This Weekend
After a weekend off, the Dutchmen return to action with a pair of ECAC Hockey road games this weekend, Feb. 14-15. Union takes on No. 2 Cornell at Lynah Rink this Friday, before finishing the weekend at the Class of 1965 Arena against Colgate on Saturday.
Media Coverage
Fans can watch the games as part of the ESPN Plus package, and fans outside of the United States can access the streams through StretchInternet.com. Friday's will be aired on WHCU 870 AM and 97.7 FM in the Ithaca area, while Saturday's game will be aired on WKXZ 93.9 FM in the Hamilton area. Live stats and links to online audio streams can be found at the host institution's athletics websites.
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 15 points, stemming from four goals and 11 assists.
vs Cornell
Union trails in the all-time series against Cornell, 22-38-9, and are 11-21-3 in games at Lynah Rink. Earlier this season, Union and Cornell skated to a 3-3 tie at Messa Rink on Jan. 11. In that game,
Parker Foo scored on the power play to give Union a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. However, Cornell scored twice in the third period, while
Gabriel Seger added a second power play goal en route to the 3-3 draw. The last time Union defeated Cornell at Lynah Rink was on March, 15, 2019 in the first game of the ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series.
Scouting the Big Red
Cornell is ranked No. 2 in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. The Big Red are tied for first in the ECAC Hockey standings with a 12-2-2 conference record. Cornell is on a three-game winning streak after dropping a 5-0 decision at Quinnipiac on Jan. 31. Last weekend, the Big Red swept Colgate by scores of 4-1 and 5-3.
Junior forward Morgan Barron leads Cornell is scoring with 11 goals and 14 assists. Fellow junior forward Benden Locke has also eclipsed the 20-point mark this season with seven goals and 13 assists. In net, Matthew Galajda has played 98 percent of the team's minutes and holds a 1.74 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.
vs Colgate
The Dutchmen trail 24-37-4 in the all-time series against Colgate, and are only 5-21-2 in games played in Hamilton. However, more recently the Dutchmen have fared better and are 6-3-1 in the last 10 meetings against the Raiders. Earlier this season, Union lost 3-2 to the Raiders in a closely competed game on Jan. 10 at Messa Rink. With the game tied 2-2, Colgate scored on a penalty shot in the final two minutes to secure the win.
Scouting the Raiders
Colgate enters the weekend tied for fifth place in the ECAC Hockey standings with a conference record of 7-6-3. The Raiders are coming off a weekend sweep at the hands of Cornell. Feb. 8 saw Colgate lose 4-1 to the Big Red in Hamilton, before dropping a 5-3 loss in Ithaca on Feb. 9.
Senior forwards Bobby McMann and Ben Sharf lead the team in scoring. Both have eight assists on the season, while McMann has scored nine goals to Sharf's eight. Sophomores Mitch Benson and Andrew Farrier have split time in net almost evenly. Farrier enters the weekend with a 6-6-2 record, a .919 save percentage and a 2.35 goals-against average, while Benson holds as 3-7-4 record with a .918 save percentage and a 2.38 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 a pair of ECAC Hockey games over the Jan. 31-Feb. 1 weekend, dropping a 8-5 decision to nationally-ranked Harvard, before topping Dartmouth 4-3 at Messa Rink. The nine goals scored over the weekend was the highest offensive output that Union has had this season.
Union vs Harvard - L, 8-5 - Jan. 31 - Messa Rink
Union Goals:
Dylan Anhorn,
Anthony Rinaldi,
Chaz Smedsrud, Zacahry Emelifeonwu (x2)
Harvard Goalie:Â Mitchell Gibson (W) - 26 saves, 5 goals against
Union Goalie:
Darion Hanson - 17 saves, 5 goals against
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Josh Graziano (L) - 15 saves, 3 goals against
Power Play: Union 1-3, Harvard 3-5
Summary: Four different skaters scored for Union, and
Zachary Emelifeonwu scored the final two goals of the game
Anthony Rinaldi posted a two-point game, scoring one goal and assisting on another.
Vas Kolias and
Gabriel Seger also has two-point outings, as both recorded two assists. Harvard entered the contest with the nation's best power play, and the Crimson went on to score three power-play goals in five opportunities. First-year netminder
Josh Graziano made his home debut at Messa Rink, stopping 15 shots through 20 minutes of work.
Union vs Dartmouth - W, 4-3 - Feb. 1 - Messa Rink
Union Goals:
Owen Farris,
Christian Sanda,
Gabriel Seger,
Sean Harrison
Dartmouth Goalie:Â Adrian Clark (L) - 34 saves, 4 goals against
Union Goalie:
Josh Graziano (W) - 19 saves, 3 goals against
Power Play: Union 0-6, Dartmouth 1-2
Summary:
Vas Kolias finished the night with two assists, while
Sean Harrison scored the game winner and assisted on Union's second goal. Union recorded its most shots on net this season, out-shooting Dartmouth 38-22, which included a 16-8 advantage in the first period and a 14-8 advantage in the second.
Josh Graziano made earned his first collegiate start and picked up his first win with 19 saves. Union was scoreless on the power play, going 0-for-6 with the man advantage, while Dartmouth scored one power-play goal on two opportunities.
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