Union vs. Merrimack

Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021 • North Andover, Mass. • Lawler Rink • 4:00 p.m.

Television: n/a • Radio: n/a

Live Stats • Video Stream • Audio Stream

Weekend Preview

Union Game Notes

This Weekend
Union split their ECAC Hockey weekend series November 12-13 with #13 Cornell and Colgate, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Big Red before shutting out the Raiders 2-0. The Dutchmen enjoyed last week off for final exams and turn their attention to Hockey East foe Merrimack College this Saturday at Lawler Rink in North Andover, Mass. 

Media Coverage
Fans can watch this weekend's game on CollegeSportsLive. Live stats will be available through MerrimackAthletics.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. Merrimack
Union and Merrimack have met 19 times since 1991, with the Warriors holding a narrow 8-9-2 edge in the series. The last meeting came in December 2019, with Union defeating Merrimack 3-2 in Schenectady. 

Scouting the Warriors
Merrimack is coming off a 3-2 win over Holy Cross (ATL) on Tuesday night, moving to 6-7-0 overall and 3-6-0 in Hockey East play. 

The Warriors have split every series they have played this season with the exception of a home-and-home series with Massachusetts, dropping a 2-1 decision in North Andover before taking the defending champions to overtime in Amherst. Merrimack has faced five opponents this season that were either nationally ranked or receiving votes, coming out with a 3-4-2 record. 

Merrimack is among the leaders in the faceoff circle, coming in fourth nationally with a .553 win percentage. Graduate student Max Newton ranks second in the nation with 192 wins in the circle, only three behind the current leader. 

Four Warriors have reached double digit figures with Newton leading the way with 14 points in 13 games with teammates Filip Forsmark (11), Ben Brar (10), and Liam Walsh  (10) right behind. 

Sophomore netminder Zachary Borgiel has emerged as the primary goaltender for the Warriors, starting in nine games with a 4-4-0 record, posting a 3.05 GAA and .885 save percentage. First-year Hugo Ollas has also spent time in net, starting four games earning a 2-2-0 record with a 3.15 GAA and .887 save percentage. 

The Warriors played an abbreviated schedule in the 2020-21 season. Merrimack earned a 5-11-2 record in a pandemic-shortened season, finishing in ninth in Hockey East standings. They returned 20 veterans from the 2020-21 squad, including all five of their top scorers and welcomed 10 newcomers for 2021-22. The Warriors also added three students from the transfer portal: Steven Jandric (Denver), Jake Durflinger (Denver), and Christian Felton (Bentley).

Kozi's Kids
Senior captain Josh Kosack launched his second Kozi's Kids fundraiser on November 15 to benefit C.O.C.O.A. House, a non-profit that provides a safe place for inner-city Schenectady children to go after school with a focus on building life skills, academics, and mentorship. After raising over $5,000 for new laptops and Christmas presents in a year without Dutchmen hockey, the captain is aiming higher this year. The goal is to raise $20,000. The non-profit recently purchased the building next door in order to create a second space for kids to go with an emphasis on a state-of-the-art entrepreneurship space, a lounge area, study rooms, and other resources. The money will go to developing a Kozi's Kids lounge and purchasing Christmas presents for children in the Tri-City area. 

A very generous donor has agreed to match every dollar raised up to $10,000. As of 11:30 a.m. on November 26, over $7,300 was raised between online donations and money sent directly to C.O.C.O.A. House. To learn more about the fundraiser, or to donate, please visit UnionAthletics.com/KozisKids. 

Steady Seger
Junior assistant captain Gabriel Seger has been a steady presence in the faceoff circle for the Dutchmen. Seger is ranked 35th nationally with 124 faceoff wins, which is good for sixth in the conference. The junior is winning 51.8 percent of faceoffs. 

Lighting The Lamp Fast
Union scored the first goal in seven out of its first ten games played this season, including three games in which the Dutchmen scored within the first 2:01 of the game. Despite that advantage, Union was only 2-3-2 in those seven contests.

First-Year Force
First-year Michael Hodge has established himself as a steady offensive presence in the first 12 games. The forward started the season on a five-game point streak, registering  three goals and three assists during that time. Hodge is tied for first on the team with nine points. 

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 picking 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.