This Weekend
The Dutchmen start off the new year with a conference road trip against Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend, Jan. 5-6. Friday's game against the Big Green will be played at 7 p.m. (ET), while Saturday's contest against the Crimson will start at 3:30 p.m.
Media Coverage
Brian Unger and Matt Dubrey will have the call this weekend for both games and fans can listen for free at TeamLine.cc. Additionally, both games will also be streamed live on IvyLeagueNetwork.com. Friday's game at Dartmouth can be heard locally in Hanover, N.H., on 94.5 WHDQ-FM. Saturday's game against Harvard will be televised on NESNplus, which can be seen on DirecTV channel 628.1 or DishTV channel 9576.Â
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
Two Union skaters enter the weekend having recorded a point in at least the previous two games:
Cole Maier is on a career-best 10-game streak having recorded 11 points (4g, 7a) in that span.
Greg Campbell is on a two-game streak with 2 points (0g, 2a).Â
Last Time Out
Union at Omaha - Dec. 29 - Baxter Arena
Union Goals:
Cole Maier
Omaha Goalie: Evan Weninger (W), 18 saves, 1 goal against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson (L) - 9 saves, 4 goals against;
Jake Kupsky - 14 saves, 1 goal against.
Power Play: Union 0-4, Omaha 1-2
Noteworthy: The Dutchmen lost 5-1 to Omaha and had a season-low 19 shots on net in the contest.
Cole Maier scored Union's lone goal in the second period.
Jake Kupsky came in for relief during the second period and had a strong outing making 14 saves on 15 shots.
Union at Omaha - Dec. 30 - Baxter Arena
Union Goals:
Ryan Walker (PP),
Cole Maier (PP, EA),
Ryan Walker
Omaha Goalie: Kris Oldham (W), 32 saves, 3 goals against
Union Goalie:
Jake Kupsky (L) - 27 saves, 4 goals against
Power Play: Union 2-5, Omaha 2-6
Noteworthy: Union dropped its final game of the 2017 calendar year with a 5-3 loss on Saturday to the Mavericks. Union scored the first goal of the game to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but Omaha scored four straight, including two on the power play, in the second period for the eventual weekend sweep.
vs Dartmouth
Union leads the all-time series against the Big Green with a 26-23-7 record and has put up an 8-2-0 record against Dartmouth in the last 10 meetings. The Dutchmen have also won the past four meetings. Last year, Union won 4-1 at Messa Rink on Jan. 13, 2017, before posting an 8-3 win on Feb. 11, 2017 in Hanover, N.H.
Scouting the Big Green
Dartmouth enters the weekend with a 4-8-2 record on the year and a 2-4-1 mark in ECAC Hockey play. However, Dartmouth has posted a 2-1-1 record in four-consecutive games against nationally-ranked, including a 5-4 win at then-No. 2 Denver on Dec. 16. Last weekend, Dartmouth defeated then No. 16 New Hampshire, 3-1 and tied No. 17 Minnesota Duluth, 2-2.
The Big Green is led up front by senior forward Corey Kalk who has eight points on the season from two goals and six assists. Dartmouth then has three other forwards with seven points each. In net, senior Devin Buffalo has seen the majority of time and has posted a 4-4-1 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.83 goals-against average.
vs Harvard
Harvard owns the all-time record against Union with a 32-15-6 mark against the Dutchmen. However, Union has fared better in recent years and holds a 6-2-2 edge over the Crimson in the last 10 meetings. Last year the two teams split the regular-season series with each team winning at home.
Scouting the Crimson
Harvard enters the weekend with a 5-6-1 record overall and a 4-3-0 mark in conference play. Last weekend, the Crimson split competition against Hockey East opponents UMass Lowell and Vermont, losing to the River Hawks, 5-2, and defeating the Catamounts, 4-1.Â
Harvard is led by junior forward Ryan Donato, who has 12 goals and eight assists on the season. Senior goaltender Merrick Madsen has posted a 3-5-1 record this year with a .913 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average.
Junior Leadership
Union is fourth in the country for junior class scoring, having produced 29 goals and 50 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 16 assists. Of the top-6 junior classes in scoring, Union and North Dakota have the smallest junior classes, with six skaters each.
If You Ain't First, You're Last
The Dutchmen hold an 8-3-0 record this season when scoring the first goal. On the flip side, Union has only won two games when the opponents have scored first (2-7-1).
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 17 who have scored goals.Â
Magic Number
Three seems to be the magic number for Union this season, as the Dutchmen have not won a game yet this season when scoring two or fewer goals. When scoring at least three goals, Union is 10-4-0 and almost perfect, 8-1-0 when scoring four or more goals.Â
Fashionably Late
Of the Dutchmen's 63 goals scored this season, the majority of them (27) have come in the third period, and Union is currently tied for fifth in the nation in third-period goal production.Â
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.
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.Â
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.Â
Already Spoken For
The Union College hockey team features three student-athletes who have been drafted by NHL teams.Â
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) |
