Union College looks to build upon their first home series where they went 1-0-1 in a two-game series against Colorado College. The Dutchmen head to Sault Ste. Marie for a pair of nonconference games with the Lake Superior State Lakers.
Media Coverage
Fans can watch this weekend's games on FloHockey. Live stats for both games will be available through LSSULakers.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.
vs. Lake Superior State Lakers
Union and Lake Superior State have met five times in program history, tying in the first matchup before the Lakers took the next four games. The last meeting came in 2013, when the Lakers took their first trip to Schenectady, taking game one on the weekend 6-5 in overtime and game two 3-2.
Scouting the Lakers
Lake Superior State hosts Union after winning both games in their home opener weekend against conference foe St. Thomas last weekend. The Lakers went 19-7-3 (9-5-0 WCHA) in the 2020-21 season, winning the WCHA championship for the first time since the 1994-95 season before losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament to UMass.
The Lakers are currently receiving votes in both the USCHO and the USA Today/USA Hockey polls. After splitting their opening weekend series against then No. 17 Omaha, the Lakers dropped a pair against nationally-ranked Michigan.
Brandon Puricelli has put together nine points (4-5-9) this season, joining transfer Harrison Roy (3-6-9) for the team lead in scoring.
The Lakers have split goaltending duties between junior Seth Eisele and sophomore Ethan Langenegger. The team is 2-1 with Eisele in net as the junior registers a 3.94 GAA and .902 save percentage. Langenegger posts a 1-2 record with a 3.36 GAA and a .897 save percentage.
The Lakers return 17 players from the 2020-21 season and added transfers Jake Willets (Ferris State), Harrison Roy (Boston College), and Logan Jenuwine (Arizona State).
How Sweep It Is
On Monday, October 18, the ECAC announced a clean sweep of their weekly awards by the Dutchmen. Senior
Brandon Estes earned Player of the Week honors, scoring one goal and adding three assists from the blue line. Junior
Connor Murphy garned Goalie of the Week recognition, posting a 1.92 goals against average and a .945 save percentage with 69 saves in two contests. First-year
Collin Graf played a role in both Union goals in Friday's 2-1 win over the Tigers, scoring his first collegiate goal on the power play and then picked up the primary assist on Estes' game-winning goal.
This is the first time that Union has swept the weekly awards since March 2014 when Daniel Carr '14 (Player), Colin Stevens '15 (Goalie), and Mike Vecchione '17 (Rookie) were all recognized.
Oh Captains, My Captains
Senior
Josh Kosack will wear the captains' "C" this season while juniors
Dylan Anhorn and
Gabriel Seger will don the "A" for the Dutchmen in 2021-22. Kosack is captaining the team for the second straight season, after serving as a team leader during the 2020-21 pandemic year.
Looking to Surprise
Union was picked to finish in a tie for eighth in the ECAC Hockey preseason coaches poll, earning 40 points to tie with Rensselaer. The local media were even more pessimistic about Union's chances, voting the Dutchmen 11th out of 12 teams (26 points) in the preseason media poll.
Welcome to the Show
Heading into the 2021-22 season, more than half (16 of 31) of Union's players have never played in a collegiate game. Seven sophomores were with the team last year but did not compete, as Union did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program also welcomed eight first-year players to the team this season as well.
