This Weekend
The Dutchmen host Colgate and No. 2 Cornell this weekend, Jan. 10-11. Friday's game against Colgate will also serve as Union's annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night. Both games at Messa Rink are set to begin at 7 p.m. (ET).
Media Coverage
Matt Dubrey and Brian Unger will have the call this weekend, as both games will be streamed live on the ESPN Plus platform. Viewers outside of the United States can watch on StretchInternet. Live stats and a free audio stream for both games will be provided on 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.
Career Firsts
Nine of the 10 first-year skaters have recorded their first collegiate points, with six of them doing so in the first weekend of competition.
Gabriel Seger leads the freshman class in scoring, with 10 points, stemming from two goals and eight assists.
vs Colgate
Union trails in the all-time series to Colgate 24-36-4, largely due to Colgate holding a massive 21-5-2 record over the Dutchmen in Hamilton. However, in games played at Messa Rink, Union is 16-15-2 against the Raiders. The Dutchmen have gone 6-3-1 in the past 10 meetings with Colgate, and most recently defeated Colgate by scores of 4-0 and 4-1 during the first round of ECAC Hockey Playoffs during March 8-9, 2019.
Scouting the Raiders
Colgate comes to Schenectady with a 7-9-4 overall record and a 5-2-1 mark in conference play. The Raiders' two losses in conference play have come against Clarkson and Brown, but the Raiders have earned wins against Yale, St. Lawrence, Quinnipiac, Dartmouth and Harvard. Colgate's last games were over the Dec. 27-28 weekend, in which they lost twice at nationally-ranked Ohio State.
The Raiders have three skaters with 12 points, all tied for the team lead. Freshman forward Colton Young leads the team with seven goals and five assists, while seniors Bobby McMann and Ben Sharf both have six goals and six assists. Junior defenseman Nick Austin leads in assists with 10. In net, Mitch Benson has played the majority of minutes, holding a 3-7-4 record with a .918 save percentage and a 2.38 goals-against average. However, Andrew Farrier holds a 4-2-0 record, which includes the wins over Harvard and Dartmouth, with a .936 save percentage and a 1.87 goals-against average.
vs Cornell
Union is 22-38-8 all-time against Cornell, and trails 10-15-5 in games played at Messa Rink. The two teams last met March 15-17, 2019, during the quarterfinals of the ECAC Hockey Playoffs. The Dutchmen won the first game, 3-2, in Ithaca, but the Big Red went on to win the following two games to advance to Lake Placid.
Scouting the Big Red
Cornell begins the weekend as the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, earning two first-place votes in both of the national polls. They enter with an 11-1-1 overall record and a 7-1-0 record in ECAC Hockey competition. The Big Red's lone loss came against Dartmouth on Dec. 7 and they most recently tied Providence on Jan. 4.
Cornell also enters the weekend with the nation's fifth-best offense and second-best defense, scoring an average of 3.77 goals per game, while only conceding 1.46 per game. Junior forward Morgan Barron leads the Big Red with 17 points (9g, 8a). In net, Matthew Galajda has played every minute this season and sports a .939 save percentage to go along with the 1.46 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 split their ECAC Hockey series in the North Country last weekend, defeating St. Lawrence in overtime, 5-4, before dropping a 2-0 decision to then-No. 4/6 Clarkson.
Union at St. Lawrence - W, 5-4 (OT) - Jan. 3 - SUNY Canton
Union Goals:
Josh Kosack,
Ryan Sidorski,
Christian Sanda (x2),
Chaz Smedsrud (PP)
St. Lawrence Goalie: Daniel Mannella (L) - 30 saves, 5 goals against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson (W) - 22 saves, 4 goals against
Power Play: Union 1-3, St. Lawrence 2-4
Summary: Facing a 3-1 deficit in the third period, Union battled back with three goals in the third period to force OT.
Christian Sanda scored a career-best two goals in the win.
Chaz Smedsrud scored the winner, 3:09 into the overtime period.
Gabriel Seger recorded three assists in the contest, while both
Anthony Rinaldi and
Vas Kolias recorded two assists. After being out-shot 19-16 through the first two periods, Union ended out-shooting St. Lawrence 35-26. Both teams scored on the power play, as St. Lawrence went 2-for-4 and Union went 1-for-3 on the man advantage.
Union at #4/6 Clarkson - L, 2-0 - Jan. 4 - Cheel Arena
Union Goals: none
Clarkson Goalie: Frank Marotte (W) - 19 saves, 0 goals against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson (L) - 24 saves, 2 goals against
Power Play: Union 0-6, Clarkson 1-4
Summary: Haralds Egle scored on the power play to get the Golden Knights on the board midway through the first period. Clarkson added its second goal with in the final 11 seconds of the period to take a 2-0 lead. Despite having six power-play opportunities, Union was unable to convert on the man advantage. Clarkson went 1-for-4 on the power play. Union out-shot Clarkson in both the first and third periods, but Clarkson out-shot Union, 15-5, in the second period, giving them the advantage in total shots, 26-19.
Darion Hanson made 24 saves in net for the Dutchmen, while Frank Marotte stopped 19 on the other end of the ice.
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