This Weekend
The Dutchmen host No. 15 Northeastern for a weekend series at Messa Rink this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11-12. Friday's game will start at 7 p.m. (ET), while Saturday's is schedule for a 4 p.m. start.
During Saturday's contest, fans will receive free Union hockey schedule posters thanks to Trustco Bank. Following the game, the players will be available for an autograph session located above the team's locker room, next to the concessions area.
Media Coverage
Matt Dubrey and Brian Unger will have the call this weekend, and the live audio streams will be available for free on UnionAthletics.com. Fans inside in the United State can watch the games online through ESPN Plus, while fans outside the States can watch through StretchInternet. Live stats for the games will be available 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 behind-the-scenes looks are also available through the team's official Instagram account, UnionMHockey.
Getting the Monkey off the Back
Six of the 10 first-year skaters recorded their first collegiate points in the opening weekend of the season.
Christian Sanda and
Chaz Smedsrud scored their first goals, with Smedsrud scoring against Boston University and Sanda at Army West Point.
Alex Cohen,
Colin Schmidt,
Gabriel Seger and
Dylan Anhorn, all recorded assists last weekend.
vs Northeastern
Union enters the weekend with a 3-3-1 all-time record against Northeastern. Last season the Dutchmen swept the then-No. 14 Huskies in Boston, Oct. 19-20, by scores of 4-3 (OT) and 3-1. Prior to the two wins last season, the last time the two teams met was on Dec. 8, 2007, which resulted in a 1-1 tie at Messa Rink. Union played Northeastern in its inaugural DI season, losing to the Huskies, 8-5, in Troy, N.Y. on Dec. 28, 1991.
During last season's series in Boston, Union received scoring from
Sebastian Vidmar (3 goals),
Brett Supinski (2 goals),
Cole Maier and
Jack Adams. Defensemen
Brandon Estes and
Vas Kolias both recorded two assists each in the series, and are the top returning scorers from last year's series against the Huskies.
Darion Hanson played both games against the Huskies and posted a .944 save percentage and a 1.99 goals-against average for the sweep, allowing just four goals on 72 shots.
Scouting the Huskies
This weekend's games are the first of the season for the Huskies. Last season Northeastern posted a 27-11-1 record, winning the both the Beanpot and Hockey East tournament. They ended their season with a 5-1 loss to Cornell in the NCAA East Regional semifinal.
The top returning scorer for Northeastern is sophomore forward Tyler Madden. The Vancouver draft pick scored 12 goals and 16 assists during his freshman campaign. The Huskies feature a roster with eight NHL draft picks: Madden (Vancouver), senior forward Matt Filipe (Carolina), sophomore defenseman Jordan Harris (Montreal), freshman forward Riley Hughes (NY Rangers), freshman defenseman Mike Kesselring (Edmonton), freshman forward Aidan McDonough (Vancouver), senior defenseman Ryan Shea (Chicago), and freshman defenseman Jayden Struble (Montreal).
Northeastern lost both of its goaltenders that saw time in net last season, then-sophomore Cayden Primeau and then senior-Ryan Ruck. Primeau played the majority of the season, earning a 25-10-1 record with a .933 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against average. The Huskies did gain graduate transfer Craig Pantano from Merrimack. Pantano posted a 6-15-3 record last season with the Warriors, earning a .889 save percentage and a 3.52 goals-against average.
Doing it the Hard Way
Freshman forward
Christian Sanda was one of five players to score a shorthanded goal during the opening weekend of play, Oct. 5-6. His shorthanded goal came during the second period at Army West Point on Oct. 6.
Last Time Out
The Dutchmen dropped a pair of games last weekend to start the 2019-20 season. Union hosted Boston University on Saturday, Oct. 5, but suffered a 7-3 loss to the Terriers. On Sunday, Oct. 6, Union traveled to Army West Point, and held a 2-1 lead over the Black Knights in the second period. However, Army came back to win the game 3-2 and left Union winless on the weekend.
Union vs Boston University - L, 7-3 - Oct. 5 - Messa Rink
Union Goals:
Chaz Smedsrud,
Sean Harrison,
Anthony Rinaldi (PP)
Boston University Goalie: Sam Tucker (W) - 10 saves, 3 goals against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson (W) - 37 saves, 7 goals against
Power Play: Union 1-3, Boston University 2-8
Noteworthy: Despite conceding the first two goals, the Dutchmen rallied to tie the game, 2-2, before the end of the first period. Forward
Chaz Smedsrud scored his first collegiate goal to open the scoring for the Dutchmen. Junior
Sean Harrison netted Union's second goal with less than three minutes to play in the first period to tie the game up. Boston University would then go on to out-score Union by a 5-1 margin in the second period, thanks to a 21-2 advantage in shots on net. Senior
Anthony Rinaldi scored on the power play to give Union its third goal of the game. The Dutchmen played better defensively in the third period, limiting BU to just eight shots on net, and kept the Terriers from further goal scoring, which included killing off a five-on-three penalty.
Union at Army West Point - L, 3-2 - Oct. 6 - Tate Rink
Union Goals:
Sean Harrison,
Christian Sanda (SH)
Army Goalie: Trevin Kozlowski (W) - 20 saves, 2 goals against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson (L) - 25 saves, 3 goals against
Power Play: Union 1-7, Army 2-6
Noteworthy:
Sean Harrison scored his second goal of the weekend, scoring on the power play to get Union on the board in the second period.
Christian Sanda scored his first collegiate goal in the contest, scoring a shorthanded breakaway goal to give Union a 2-1 lead in the second. First years
Colin Schmidt and
Gabriel Seger also recorded their first collegiate points in the contest, registering assists on Harrison's power-play goal. The Black Knights scored twice on the power play, including the game-winner in the third period. Junior netminder
Darion Hanson made 25 saves in the contest, while Army goaltender Trevin Kozlowski made 20 on the other side of the ice.
