This Weekend
The Dutchmen play in the sixth-annual Capital District Mayor's Cup this Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Times Union Center in downtown Albany. The game against RPI will be counted as a nonconference match and puck drop against the Engineers is set for 6 p.m. (ET).
Media Coverage
Matt Dubrey and Brian Unger will have the call on Saturday and fans can listen for free at TeamLine.cc. Fans can also hear RPI's broadcast on the radio on WRPI 91.5-FM. Live stats will be available online at RPIathletics.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.
Current Streaks
Three Union skaters enter the weekend having recorded a point in at least the previous two games:
Ryan Scarfo (3 games - 3g, 2a);
Cole Maier (3 games - 1g, 3a), and
Liam Morgan (3 games - 1g, 2a). Maier recently had a career-best 12-game streak in which he recorded 13 points from five goals and eight assists.
Last Time Out
Union at Yale - Jan. 19 - Ingalls Rink
Union Goals:
Ryan Scarfo,
Sebastian Vidmar (PP),
Liam Morgan
Yale Goalie: Sam Tucker (L), 31 saves, 3 goals against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson (W) - 29 saves, 2 goals against
Power Play: Union 1-3, Yale 0-4
Noteworthy: The Dutchmen and Bulldogs traded goals in both the first and second periods before
Liam Morgan scored his first collegiate goal for the game winner in the third period. Union kept Yale scoreless on the power play, through four opportunities.
Darion Hanson made 29 saves for his eighth win of the season.
Union at Brown - Jan. 20 - Meehan Auditorium
Union Goals:
Ryan Scarfo (PP),
Ryan Scarfo (PP)
Brown Goalie: Luke Kania (L), 26 saves, 2 goals against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson (W) - 20 saves, 0 goals against
Power Play: Union 2-5, Brown 0-4
Noteworthy: Union earned its first shutout victory since the 2015-16 season with a 2-0 win over the Bears on Saturday.
Darion Hanson made 20 saves for his first collegiate shutout.
Ryan Scarfo scored both goals in the contest, both coming off rebounds from
J.C. Brassard while on the power play.
vs Rensselaer
Union won both games against RPI back in October to claim the Capital Skates Trophy. The Dutchmen won the first contest at Messa Rink, 4-3, before taking the series finale at the Houston Fieldhouse, 4-2. Union is now 6-4-0 in the last 10 meetings against RPI, and holds a 3-2-0 advantage in the Mayor's Cup series.
Overall, Union enters the weekend with an all-time record of 36-35-9 against the Engineers. The two wins in October gave the Dutchmen back the advantage in the series.
Scouting the Engineers
Rensselaer enters the weekend with a 4-18-4 overall record and a 3-10-2 mark in conference play. Last weekend, RPI suffered a 2-1 loss at Brown before dropping a 5-1 contest at Yale.
The Engineers are led by sophomore forward Jacob Hayhurst, who has 16 points on the season with seven goals and nine assists. A total of nine players on RPI have already recorded double-digit points this season. In net, freshman Linden Marshall has played the majority of minutes, posting a 3-11-2 record with a .911 save percentage and a 3.04 goals-against average.
Junior Leadership
Union is fourth in the country for junior class scoring, having produced 34 goals and 61 assists this season. Six junior skaters have recored at least seven points this season.
Cole Maier leads the class with eight goals and 16 assists.
If You Ain't First, You're Last
The Dutchmen hold a 11-4-0 record this season when scoring the first goal. On the flip side, Union has only won three games when the opponents have scored first (3-8-1).
Spreading the Wealth
A total of 21 skaters have already recorded a point for Union this season, including 18 who have more than one, and 19 who have scored goals.
Magic Number
Three seems to be the magic number for Union this season, as the Dutchmen have only won a single game yet this season when scoring two or fewer goals. When scoring at least three goals, Union is 13-5-0 and almost perfect, 10-1-0 when scoring four or more goals.
Fashionably Late
Of the Dutchmen's 76 goals scored this season, the majority of them (35) have come in the third period, and Union is currently fourth in the nation in final-period goal production.
Best of the Week
Senior
Ryan Scarfo picked up his second, and the team's third, weekly honor of the season, being named Player of the Week on Jan. 9 for his efforts at Dartmouth and Harvard. Scarfo had a four-point outing, scoring a goal and tallying an assist in both games.
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.
Extra Goals
Forward
Brett Supinski is tied for the nation's lead 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) |
