This Weekend
Last weekend, Union defeated Princeton 1-0 in overtime before falling to #4 Quinnipiac 4-0 in the final ECAC Hockey series of the calendar year. The Dutchmen travel to Orono, Maine for the final road trip of 2021 with a non-conference series with the Maine Black Bears.
Media Coverage
Fans can watch this weekend's games on CollegeSportsLive. Live stats for both games will be available through GoBlackBears.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. Maine
Union and Maine have met 11 times since 1991, with the series being tied at 5-5-1. The last meeting was a two-game series in Schenectady in October 2015, with the Dutchmen going 1-0-1 on the weekend. Union holds a 3-1-1 advantage at home against Maine. The Black Bears have the edge in Orono, posting a 4-2 series lead over the Dutchmen at Alfond.
Scouting the Black Bears
The Black Bears are off to a slow start this season, posting a 1-11-3 record through the first two months of play. Six of those games were decided by one goal.
Senior Jakub Sirota and first-year David Breazeale lead the team with seven points each. Sophomore Donavan Villeneuve-Houle is the leading goal scorer with five.
Maine has split time in net this year with both goaltenders managing almost equal playing time. Sophomore Victor Ostman has started in eight games (1-6-1), posting a .897 save percentage and a 3.01 goals against average. Junior Matthew Thiessen is 0-5-2 in seven games this season with a .896 save percentage and 3.04 goals against average.
The Dutchmen will see a familiar face this weekend in head coach Ben Barr. Coach Barr spent three seasons with Union as an assistant coach, which culminated in an ECAC Hockey Championship and the program's first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Maine went 3-11-2 in a Covid-19 shortened 2020-21 season. The Black Bears welcome three transfers in Matthew Fawcett (Quinnipiac), Dominic Dockery (Merrimack), and Grant Hebert (Robert Morris).
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 2:00 p.m. on December 2, over $8,500 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 36th nationally with 153 faceoff wins, which is good for fifth in the conference. The junior is winning 53.1 percent of faceoffs.
Aside from his steadying presence in the circle, Seger has made an impact on the Dutchmen offense. The junior is second on the team with eight points (2-6-8). Union is 4-2-1 when Seger scores a point.
Ranked Robertson
Sophomore forward
Liam Robertson is off to a great start this season. Robertson is ranked 11th nationally and second in the conference with four power-play goals through 15 games. The forward is tied for first on the team with nine points (6-3-9), five of which came on special teams (4-1-5). Robertson has two game-winning goals this year, which places him 25th nationally and sixth in ECAC Hockey.
Robertson Earns Player of the Week
Following a career game against Merrimack College,
Liam Robertson was named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Week. 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 13 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.
