Mid-Week Matchup
Union faces a short turnaround with a midweek matchup with #8 Maine after a weekend split against ECAC Hockey foes Princeton and Quinnipiac.
Last Time Out
Union split with Princeton and #4/5 Quinnipiac last weekend, downing Princeton 7-2 on Friday before falling 5-0 to Quinnipiac on Saturday.
Seven different skaters scored for Union in the win over Princeton. Sophomore
John Prokop led the way with a goal and two assists in the win. Senior
Liam Robertson (1-1-2), junior
Cullen Ferguson (1-1-2), junior
Caden Villegas (1-1-2), junior
Josh Nixon (0-2-2), and sophomore
Brandon Buhr (0-2-2) all recorded multi-point games.
Familiar Face
Union fans may recognize Ben Barr, the head coach of Maine. Barr previously served as an assistant coach with Union from 2008-11 and helped guide the team to their first ever Cleary Cup.
At the Top
Union boasts one of the top penalty kill units in NCAA Division I men's hockey with a 92.9% success rate through 13 games to rank third. Union has only allowed four goals on 56 attempts while on the penalty kill. Two other ECAC Hockey programs are also among the top ten on the penalty kill: Quinnipiac (2nd) and Clarkson (6th).
Scouting the Black Bears
Maine is off to an 8-3-1 start to start the 2023-24 season. The Black Bears swept RPI before downing Quinnipiac in overtime in late October to open the season. Maine stumbled at Boston University, dropping a pair of one-goal games to the nationally-ranked Terriers. The Black Bears are coming off of back-to-back conference wins over New Hampshire and UConn.
Maine is led up front by the Nadeau brothers, Bradly and Josh, who have each scored 19 points in 12 games. Last weekend saw both Bradly (10-9-19) and Josh (7-12-19)score their first career hat tricks with the other brother scoring an assist on all three goals.
Victor Ostman has been a staple between the pipes, starting in 11 of Maine's games this year. Ostman is 7-3-1 with a 2.56 GAA and a .898 save percentage.
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. The league announced today that Prokop was the 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.
You Get A Point
Union has been strong offensively through 13 games with an average of 3.62 goals per game. Out of the 23 skaters that have seen playing time, 21 have at least one point. Of those 21 skaters, 15 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 49 of Union's 123 points.
John Prokop leads the way with 17 points while
Brandon Buhr and
Carter Korpi pace the sophomores in goals with five.
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.
