Union vs Rensselaer

Saturday, January 27, 2024 • Albany, N.Y. • MVP Arena • 6:00 p.m.

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Game Preview

Union Game Notes

This Weekend
Union closes out the non-conference schedule with the 11th annual Mayor's Cup game against cross-town rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at MVP Arena.

Union's Last Time Out
Union put together a strong weekend on the road in the first away series of 2024. Union defeated Dartmouth 5-1 and Harvard 5-4 in overtime for the first ECAC Hockey road sweep since 2018. 

Senior Liam Robertson had a five-point weekend. Robertson scored the game-winning goal on Friday before turning in a four-point night on Saturday with two goals and two assists. Sophomore Brandon Buhr scored the equalizer at Harvard with an extra-attacker goal in the final minute of regulation before scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. 

Sophomore Kyle Chauvette went 2-0-0 on the weekend and made 46 total saves. 

Scouting RPI
The Engineers are 7-15-1 and 4-8-0 in ECAC Hockey play. RPI is currently on a three-game losing streak after being swept on the road last weekend at Dartmouth and Harvard. The team is 2-4-0 in 2024.  

Sutter Muzzatti leads the Engineers with 19 points  (6-13-19) in 23 games. Eight members of the team are in double-digit scoring and three skaters have seven goals each.

All three goaltenders have played this season. Jack Watson leads the way with nine starts and a 5-4-0 record with a .896 save percentage and a 3.69 GAA. Brett Miller is 1-5-0 in six starts with a .888 save percentage and a 3.78 GAA. Carson Cherepak has not played since December 1, but is 1-6-1 with a .881 save percentage and 4.21 GAA. 

Prokop for Hobey
Sophomore John Prokop was named a 2024 Hobey Baker Award nominee. Prokop leads the team in points (24) and assists (19) and is first defenseman in the league in scoring. Prokop averages 1.09 points per game to rank 35th nationally and fifth among defenders. His 0.86 assists per game is 15th nationally and seventh among blueliners. Fans can vote once a day for Prokop between January 26 and March 10 at hobeybaker.com/vote.

It's Been A While
Last weekend saw several firsts for the program in several years. Saturday's win at Harvard was the first since January 30, 2015, a 5-4 victory. The ECAC Hockey weekend sweep on the road was the first in exactly six years, when Union swept Brown and Yale January 19-20, 2018 .

Messina On the Spot
First-year Joseph Messina scored his first collegiate goal in Friday's 5-1 win over Dartmouth. Messina previously had a goal called back earlier in the season against RPI. 

All Eyes on Saturday
Saturday marks the 11th annual Capital District Mayor's Cup. Union holds a 7-3 edge in the series including back-to-back shutout wins the previous two years. 

Forward of the Week
After a five-point weekend, senior Liam Robertson was named the ECAC Hockey Foward of the week. Robertson scored the game-winning goal Friday night at Dartmouth before turning in a career-high four-point night (2-2-4) against the Crimson on Saturday. 

Back in November
Union and RPI both won on the road in the home-and-home series in November. The 14 combined goals at Messa Rink were the most in the series in Union's Division I era. Union went on to win at Houston Field House, marking the first victory at RPI since October 26, 2019.

Straight Stats
At least 19 Union skaters have scored a point against RPI in their careers. Of the 66 career points as a team, the sophomore class has 25. Brandon Buhr and Ethan Benz combined for six goals in the November 2023 series while Colby MacArthur notched his first collegiate goal. 

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 is tied with Clarkson for second place in the league standings with 20 points in 12 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. 

Standout Sophomores
Union's sophomore class has made a big impact so far in the 2023-24 season. The sophomores have scored 88 of Union's 214 points. John Prokop leads the way with 24 points while Brandon Buhr paces the sophomores in goals with eight.  

At the Top
Union boasts one of the top-ranked penalty kill in NCAA Division I men's hockey with a 88.9% 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 26th with a 51.2% win percentage. Seniors Liam Robertson and Ville Immonen are second and fourth, respectively in ECAC Hockey in win percentage. Robertson has won 58.9% of draws while Immonen has a 57.1% win rate.  

You Get A Point
Union has been strong offensively through 23 games with an average of 3.39 goals per game. Out of the 25 skaters that have seen playing time, 23 have at least one point. Of those 23 skaters, 18 have scored at least one goal. Ten Union skaters have reached the double-digit mark.

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. 

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
Nick DeSimone scored his first NHL goal on Dec. 21 at Anaheim. DeSimone has five points (1-4-5) in 23 games for the Calgary Flames this season. DeSimone was claimed off waivers by the New Jersey Devils on January 25.  

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. 

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.  

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. 

Captaining the Ship
Senior Ben Tupker returns as captain for the second season in a row. Fellow seniors Tyler Watkins and Chaz Smedsrud will each don the "A" for the 2023-24 season. 

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.