Union at Bentley

Saturday, December 30, 2023 • Waltham, Mass. • Bentley Arena • 5:30 p.m.

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Game Preview

Union Game Notes

This Weekend
Union returns to action after the holiday break with a solo game at Bentley University on Saturday.

Last Time Out
Union closed out the first half by splitting a two-game series at Vermont on Dec. 8-9. Union won on Friday, 5-4, before falling to the Catamounts on Saturday 4-1. 

Junior Joe Sharib earned his first collegiate win for Union with 14 saves in 44:55 of game action in Friday's win and started his first collegiate game on Saturday. Friday saw five different goal scorers for the Garnet Chargers in a come from behind win. Trailing 3-1 going into the second period, Union scored four unanswered goals to take a 5-3 lead. Saturday saw sophomore Nick Young score short-handed for Union's fourth shorty of the season. Union's penalty kill went a perfect 7-for-7 on Saturday and 10-for-10 on the weekend. 

Reunion on Tap
Saturday's game with the Falcons features a reunion for both teams. Current junior Cole Kodsi skated in 83 games for Bentley over the course of three seasons and registered 41 points (18-13-41). In Kodsi's final season in Waltham, he served as an assistant captain. 

Union fans will reunite with Colin Stevens '14 on Saturday. Stevens, an instrumental part of Union's NCAA Championship in 2014 is in his first season as the Director of Goaltending at Bentley. The Niskayuna, N.Y. native still holds several Union records including career wins (53), shutouts (11), single-season wins (28), and single-season shutouts (6).

Scouting the Falcons
Bentley is returning to action after the holiday break after last playing on Dec. 9, a 3-2 loss at Maine.

Bentley and Union share three mutual opponents this season: Maine, Stonehill, and Army West Point. Through the three games against mutual opponents, Bentley is 2-1-0, earning wins over Stonehill, but falling to Maine. The Falcons face Army West Point in three conference games beginning in January. 

Bentley is one of the stingiest teams defensively, only allowing 2.17 goals per game, which is is fourth in the country, only behind Wisconsin, Quinnipiac, and Clarkson. 

The Quinnipiac transfers Nick Bochen and Ethan Leyh lead the Falcons in scoring this season with 12 points (3-9-12) and 10 points (2-8-10), respectively. 

Bentley relies on the goaltending tandem of Nicholas Grabko and Connor Hasley to man the pipes. Grabko is 5-4-0 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.02 GAA. Hasley is 3-6-0 with a .900 save percentage and a 2.34 GAA. 

Alumni Watch
Nick DeSimone scored his first NHL goal on December 21 at Anaheim. DeSimone has five points (1-4-5) in 15 games for the Calgary Flames this season. 

Connor Murphy made his first AHL start for the Calgary Wranglers on December 16. Murphy stopped 17 shots, but the Wranglers fell 5-2. 

Josh Jooris was named to Team Canada for the Spengler Cup taking place between Dec. 26-31. Jooris scored a goal for Team Canada in the game against HC Davos. 

At the Top
Union boasts the top penalty kill unit in NCAA Division I men's hockey with a 94.1% success rate through 16 games. Union has only allowed four goals on 68 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). 

Awards Keep Coming
Sophomore John Prokop has been honored three times in the last two weeks by ECAC Hockey. The blueliner earned back-to-back Defender of the Week honors. Prokop was named the ECAC Hockey Defender of the Month for the month of November. 

Gone Streaking
Sophomore John Prokop went on a seven-game point streak from Nov. 3 to Dec. 1, recording 12 points (2-10-12) in that span. The seven-game point streak is tied for the longest in ECAC Hockey this season. 

You Get A Point
Union has been strong offensively through 16 games with an average of 3.38 goals per game. Out of the 23 skaters that have seen playing time, 21 have at least one point. Of those 21 skaters, 16 have scored at least one goal. Seven Union skaters have reached the double-digit mark.

Standout Sophomores
Union's sophomore class has made a big impact so far in the 2023-24 season. The sophomores have scored 59 of Union's 143 points. John Prokop leads the way with 20 points while Carter Korpi pace the sophomores in goals with six.  

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.