After dropping a pair of games at Lake Superior State last weekend, Union College returns home to New York to open ECAC Hockey play against the rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers in a home-and-home series beginning on Friday night at Messa Rink.
Media Coverage
Fans can watch this weekend's games on ESPN+. Live stats for both games will be available through 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.
vs. Rensselaer
Union and Rensselaer have met 88 times in Union's Division I era, the most games against an opponent since Union moved to Division I in 1991. The last meeting came in January 2020, with the teams playing to a 1-1 draw before RPI won the shootout to capture the Mayor's Cup in Albany.
Scouting the Engineers
Rensselaer is 2-2-1 so far this season, going 0-1-1 against Bowling Green and splitting with Canisius, before defeating Vermont last weekend. The Engineers did not play last season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the 2019-20 season, Rensselaer put together a 17-15-2 record, including a top-four finish in the regular season standings before the ECAC Playoffs were cancelled due to the pandemic. The Engineers return 12 players from the 2019-20 season.
The Engineers added six transfers this year: Anthony Baxter (UMass Lowell), Jack Agnew (Boston College), TJ Walsh (Northeastern), Jakob Lee (Merrimack), Justin Addamo (Robert Morris), and Shane Sellar (Dartmouth).
Senior Jakub Laca is currently leading the Engineers in points (1g, 3a) in four games played. Reigning MAC Goaltending Goalie of the Week Linden Marshall leads the team between the pipes with a 2-1-1 record with a 1.95 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.
Lighting The Lamp Fast
Union has scored the first goal in five out of its six games played this season, including three games in which the Dutchmen scored within the first 2:01 of the game. Despite that advantage, Union is 1-3-1 in games in which the Dutchmen lit the lamp first.
First-Year Force
First-year
Michael Hodge has established himself as a steady offensive presence in the first six games. The forward is currently riding a four-game point streak, registering two goals and three assists dating back to October 15 against Colorado College. Hodge is currently second on the team in points scored with five.
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 garnered 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 marked the first time that Union 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.
