This Weekend
The Union College Dutchmen begin the new season this weekend, hosting Army West Point for a single game on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. (ET).
Pregame Recognition
Before Saturday's game, Union Athletics will hold a ceremony to recognize Robert Knibb '81, Anthony Ianniello '65 and Frank Messa '73, whose generosity helped to make the new video board at Messa Rink possible. The ceremony will begin at approximately 6:40 p.m., so be sure to get to your seats early!
Military Appreciation Night
Union College is offering up to four complimentary tickets to current and former military members and their families to Saturday's game vs Army West Point. To pick up your complimentary tickets: Please come to the ticket window of the upstairs lobby of Messa Rink the night of the game, show your ID for up to 4 tickets for complimentary admission. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Poster Night
In honor of the season-opener, the first 500 fans inside Messa Rink will receive a free Union hockey schedule poster, courtesy of Trustco Bank. The Dutchmen will also be available after the game to sign posters and other memorabilia!
Union Partners with ESPN For Hockey Streams
Union fans across the country will be able to stream all Union and ECAC Hockey games through ESPN.com and the redesigned ESPN App, for just $4.99 a month. Fans can sign up for the service by visiting Plus.ESPN.com
For Union hockey fans living outside the United States, Union and many other ECAC Hockey schools have also partnered with Stretch Internet to provide video streaming coverage for games this season, giving all fans the same opportunity to watch ECAC Hockey games for $4.99 a month or $2.99 per game. International fans can access the ECAC Hockey video portal at Portal.StretchInternet.com/ECACHockey
Media Coverage
Matt Dubrey and Brian Unger will have the call this weekend and fans can listen for free at UnionAthletics.com. Live stats for all of the games will also be available at UnionAthletics.com. Fans inside the United States can watch live on ESPN , while international fans can access the steam through Stretch Internet.
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.
vs Army West Point
Union enters Saturday with a 13-1-1 overall record against Army West Point, including a 7-1-0 mark at Messa Rink. The Dutchmen have won the past 11 contests against the Black Knights, dating back to Feb. 1, 1997. The only win the Black Knights have over Union came in the series first game, as Army West Point won 6-5 on Nov. 7, 1992, which was two years before the oldest current Dutchmen were born.
The last meeting between the two teams took place on Oct. 8, 2011 in West Point, N.Y. Union skated to an 8-1 victory in that contest.
Scouting the Black Knights
Army West Point finished the 2017-18 season with an overall record of 15-15-6 and a conference record of 12-10-6 for a three-way tie for third place in Atlantic Hockey.
The Black Knights return their top-two scorers from last year, juniors Michael Wilson (18g, 12a) and Dominic Franco (12g, 18a), and also return Atlantic Hockey's Defenseman of the Year, sophomore Alex Wilkinson.
In net, Army West Point graduated senior goaltender Cole Bruns, but returns sophomore netminder Jared Dempsey, who recorded a 3-4-3 record with a .923 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average.
20 Goalies To Watch
Senior goaltender
Jake Kupsky has been named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List for the 2018-19 season. The award annually honors the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA Division I men's hockey. The winner of the sixth annual award will be announced at the 2019 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y.
Kupsky returns for his senior year after being named to the All-ECAC Hockey Third Team last season. During the 2017-18 campaign he posted the third-best winning percentage in the league (10-2-1) with a .917 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average in conference action.
Welcome to Union College
The Dutchmen welcome six new student-athletes to their ranks this season, including three forwards, and three defensemen.
| # |
Name |
Pos. |
S/C |
Hometown / Previous Team |
| 9 |
Blake Hayward |
F |
L |
Vancouver, B.C. / Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL) |
| 10 |
Ryan Sidorski |
D |
R |
Williamsville, N.Y. / Buffalo Jr. Sabres (OJHL) |
| 12 |
Fletcher Fineman |
D |
R |
Lake Worth, Fla. / Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL) |
| 14 |
Lucas Breault |
F |
R |
Toronto, Ontario / Central Illinois Flying Aces (USHL) |
| 21 |
Michael Ryan |
D |
R |
Marion, Mass. / West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL) |
| 28 |
Sam Morton |
F |
R |
Benicia, Calif. / Wenatchee Wild (BCHL) |
Look Who's Back: Forwards
Union returns 14 forwards from the 2017-18 season.
Cole Maier is the top returning offensive producer, having totaled 11 goals and 23 assists last season. Fellow senior
Sebastian Vidmar was third on the team in scoring, producing 10 goals and 20 assists.
Anthony Rinaldi was fourth-overall but second on the team in goals, totaling 17 goals and 11 assists last season.
Brett Supinski rounded out the top-five scorers for the Dutchmen last year, scoring nine goals and tallying 19 assists.
Also returning up top for the Dutchmen includes:
Ryan Walker (38gp, 11g, 6a);
Greg Campbell (35gp, 3g, 14a);
Liam Morgan (29gp, 6g, 10a);
Jack Adams (28gp, 4g, 9a);
Brendan Taylor (31gp, 4g, 4a);
Luc Brown (25gp, 3g, 5a);
Parker Foo (33gp, 1g, 5a);
Sean Harrison (30gp, 3g, 1a);
Zachary Emelifeonwu (31gp, 2g, 2a);
Josh Kosack (25gp, 1g, 3a); and
Mark Dufour (2gp, 0g, 0a).
Look Who's Back: Defense
The Dutchmen return six defensemen from the 2017-18 season.
Greg Campbell and
Vas Kolias both totaled three goals and 14 assists each last season, as they are Union's top returning offensive producers on the blue line.
Also returning on the blue line for Union includes:
Joseph Campolieto (33gp, 3g, 4a);
Brandon Estes (33gp, 1g, 5a); and
Taylor Brierley (3gp, 0g, 0a).
Look Who's Back: Goaltenders
Union returns all three goaltenders from last season. Senior
Jake Kupsky led the trio last season with 25 games played, securing a 11-11-2 record (10-2-1 in ECAC Hockey), with a .917 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average.
Sophomore
Darion Hanson had a stellar freshman season, posting a 10-4-0 record with a .908 save percentage and a 2.32 goals-against average. Hanson began his career winning six of his first seven games.
Senior
Joe Young returns as Union's third goalie. Young has played a total of 61:35 during his career and holds a perfect 1.000 save percentage having stopped all 26 shots he's faced in his time at Union.
How 2017-18 Ended
The Dutchmen finished second in the league with a conference record of 16-5-1. Union recorded an overall record of 21-15-2, which marked the seventh time in the program's Division I era, that the team broke the 20-win mark.
Ryan Scarfo '18 was second among last year's conference seniors in scoring, earning All-ECAC Hockey Third Team honors after producing 20 goals and 16 assists. Current senior goaltender
Jake Kupsky was also named to the All-ECAC Hockey Third Team after posting the third-best winning percentage in the league (10-2-1) with a .917 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average in conference action.
Union vs Princeton - March 9 - Messa Rink
Union Goals:
Liam Morgan,
Cole Maier,
Anthony Rinaldi
Princeton Goalie: Ryan Ferland (W) - 24 saves, 3 goals against
Union Goalie:
Jake Kupsky (L) - 21 saves, 4 goal against
Power Play: Union 0-1, Princeton 1-2
Noteworthy: The Tigers snapped a 20-game winless streak against Union, defeating the Dutchmen 5-3 in the first game of the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals.
Liam Morgan scored within the first two minutes of the game, but Princeton would end up scoring three goals in the third period for the eventual win.
Union vs Princeton - March 10 - Messa Rink
Union Goals:
Anthony Rinaldi (PP),
Ryan Walker
Princeton Goalie: Ryan Ferland (W) - 29 saves, 2 goals against
Union Goalie:
Jake Kupsky (L) - 19 saves, 3 goals against
Power Play: Union 1-2, Princeton 0-2
Noteworthy: Princeton opened up the contest with a 2-0 lead in the first period. Union battled back to carry a 2-2 tie into the second intermission, after goals from
Anthony Rinaldi and
Ryan Walker. However, the Tigers would score in the final seconds of the game to end Union's season and continue on to an eventual ECAC Hockey Tournament championship.
Returning Offense
The Dutchmen return 92 goals from last season, which ranks 10th most in the nation. Union scored a total of 115 goals last year, 20 of which were scored by
Ryan Scarfo, and 14 of the top 15 goal scorers from last season return this year.
Senior Leadership
Union's current senior class ranked 10th in the country last year for class scoring, having produced 48 goals and 87 assists. Six of the senior skaters recored at least eight points during the year, and
Cole Maier led the class last year with 11 goals and 23 assists.
Overall,
Brett Supinski leads the group in career points with 26 goals and 59 assists, while
Sebastian Vidmar leads the class in career goals with 30 goals, in addition to his 51 assists.
If You Ain't First, You're Last
The Dutchmen had a 16-5-1 record last season when scoring the first goal. On the flip side, Union only won five games when the opponents have scored first (5-10-1).
Already Spoken For
The Union College hockey team features three student-athletes who have been drafted by NHL teams.
Dutchmen in the NHL
Union College has five former players that are currently rostered with teams in the National Hockey League.
| Name |
Pos. |
Team |
18-19 Stats |
| Daniel Carr (2010-14) |
F |
Las Vegas |
|
| Spencer Foo (2014-17) |
D |
Calgary |
|
| Shane Gostisbehere (2010-13) |
D |
Philadelphia |
|
| Josh Jooris (2009-11) |
F |
Toronto |
|
| Keith Kinkaid (2011-14) |
G |
New Jersey |
|
