This Weekend
After sweeping Stonehill College over Thanksgiving weekend, Union returns to ECAC Hockey action with a weekend series at home against Princeton and #4/5 Quinnipiac.
Union's Last Time Out
Union swept Stonehill College in the first meeting between the two programs. The Garnet Chargers won 5-2 on Friday before turning in a 4-0 shutout on Saturday.
In Friday's game, Union held the Skyhawks without a shot in the first period. Seniors
Ben Tupker and
Tyler Watkins, juniors
Josh Nixon and
Cole Kodsi, and sophomore
Carter Korpi all scored for Union in the win.
Saturday saw sophomore goaltender stop 21 shots for his second shutout of the season while two of Union's four goals came on special teams. Senior
Chaz Smedsrud scored on the powerplay early in the first period and Kodsi added his second goal of the season with a short-handed tally. Korpi netted his second goal of the weekend while sophomore
Brandon Buhr also scored.
Toy Drive
Union hockey is once again teaming up with C.O.C.O.A. House for the holiday season. The team is collecting new, unwrapped toys on Saturday to help benefit children in the Capital Region.
Scouting Princeton
Princeton is coming into the weekend after dropping a two-game series at Ohio State. The Buckeyes defeated Princeton 6-3 on Friday, and the Tigers could not complete the comback on Saturday with a 4-3 loss.
Sixty minutes has not been enough in ECAC Hockey play for Princeton as four of the six games have gone into overtime. The Tigers won the extra point in a shootout over Harvard, then defeated Yale and Brown back-to-
back in extra time. Princeton most recently defeated #10 Cornell, 2-1 in overtime.
Five Princeton skaters are tied for the team lead with seven points each. Jack Cronin leads the way with four goals, including two on the powerplay.
All three goaltenders have seen ice time. First-year Arthur Smith leads the way with three starts and six games played on the way to a 2-2-0 record, a .904 save percentage and a 3.04 GAA.
Scouting Quinnipiac
The defending national champions come into Messa Rink after falling to #5 Boston University last week, 3-2. The Bobcats are 9-4-1 this season with a 5-0-1 record in ECAC Hockey play.
Pacing the Bobcats is Jacob Quillan who has 19 points (8-11-19) in 14 games. Not far behind him is junior Collin Graf with 16 points (7-9-16) in nine games. Defenseman Jayden Lee adds 14 points (3-11-14) and 16 blocked shots
to anchor the blue line.
Vinny Duplessis has been the primary netminder with 10 starts and 11 games played for a 7-3-1 record. Duplessis boasts a .911 save percentage alongside a 2.15 GAA.
Double Up
The sophomore duo of
John Prokop and
Carter Korpi both earned ECAC Hockey weekly honors after the weekend sweep of Stonehill. Prokop was named the Defender of the Week and Korpi was honored as the Forward of the Week presented by Bluebird by Lark Hotels.
At the Top
Union boasts the top-ranked penalty kill in NCAA Division I men's hockey with a 93.8% success rate through 11 games. Union has only allowed three goals on 48 attempts while on the penalty kill. Two other ECAC Hockey programs are also among the top ten on the penalty kill: Quinnipiac (3rd) and Clarkson (6th).
Gone Streaking
Sophomore
John Prokop leads the team with 14 points (2-12-14) in 11 games. The blueliner is on a six-game point streak dating back to Nov. 3rd.
You Get A Point
Union has been strong offensively through 11 games with an average of 3.64 goals per game. Out of the 22 skaters that have seen playing time, 21 have at least one point. Of those 21 skaters, 14 have scored at least one goal.
Standout Sophomores
Union's sophomore class has made a big impact so far in the 2023-24 season. The sophomores have scored 44 of Union's 106 points.
John Prokop leads the way with 14 points while
Brandon Buhr and
Carter Korpi pace the
sophomores in goals with five each.
He'd Be Honored
Sophomore goaltender
Kyle Chauvette was honored for a second time this season as ECAC Hockey's MAC Goaltending Goaltender of the Week after his performance against UConn. In the 4-1 win, Chauvette made a career-high 36 saves before turning in a 62-save performance the following night to set Union's single-game save record.
Light it Up
The sophomore duo of
Ethan Benz and
Brandon Buhr combined for six goals against RPI with three goals each. In nine games, 13 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, including an assist on the eventual game-winning goal. Calgary is 5-4 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 earned his first AHL call up to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) on Nov. 9.
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.
