This Weekend
After a midweek matchup with #8 Maine, Union travels north for a two-game series against the University of Vermont for the final set of games before the holiday break.
Last Time Out
In a hard-fought battle on Wednesday, Union fell to #8 Maine, 3-1. Sophomore
John Prokop scored on the powerplay to make it a one-goal game, but the Black Bears struck back with an empty netter to seal the victory. Sophomore
Brandon Buhr and junior
Caden Villegas each recorded an assist on Prokop's goal.
Scouting the Catamounts
Vermont is coming off a weekend split in Hockey East play. The Catamounts defeated #10 UMass on Friday in overtime before falling to UMass Lowell on Sunday, 2-1. This season, Vermont is 2-2-0 at home.
Vermont and Union share five mutual opponents this season: St. Lawrence, Clarkson, Dartmouth, Maine, and UConn. Through the four games against mutual opponents, Vermont is 2-2-0, earning wins over St. Lawrence and UConn.
Vermont is led by Will Zapernick (1-5-6) and Jeremie Bucheler (2-4-6). Jens Richards and Simon Jellus are tied for the team lead with four goals each.
Gabe Carriere has started all 10 games for the Catamounts and compiled a 4-5-1 record. Carriere boasts a 2.39 GAA and a .925 save percentage.
At the Top
Union boasts one of the top penalty kill units in NCAA Division I men's hockey with a 93.1% success rate through 14 games to rank second. Union has only allowed four goals on 58 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. 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 14 games with an average of 3.43 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 51 of Union's 126 points.
John Prokop leads the way with 18 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.
