This Weekend
The No. 7-seeded Dutchmen continue the 2019 ECAC Hockey Playoffs traveling to the No. 2 seed Cornell Big Red for a best-of-three series this weekend, March 15-17. Friday and Saturday's games are scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET) start times, while Sunday's game, if needed, will begin at 4 p.m.
Media Coverage
Matt Dubrey and Brian Unger will have the call, and the live audio stream will be available for free on UnionAthletics.com.com. Fans inside in the United States can watch the games online through ESPN Plus, while fans outside the States can watch through Stretch Internet. Live stats for the games will be available at CornellBigRed.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.
Current Streaks
Four Dutchmen enter the weekend having recorded points in at least the last two games:
Cole Maier (2 games, 1g, 2a);
Ryan Walker (4 games, 5g, 2a);
Liam Morgan (3 games, 3g, 2a); and
Vas Kolias (4 games, 1g, 5a). In addition, Maier has recorded at least one point in all but three of the past 11 games.Â
vs Cornell
The Big Red defeated Union in both games during the regular season, besting the Dutchmen 4-0 at Messa Rink on Feb. 2, and 3-1 at Lynah Rink at Feb. 23. Union trails 21-36-8 in the all-time series against Cornell, and is 10-19-3 in games at Lynah Rink. Union has gone 2-7-1 in the past 10 meetings with Cornell, which includes three meetings during the postseason; a 4-1 loss in the 2017 ECAC Hockey semifinals, and two losses in the first round of the 2016 ECAC Hockey playoffs.Â
Scouting the Big Red
With a league record of 13-5-4, Cornell finished as regular season co-champions, but enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the ECAC Hockey Tournament. This weekend will be the first home games for the Big Red since the Feb. 23 game against Union.
Sophomore forward Morgan Barron leads the Big Red in scoring this season, having totaled 30 points off of 13 goals and 17 assists. Fellow sophomore Cam Donaldson is third on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 11 assists. Sophomore Matthew Galajda has been a mainstay in net for the Big Red this season, posting a 1.97 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.
Last Time Out
Union advanced to the quarterfinals after sweeping the first-round series against Colgate last weekend, March 8-9. The Dutchmen only conceded one goal on the weekend as they took game one by a score of 4-1, and game two by a score of 4-0.
Union vs Colgate - W, 4-1 - March 8 - Messa Rink
Union Goals:
Ryan Walker,
Cole Maier,
Jack Adams,
Liam Morgan
Colgate Goalie: Mitch Benson (L) - 28 saves, 3 goals against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson (W) - 25 saves, 1 goal against
Power Play: Union 1-3, Colgate 0-1
Noteworthy:
Ryan Walker scored 17 seconds into the game's first power play to give Union an early lead.
Cole Maier and
Jack Adams scored 20 seconds apart in the second period to break a 1-1 stalemate and put Union up, 3-1.
Liam Morgan capped off the contest with an empty-netter within the final minute to solidify the win.
Darion Hanson made 25 saves in net for his 11th win of the season. The Dutchmen went 1-for-3 on the power play and a perfect 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.
Union vs Colgate - W, 4-0 - March 9 - Messa Rink
Union Goals:
Anthony Rinaldi,
Ryan Walker,
Vas Kolias,
Liam Morgan
Colgate Goalie: Mitch Benson (L) - 27 saves, 3 goals against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson (W) - 29 saves, 0 goals againstÂ
Power Play: Union 0-2, Colgate 0-1
Noteworthy:
Anthony Rinaldi,
Ryan Walker,
Liam Morgan and
Vas Kolias all had a goal and an assist each. Rinaldi scored the game's first game, scoring off a turnover midway through the first period for the early Union lead. Walker and Kolias scored five minutes apart in the third period to put Union up 3-0. Morgan scored his second empty-netter of the weekend to secure the 4-0 win. Neither side converted on the power play, as Union went 0-for-1, and Colgate 0-for-1.
Darion Hanson made 29 saves in net and earned his third shutout of the season.
Major Wins
The Dutchmen are undefeated (3-0-0) in the three games in which they have been assessed a five-minute major penalty: Jan. 25 vs Yale; Jan. 12 at St. Lawrence; Oct. 20 at Northeastern.
Winning From the Box
Union is 8-2-1 in games in which the Dutchmen are assessed more penalty minutes than their opponents, and also hold an 10-2-2 record in games in which Union's opponents have more power-play opportunities. On the opposite side, the Dutchmen are 5-8-3 when they have more power-play chances and are 8-8-3 when assessed fewer penalty minutes than the opposing team.Â
If You Ain't First, You're Last
Union is 12-2-2 (.813) when scoring the first goal of the game. On the flip side, Union has gone 7-9-3 (.447) when the opposing team scores first.Â
Best of the Month
Cole Maier was named ECAC Hockey's Player of the Month for October. The senior forward led all conference skaters with 10 points in the month, scoring four goals, including two game winners, and picking up six assists. He was also named the league's first Player of the Week this season, after a five-point weekend against Omaha, Oct. 12-13.
Leading the nation with a .972 save percentage and a 0.97 goals-against average during the month of November,
Darion Hanson was named ECAC Hockey's Goalie of the Month and the Hockey Commissioners Association Goalie of the Month. He finished the month with 104 saves (34.6 per game), posting a 2-0-1 record. After a 34-save performance against Quinnipiac on Nov. 10, the sophomore posted back-to-back 30+ save games against Yale and Boston University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, leading the Dutchmen to the 2018 Friendship Four title while earning MVP honors. He was also named Goalie of the Week twice during the month of November.
Best of the Week
For the fourth time this season,
Darion Hanson was named ECAC Hockey's Goaltender of the Week after helping the Dutchmen sweep Colgate in the first round of playoffs, March 8-9. The East Bethel, Minn., native was instrumental in helping the Dutchmen earn a first-round playoff sweep against Colgate, March 8-9. Hanson only conceded one goal over the course of the two games, and was only one of two league goalies to earn two wins without a loss on the weekend. Of conference netminders that played in more than one game over the weekend, he led the way with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .982 save percentage. Overall, he stopped 54 of 55 shots and helped Union go a perfect, 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Â Â
After a four-point weekend against Dartmouth and Harvard, senior forward
Ryan Walker was named the ECAC Hockey's Player of the Week. Walker scored three goals on the weekend, including both game-winners, to help lead Union to it's first weekend sweep since November, with wins over Dartmouth and No. 15/16 Harvard. The senior forward started the weekend off with a three-point night against Dartmouth, assisting on the team's first goal, scoring in the third period, before capping the night off with the OT winner. In Saturday's contest against nationally-ranked Harvard, Walker's goal to put Union up 4-2 late in the third period would end up standing as the game-winner. Walker finished the weekend with eight shots on net and a +3 plus/minus rating.
After a five-point weekend,
Cole Maier was named ECAC Hockey's first Player of the Week this season. Maier had a hand in all three Union goals in the Oct. 12 game against Omaha, scoring once and tallying two assists. He followed that up with two assists in the finale against the Mavericks.Â
With a big road sweep against then-No. 12 Northeastern, Union's
Brett Supinski and
Darion Hanson both earned ECAC Hockey weekly honors. Supinski had a stellar four-point weekend leading all skaters in the league. He, had a hand in all three regulation goals in Friday's 4-3 overtime win. In that game, he scored twice in the first period against the Huskies, including potting Union's first shorthanded goal of the season. In net, Hanson was also stellar, leading all goalies in the nation with 68 saves over the Oct. 18-20 weekend, and being one of only four goalies to record two wins that weekend as well. Despite conceding four goals over the weekend, only one was even strength, as the other three were all scored on Northeastern power plays. Hanson ended the weekend with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage.
Darion Hanson earned his second Goaltender of the Week award after posting 34 saves to help Union defeat No. 13 Quinnipiac, 5-1. A total of 16 of his 34 saves were made in the second period alone, as Quinnipiac out-shot the Dutchmen 35-23 in the contest. His efforts in net also helped the Union penalty kill go a perfect three-for-three on the night.
Hanson earned his third Goalie of the Week honor after leading Union to a 2018 Friendship Four championship. The sophomore only conceded one even-strength goal all weekend and made a career-high 39 saves against Boston University in the championship game. Hanson was also named the tournament's MVP for his efforts.
Already Spoken For
The Union College hockey team features three student-athletes who have been drafted by NHL teams.Â
Â
