This Weekend
After sweeping tenth-seeded Princeton in the first round of the ECAC playoffs, 3-2 and 5-1, Union heads north to second-seeded Clarkson for the best-of-three quarterfinals series this weekend.
Media Coverage
Fans can watch the games this weekend on ESPN+ and StretchInternet. Live stats will be available through ClarksonAthletics.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.
Union in the ECAC Hockey Playoffs
Union has made 24 appearances in the ECAC Hockey Tournament, compiling a 32-38 record overall. In 14 appearances in the first round, the Dutchmen are 10-19 while they are 15-17 in 12 appearances in the quarterfinals. When Union makes the semifinals, they have a 4-1 record. In the finals, they are 3-1.
Playoff History with Clarkson
This will be the fourth meeting with Clarkson in the ECAC Tournament, and the first in the quarterfinals. This weekend marks the first time Union will travel to Clarkson for an ECAC Hockey Playoff game. The two teams first met in the opening round in 2004, with Clarkson sweeping the series 2-0. They met again in the following season with all three games going to overtime, with Clarkson taking the series win. In 2009, Union swept the series by scores of 5-3 and 2-1.
vs. Clarkson
Union split the regular season series with the Golden Knights. The Dutchmen won 4-3 in overtime at home in November with first-year
Collin Graf scoring the game-winner. Clarkson took the game in Potsdam in January, 8-2.
Clarkson in the Playoffs
After abrupt ends in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, the Golden Knights are looking for the same success from 2018-19, when they won four straight to win the Whitelaw Cup and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Clarkson fell to Notre Dame in the opening round of the Northeast Regional 3-2, in overtime. The Golden Knights are 98-80-5 in the ECAC Tournament over the course of 58 seasons.
Scouting the Golden Knights
Clarkson rattled off an 11-game unbeaten streak in the second half before dropping back-to-back games against Cornell and Yale. The Golden Knights finished the regular season with a 4-0 win over Brown to go into a bye week last week.
Mathieu Gosselin leads the team with 32 points (10-22-32) in 34 games while Alex Campbell has 30 points (14-16-30) in 34 games, including four power-play goals, one short-handed goal, and four game-winning goals. Anthony Romano (15-12-27) and Luke Santerno (12-5-17) have five power-play goals each this season.
In the circle, Zach Tsekos is winning 54.3 percent of faceoffs and leads the team with 286 faceoff wins.
Ethan Haider has played the majority of games for Clarkson, making 27 starts in the crease and compiling a 12-9-5 record with three shutouts and posting a .909 save percentage and 2.35 GAA. Jacob Mucitelli has made seven starts in 15 appearances, with a 7-0-1 record and three shutouts on the way to a 1.10 GAA and .952 save percentage.
Scoring Seger
Senior
Brandon Estes and junior
Gabriel Seger are the players to watch in the series with Clarkson. Estes has five helpers in eight games played to lead all Union skaters. Seger tallied a goal in both games so far this season and adds an assist.
Estes Named Third Team All-League
Senior
Brandon Estes was named to the ECAC Hockey Third Team All-League. Estes is in the middle of a career year, amassing 29 points (7-22-29) in 35 games. The senior is the first defenseman named to an All-League team since Jeff Taylor earned a second-team nod during the 2016-17 season.
Shorty Season
Union's special teams unit has taken a turn in the last few weeks. Junior
Dylan Anhorn scored Union's first short-handed goal since October 2019 in the February 5 game at Princeton. Classmate
Owen Farris scored Union's second short-handed goal this season in the win over Dartmouth on Saturday.
Going Streaking
Three Union skaters are currently on a point streak going into the series with Clarkson.
Brandon Estes is riding a five-game point streak (1-6-7), while
Dylan Anhorn (0-7-7) is on a four-game streak and
Liam Robertson (2-2-4) is on a three-game streak.
Senior Night
On February 26, the team recognized the five graduating seniors and their families in a post-game ceremony. The class of 2022 consists of
Brandon Estes,
Fletcher Fineman,
Josh Kosack,
Michael Ryan, and
Ryan Sidorski. The team also recognizedstudent manager Sumit Singh and equipment assistant Matt Kreines, both members of the class of 2022, for their contributions to the team during their time as students at Union.
Ironman Estes
Senior defenseman
Brandon Estes played in his 100th consecutive game on December 10 at Maine. The last game Estes missed was on February 3, 2018. The senior has played in 144 career games for the Dutchmen (16-49-65), including 119 in a row.
Ranked Robertson
Sophomore forward
Liam Robertson is ranked seventh nationally and first in the conference with eight power-play goals in 33 games. The forward is third on the team with 19 points (13-6-19), nine of which came on special teams (8-2-10). Robertson's five game-winning goals place him first in the conference and third nationally.
Meet Murphy
Junior transfer
Connor Murphy has been excellent between the pipes for the Dutchmen. Murphy stopped 89 shots in the series against Maine, including 51 stops on December 10, earning ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Week for the second time this season. The 51 saves ranks ninth in Union's Division I single-game record list and ranks fourth in Division I this season for a single game. Murphy has stopped 992 shots this season, which ranks second nationally, on the way to a 14-16-3 record with three shutouts.
Steady Seger
Junior assistant captain
Gabriel Seger has been a steady presence in the faceoff circle for the Dutchmen, winning 52.8 percent of faceoffs. Seger is ranked 39th nationally with 313 wins.
Aside from his steadying presence in the circle, Seger has made an impact on the Dutchmen offense. The junior is tied for third on the team with 19 points (7-12-19). Union is 10-5-1 when Seger scores a point.
Dutchmen in the Record Books
Three current Dutchmen have etched their way into the record books for Union hockey this season. Sophomore
Liam Robertson is currently tied for ninth in Union's Division I records for single-season power-play goals and tied for fourth in game-winning goals with five. Junior
Connor Murphy is ninth for single-game saves with his 51-save performance against Maine. In single season records, Murphy is second in saves with 992 and is tied for fourth for single-season shutouts with three. Murphy's 14 wins this season rank him 15th all-time in single-season wins. Senior
Brandon Estes' 119 consecutive games played ranks in the top ten in Union hockey history.
Making Olympic History
Former Dutchman Parker Foo is going down in Olympic history books as the first member of the Chinese men's national team to score a goal in the Olympics.
Kosack Named Finalist for Hockey Humanitarian Award
For the second straight season,
Josh Kosack has been announced as a finalist for the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award. Kosack is one of five finalists for the award this season, including one of two repeat finalists from 2020-21. The winner will be announced on Friday, April 8 during the NCAA Men's Frozen Four weekend in Boston, Mass.
Kozi's Kids Raises $45,000 for C.O.C.O.A. House
On February 7, senior captain
Josh Kosack announced that the second annual Kozi's Kids holiday fundraiser raised almost $45,000 to benefit local Schenectady children. In two years, Kosack has raised over $50,000 for C.O.C.O.A. House. After the success of last year's fundraiser, Kosack set his sights even higher with a lofty goal of $20,000 after a generous donor agreed to match up to $10,000. The goal was to assist C.O.C.O.A. House with their annual Christmas toy drive to benefit kids in the Capital Region while also funding a Kozi's Kids Lounge in the building next door.
Kosack joined C.O.C.O.A. House Executive Director Will Rivas to help shop for Christmas presents for the children as well as deliver $10,000 worth of gifts over the course of two days. Rivas estimates the cost of the Kozi's Kids Lounge to be approximately $10,000, with the remaining $25,000 donated as unrestricted funds to the non-profit to pursue other projects to benefit the children. C.O.C.O.A. House has continued to expand its neighborhood footprint, recently purchasing a third location with the goal of creating a community green space.
Adding the A
Senior
Brandon Estes was named an assistant captain for the Dutchmen in January. Estes leads the team in points this season and is a steadying presence both on and off the ice.
Olympians Made Here
For the first time in program history, three alumni have earned spots on Olympic hockey rosters: Daniel Carr (Canada), Spencer Foo (China), and Parker Foo (China). Spencer Foo will also don the "A" for China.
Murphy Named to Mike Richter Award Watch List
Junior
Connor Murphy was one of 28 goaltenders named to the preliminary Mike Richter Award Watch List on Thursday, January 20.
Three is the Magic Number
In the first 22 games this season,
Brandon Estes scored 13 points (4-9-13). Those points were scored in three three-game point streaks (10/15-10/22, 11/5-11/12, 1/15-1/22), resulting in a 1-1-1 team record in each streak. Therefore, Union is 3-3-3 when Estes scores a point. Estes also added three points against Brown and Yale.
Kosack Named Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Josh Kosack is one of 20 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Kosack is one of four candidates from an ECAC Hockey school and the sixth Union player in program history.
Dutchmen Earn Player of the Week Honors
Following a career game against Merrimack College,
Liam Robertson was named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Week. After their performances against Maine, first-year
Caden Villegas earned Rookie of the Week accolades and junior
Connor Murphy earned his second Goalie of the Week honor. Sophomore
Tyler Watkins was named the Rookie of the Week on February 7 after the Quinnipiac/Princeton series.
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. Hodge is tied for fifth 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.
