This Weekend
The Dutchmen hit the road for the final time of the 2017-18 regular season, taking on Quinnipiac this Friday, Feb. 16, before facing off against Princeton on Saturday, Feb. 17. Both games are slated for 7 p.m. (ET) start times.
Media Coverage
Matt Dubrey will have the call this weekend and fans can listen for free at TeamLine.cc. Friday's game at Quinnipiac will be broadcast on ESPN3 and can be viewed on WatchESPN.com, and it will also be broadcast locally on Hamden's WQUN 1220-AM. Saturday's game at Princeton will be streamed through the Ivy League Network. Live stats for the games will be provided through the host institutions' websites (QuinnipiacBobcats.com and GoPrincetonTigers.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
Two Union skaters enters the weekend having recorded a point in at least the previous two games:
Cole Maier (3 games - 1g, 4a); and
Liam Morgan (2 games - 3g, 0a). Maier recently had a career-best 12-game streak in which he recorded 13 points (5g, 8a) between Nov. 20-Jan. 6.
Last Time Out
Union vs Harvard - Feb. 9 - Messa Rink
Union Goals:
Liam Morgan (x2),
Ryan Walker (PP)
Harvard Goalie: Matthew Galajda (L) - 27 saves, 3 goals against
Union Goalie:
Jake Kupsky (W) - 30 saves, 1 goal against
Power Play: Union 1-2, Harvard 0-2
Noteworthy: After a heart-breaking overtime loss at Harvard in January, the Dutchmen avenged the loss with a 3-1 win over the Crimson at Messa Rink last Friday night. Freshman forward
Liam Morgan had a career night, scoring the first two goals for Union, marking his first collegiate multi-point game.
Jake Kupsky turned in 30 saves, including 14 in the third period for the win.Â
Union vs Dartmouth - Feb. 10 - Messa Rink
Union Goals:
Ryan Scarfo (PP),
Liam Morgan
Dartmouth Goalie: Adrian Clark (L) - 18 saves, 2 goals against
Union Goalie:
Jake Kupsky (W) - 35 saves, 1 goal against
Power Play: Union 1-5, Dartmouth 0-4
Noteworthy: Despite being outshot 36-20, Union found a way to win, defeating Dartmouth 2-1 last Saturday night at Messa Rink.
Ryan Scarfo scored the game's first goal and
Liam Morgan scored his third goal of the week to lift the Dutchmen to victory. Kuspky also made 36 saves, including 16 of 17 in the second period.
vs Quinnipiac
Union enters Friday's contest trailing in the all-time series against Quinnipiac 15-18-4, with a record of 6-10-1 in Hamden. However, the Dutchmen have posted three consecutive wins against the Bobcats, and have not lost to them since Jan. 7, 2016.Â
Earlier this season, Union defeated then-No. 16 Quinnipiac, 4-1, on Nov. 11, at Messa Rink.
Luc Brown scored two goals in the game, both on the power play, while
Darion Hanson stopped 28-of-29 for the win.
Scouting the Bobcats
Quinnipiac enters Friday's game with a 12-14-4 overall record and a 7-9-2 mark in conference play, good for ninth in ECAC Hockey. Despite their record, the Bobcats have won four of the past six contests, including a 4-1 win over Clarkson on Feb. 2.Â
Freshman forward Odeen Tufto leads Quinnipiac with 33 points on the year, stemming from eight goals and 25 assists. In net, sophomore Andrew Shortridge and freshman Keith Petruzzelli have split the last two weekends, while Shortridge leads the duo with a .909 save percentage on the year.
vs Princeton
Union leads Princeton in the all-time series against the two teams, 33-19-8, which includes a 15-12-3 record at Hobey Baker Rink. The Dutchmen have not lost to the Tigers since March 15, 2009 and have gone 16-0-3 against Princeton in that span.
Earlier this season, Union defeated Princeton, 4-3, in overtime on Nov. 10 at Messa Rink. It was the second-straight 4-3 OT win against Princeton, as the Dutchmen won 4-3 in overtime during ECAC Hockey playoffs the year before to end the Tigers' season.
Scouting the Tigers
Princeton enders the weekend in a three-way tie for sixth place in ECAC Hockey with a 11-11-3 overall record and a 8-9-1 mark in league play. Â Despite a 7-2 loss last Saturday at Yale, the Tigers had won five-consecutive games, including a 4-3 win over Clarkson.Â
The Tigers have the highest scoring offense in ECAC Hockey, averaging 3.40 goals per game. However, the Tigers rank 10th in the league with a 3.36 goals-against average. Junior forward Max Veronneau leads Princeton with 12 goals and 23 assists, while fellow junior forward Ryan Kuffner is close behind with 19 goals and 14 assists. Freshman netminder Ryan Ferland has seen the lion's share of minutes, recording a .905 save percentage and a 3.23 goals-against average.
Somebody Say Playoffs?
The Dutchmen clinched a first-round bye in the ECAC Hockey playoffs after earning wins against Harvard and Dartmouth last weekend at home. Union is still in the hunt for its fifth Cleary Cup title, currently sitting in a tie for second place with Clarkson, just two games behind Cornell in first.
Killin' It
Since the new year, Union has posted an .892 efficiency on the penalty kill, which ranks third in the ECAC. In the 11 games played since Jan. 1, Union has only conceded four power-play goals in 33 chances.
Junior Leadership
Union is fourth in the country for junior class scoring, having produced 40 goals and 77 assists this season. Six junior skaters have recored at least eight points this season. Coel Maier leads the class with 9 goals and 20 assists.
If You Ain't First, You're Last
The Dutchmen hold a 14-4-0 record this season when scoring the first goal. On the flip side, Union has only won four games when the opponents have scored first (4-9-1).
Spreading the Wealth
A total of 22 skaters have recorded at least one point for Union this season, including 21 who have more than one, and 20 who have scored goals.Â
Magic Number
Three seems to be the magic number for Union this season, as the Dutchmen have only won two games this season when scoring two or fewer goals. When scoring at least three goals, Union is 16-6-0, and is almost perfect, 11-1-0, when scoring four or more goals.
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Fashionably Late
Of the Dutchmen's 96 goals scored this season, the majority of them (38) have come in the third period, and Union is currently tied for sixth in the nation in final-period goal production.Â
Best of the Week
Junior netminder
Jake Kupsky earned his second Goaltender of the Week honor from ECAC Hockey on Feb. 6. He led the league's goaltenders over the Feb. 2-3 weekend with a .960 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average, helping Union earn its fifth win in six games with a 3-1 victory at Colgate on Feb. 3. Kupsky stopped 24-of-25 shots in the contest to help Union move into third place in the league standings.
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.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) |
