This Weekend
After splitting the opening weekend of ECAC Hockey play against Capital Region rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Union heads to the North Country for a pair of games against the Saint Lawrence Saints and the Clarkson Golden Knights.
Union's Last Time Out
Union is coming off a weekend split against the Engineers. In Friday's home contest, Union fell 8-6 in a battle that saw the most combined goals in a Union-RPI matchup in Union's Division I era. Sophomore
Ethan Benz led the way for Union with his first two collegiate goals and classmate
Brandon Buhr also scored his first collegiate goal.
Saturday's game at Houston Field House saw Union jump out early and never look back for Union's first win in Troy since October 26, 2019. Three first period goals were the difference maker in the win. The tandem of Benz and Buhr combined for three goals. Sophomore
Colby MacArthur recorded his first collegiate goal and classmate
Kyle Chauvette came up big with 26 saves, including a penalty shot save, for the win.
Scouting the Saints
St. Lawrence is off to a 2-5-1 start to the 2023-24 campaign. Last weekend, the Saints traveled to Ferris State University, where they won 5-2 on Friday, before falling 2-1 in overtime on Saturday.
Tomas Mazura leads the team with seven points (2-5-7) in eight games. Felikss Gavars has six points (5-1-6) in eight games. Gavars and Cameron Buhl will be two players two watch, especially early in the game, as both players have a pair of first goals.
On the blueline, senior Luc Salem has 14 blocked shots in eight games. Salem has a power-play goal and an assist so far this season.
In goal, the Saints have relied heavily on graduate transfer Ben Kraws. The former Miami (Ohio) and Arizona State student has played in 58 career games with an 18-28-4 record. This season, Kraws has a 2-4-1 record with a 2.70 GAA and a .914 save percentage.
Scouting the Golden Knights
The Golden Knights are off to a 3-4-0 start this season. Clarkson has not played since Oct. 28th. They fell to Lake Superior State 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 27th, before defeating Michigan Tech 3-1 the following night.
Anthony Romano leads the team with six points (1-5-6) while Cody Monds and Ryan Taylor have three goals apiece.
Clarkson is one of the teams that is penalized the least with an average of 8.12 penalty minutes per game.
The defensive duo of Trey Taylor and Dustyn McFaul are two to watch on the backend, with 35 combined blocked shots in seven games this season.
Clarkson has split time between two goaltenders. Graduate transfer Austin Roden (Providence, Omaha) is 2-3-0 in five starts with a .908 save percentage and a 2.62 GAA. First-year Emmett Croteau is 1-1 this season with a 2.04 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
You Shall Not Pass
Union's penalty kill has a 96.7% success rate, which is third in the country. Union has allowed one goal in 30 attempts. The penalty kill came up big last weekend, keeping RPI scoreless on a five-minute major.
Light it Up
The sophomore duo of
Ethan Benz and
Brandon Buhr combined for six goals last weekend with three goals each. In seven games, 12 Union skaters have recorded at least one goal.
Flames Watch
Union currently has two alumni in the Calgary Flames organization. Nick DeSimone scored his first NHL point, an assist, in Calgary's 6-3 win over Seattle. The blueliner registered two assists against Nashville on Tuesday, including an assist on the eventual game-winning goal. Calgary is 2-0 since DeSimone joined the lineup.
Connor Murphy '23 earned his first professional win for the Rapid City Rush (ECHL) on Oct. 20. Murphy posted a 2-2-0 record with a .901 save percentage and a 3.26 GAA. Murphy was called up to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) on Thursday.
Set Records, Take Names
Sophomore goaltender
Kyle Chauvette made 62 saves in the October 21 loss to UConn. The 62 stops is the most for a Union player in a single game.
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.
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.
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.
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.
