This Weekend
Union opens the home portion of the schedule this weekend with a two-game series against the University of Connecticut.
New Year, New Name
Union's teams will be playing under a new name this season, as the College rebranded as the Garnet Chargers over the summer. Garnet has been Union's official school color for more than 150 years, while Chargers harkens to Schenectady's legacy as a hub of electrical innovation and invention. With the rebrand comes an additional Union "U" logo, which will be used alongside the traditional "Block U" logo that has been in place for many years.
Nice to Meet You
Union welcomes eight newcomers to the program for the 2023-24 season, including two transfers and six first-years. They hail from six states and two Canadian provinces and consist of four forwards, three defenders, and one goaltender.
Scouting the Huskies
The Huskies are coming an 0-2 weekend against Holy Cross after opening the season with a win and a tie against Colgate. UConn was selected to finish 5th in the Hockey East Preseason Poll. They finished the 2022-23 season with a 20-12-3 overall record and a 13-9-2 record in conference play.
UConn is led up front by first-year Jake Richard (2-2-4) and NHL first-round draft pick Matthew Wood (2-1-3). Richard has the lone power-play goal for the Huskies while Samu Salminen has a short-handed goal.
Union will see a familiar face on the roster as Clarkson transfer Ethan Haider has joined the Huskies this season. Haider has split time between the pipes with Arsenii Sergeev and recorded a 0-1-1 record with a 1.93 GAA and a .913 save percentage. Sergeev is 1-1-0 wutg a 2.03 GAA and a .923 save percentage.
Season Opening Shutout
Sophomore
Kyle Chauvette was stellar in Union's 6-0 victory over Army West Point on Sunday. The shutout to open the season is the first for Union in exactly 13 years. The last season opening shutout was on October 8, 2010, a 9-0 shutout of Sacred Heart.
NHL Season Begins
Shayne Gostisbehere was on the opening night roster for the Detroit Red Wings, marking the start of his ninth full season in the NHL. Keith Kinkaid rejoined the NJ Devils on a one-year deal in the offseason, but was placed on IR after suffering an injury in preseason.
Raise the Banner
Mike Vecchione '17 and the Hershey Bears captured the organization's 12th Calder Cup last June on Vecchione's game 7 overtime winner. The Bears will raise their championship banner on Saturday. Vecchione becomes the second Union alumnus to raise the Calder Cup and the first in Union's Division I era. He joins Union Hall of Famer Steve Baker '85 who won a Calder Cup with the Maine Mariners in 1984.
Transfer Commits
Union added two out of the transfer portal in the offseason. Junior
Cole Kodsi joins the team from Bentley University (AHA) and sophomore
Brandon Buhr comes from ECAC Hockey foe Clarkson University. Kodsi, a former captain with the Falcons, skated in 83 career games and scored 41 points (18-23-41). Buhr left Clarkson last December to return to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL) where he registered 18 points (12-6-18) before leading the team in playoff scoring with 24 points (8-16-24) in 19 playoff games.
Looking to Surprise
Union was picked to finish eighth in the ECAC Hockey preseason coaches poll, earning 45 points.
Defense First
Sophomore defender
John Prokop earned a spot on the ECAC All-Rookie team last season after a stellar first-year campaign. Prokop is the first rookie defenseman in Union's Division I history to lead the team in scoring. The last defenseman to lead the team in scoring was Brandon Estes in the 2021-22 season and the last rookie to lead in points was Adam Presizniuk in the 2007-08 season.
