at Niagara, recording three assists against the Purple Eagles. He registered an assist on the game-winner, and had an assist in each of the three periods.
Brett Supinski recorded Union's second 'apple-trick' of the season, tallying three assists in the 4-1 against No. 16 Quinnipiac on Nov. 11. It was also the second three-assist game in the junior's career.
What a Debut
First-year goaltender
Darion Hanson made his collegiate debut on Oct. 20 against RIT. Hanson made 24 saves in the 6-1 win, including 14 in the third period, seven of which were made while shorthanded. He followed up his debut with second win, helping Union defeat Niagara 5-1, with the only goal conceded coming on a Purple Eagles' power play.
Winning
With a 5-1 win over Niagara on Oct. 20, 2017, head coach
Rick Bennett became the winningest hockey coach in Union hockey's Division I history. Bennett owns a career record of 142-75-30, surpassing Nate Leaman's record of 138-127-35.
Already Spoken For
The Union College hockey team features three student-athletes who have been drafted by NHL teams.
Welcome to Union College
The Dutchmen welcome nine new student-athletes to their ranks this season, including five forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender.
Newest Pros
Over the summer Union College had six members of its 2016-17 team sign professional contracts with North American organizations.
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Team |
League |
Date |
| Nick DeSimone |
Jr |
D |
San Jose |
NHL |
March 30 (FA) |
| Spencer Foo |
Jr. |
F |
Calgary |
NHL |
June 27 (FA) |
| Michael Pontarelli |
Sr. |
D |
Quad City |
ECHL |
July 27 |
| Alex Sakellaropoulos |
Sr. |
G |
Fort Wayne |
ECHL |
July 20 |
| Jeff Taylor |
Sr. |
D |
Pittsburgh |
NHL |
March 26 |
| Mike Vecchione |
Sr. |
F |
Philadelphia |
NHL |
March 31 (FA) |
Rising Stock
Vidmar (14g, 27a) ranked in the top five of the biggest point increases in Division I from the 2015-16 season to the 2016-17 season, adding 31 more points (8g, 23a) during his sophomore campaign.
