This Weekend
Union opens the new year with a four-game homestand with ECAC Hockey opponents. The Garnet Chargers host Brown on Friday before closing out the weekend with Yale.
Union's Last Time Out
Union came back from winter break with a solo game at Bentley, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Falcons.
Trailing 3-0 going into the final twenty minutes of regulation, Union scored two goals in 1:27, courtesy of senior
Chaz Smedsrud and junior
Josh Nixon. Senior
Ben Tupker buried his fifth goal of the season to tie the game with 6:07 left in regulation. Union put 13 shots on net in the final period, but could not get the go-ahead goal.
The Falcons killed off a penalty in the early part of the overtime frame before Nik Armstrong-Kingkade found the back of the net at 2:11 to give Bentley the win.
Scouting Brown
Brown is off to a 4-9-1 start and 2-5-0 in ECAC Hockey play. The Bears are coming off a 3-0 loss to Providence on Dec. 30. As a team, Brown is on the younger side with 16 players listed as either a first-year or sophomore. Brown is tied with Union and St.Lawrence with nine points in the ECAC Hockey standings.
First-year Max Scott leads the way with 14 points (4-10-14) while sophomore Ryan St. Louis paces the Bears with nine goals in 13 games.
Both goalies have seen time between the pipes this season. Lawton Zacher has made nine starts and is 2-4-1 with a .899 save percentage and a 2.98 GAA. Tyler Shea has made four starts and nine appearances. Shea is 2-4-0 with a .897 save percentage and a 3.49 GAA.
Scouting Yale
Similar to their travel partner, Yale is 4-9-0 and 2-5-0 in ECAC Hockey play through 13 games this season. Yale is coming off a 5-1 win over McGill in an exhibition game on Dec. 31. Yale currently has six points in the league standings, which is tied with RPI.
David Chen leads all Yale skaters with 11 points (5-6-11) in 13 games. Briggs Gammill has six goals for the Bulldogs. Ryan Conroy and Dylan Herzog have combined for 48 blocked shots in 13 games, with 26 and 22 blocked shots, respectively.
Nathan Reid and Jack Stark have split time for Yale in net this season. Reid is 2-6-0 with eight starts, a .865 save percentage and a 4.15 GAA. Stark has made five starts and has a .877 save percentage and 3.38 GAA.
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.
Shorty Watch
Union's special teams have been a big factor in the team's success so far this season. The Garnet Chargers have four short-handed goals this season, which is the most for the program since the team put up five in the 2018-19 season.
At the Top
Union boasts the top-ranked penalty kill in NCAA Division I men's hockey with a 92.8% success rate through 17 games. Union has only allowed five goals on 69 attempts while on the penalty kill. Quinnipiac also ranks in the top ten, coming in fourth at 90.6%.
On the Dot
Union's centers have been excellent on the faceoff dot, ranking 23rd with a 51.6% win percentage. Seniors
Liam Robertson and
Ville Immonen are second and third, respectively in ECAC Hockey in win percentage. Immonen has won 58.8% while Robertson is right behind with a 57.7% 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.
