This Weekend
Union sets out on the first road trip of the 2024 calendar year this weekend with a trip to Dartmouth College on Friday night and a stop at Harvard University on Saturday.
Union's Last Time Out
Union snapped a four-game skid with a 5-1 win over Clarkson before winning in a shootout over St. Lawrence.
Special teams was the difference maker on Friday as Union scored four of the five goals on special teams. Sophomore
Carter Korpi tallied his third short-handed goal of the season while classmates
John Prokop and
Brandon Buhr struck on the powerplay. Senior
Ville Immonen also potted a goal on the player advantage.
Saturday saw sophomores
Nate Hanley and
Carter Korpi both score in the shootout. Senior
Chaz Smedsrud scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season and
Nate Hanley registered his second goal of the season.
Scouting Dartmouth
The Big Green were swept on the road last weekend in the return to ECAC Hockey action. They dropped a 5-0 decision at Yale before falling 2-1 to Brown. Dartmouth is currently 4-6-6 this season. In the first 11 games, the Big Green went to overtime seven times and a shootout six times. Five of those overtime games were against conference opponents.
Nikita Nikora leads Dartmouth with 13 points (2-11-13) in 16 games. Sophomore Cooper Flinton paces the team with six goals.
Sophomore Cooper Black has started in 15 games for Dartmouth and compiled a 4-5-6 record with one shutout. Black boasts a .915 save percentage and a 2.55 GAA.
Scouting Harvard
Harvard snapped a nine-game losing streak on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Yale. The Crumson are 2-10-3 overall and 2-5-3 in conference play. This weekend's series is the first at home for Harvard in 2024.
Ryan Healey leads the team in goals and in points with 13 (6-7-13). Four of Healey's goals have been on the powerplay. Joe Miller is second on the team in socring with 12 points (6-6-12) .
Harvard has split time between the pipes this season. Derek Mullahy has made eight starts for the Crimson with a 1-6-1 record, a .892 save percentage, and a 3.39 GAA. Aku Koskenvuo has made seven starts and compiled a 1-4-2 record with one shutout. Koskenvuo has a .900 save percentage and a 3.41 GAA.
Shorty Watch
Union's special teams have been a big factor in the team's success so far this season. The Garnet Chargers have six short-handed goals this season, which is the most for the program since the team put up six in the 2016-17 season. The team record is eight short-handed goals, set in 1994-95 and tied in the 2014-15 season.
League Play
Union sits in fifth in the league standings with 15 points in 10 league games. Aside from Mayor's Cup, all of Union's games are conference games for the remainder of the regular season.
Shorty for Korpi
Sophomore
Carter Korpi has scored three shorthanded goals this season, the most for a Union skater since Mike Vecchione '17 potted four in the 2016-17 season. Korpi is one goal away from tying Union's single-season record.
First Game, First Goal
Junior
Thomas Richter played his first game of the season against Brown and made the most of the opportunity with his first goal this year.
Honoring the 2014 Team
Union is honoring the 2014 National Championship team on Feb. 23 during the game against Harvard. A larger, public celebration will take place in the summer. More details will be available in the upcoming months on unionathletics.com and the Union Men's Hockey social media accounts.
At the Top
Union boasts one of the top-ranked penalty kill in NCAA Division I men's hockey with a 90.2% success rate through 21 games. Union has ranked in the top three since November 9.
On the Dot
Union's centers have been excellent on the faceoff dot, ranking 29th with a 50.6% win percentage. Seniors
Liam Robertson and
Ville Immonen are second and fourth, respectively in ECAC Hockey in win percentage. Robertson has won 57.0% of draws while Immonen has a 56.8% win rate.
Sharib with the Win
Junior
Joe Sharib earned his first collegiate win on Dec. 8 in Union's 5-4 win at Vermont. Sharib went on to make his first collegiate start the following night against the Catamounts.
Alumni Watch
Taylor Brierley signed a standard player contract with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL on Dec. 27
Nick DeSimone scored his first NHL goal on Dec. 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 Dec. 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.
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.
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.
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.
