| Union at Stonehill |
| Friday, October 11, 2024 • Bridgewater, Mass. • Bridgewater Ice Arena • 7:00 p.m. |
| Live Stats • Video Stream |
This Weekend
Union is on the road for the first time this season for a pair of non-conference games. The Garnet Chargers will face Stonehill Colllege on Friday night at Bridgewater Ice Arena before heading to Boston for a showdown with #3 Boston University at Agganis Arena.
Last Weekend
Union opened the season last weekend at home with a 4-1 loss in an exhibition to #13 Providence College on Saturday before officially opening the season with a dramatic back-and-forth affair over Army West Point with a 4-3 overtime win on Sunday.
Sunday's game saw four different goal scorers for the Garnet Chargers and 10 score at least one point in the overtime win. Junior
John Prokop (1-1-2) and first-year
Ben Muthersbaugh (0-2-2) led the way with two points each while first-year
Connor Smith scored his first collegiate goal.
Tied at three each, junior
Colby MacArthur made a diving play in overtime to keep the puck in the offensive zone and Prokop buried it for the overtime win.
Scouting Stonehill
Union heads to Stonehill for the first time this weekend after taking the series 2-0 in Schenectady last season. The Skyhawks finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 2-34-0 record in their first full season as a NCAA Division I program.
Stonehill defeated Merrimack College in overtime on Oct. 6 to open the season with a 3-2 win. Brady Hunter scored the equalizer on the powerplay in the first period. Down by one in the third period, Anthony Galante scored with 8.9 seconds left to force overtime. Devlin O'Brien was the overtime here for the Skyhawks with a goal only 38 seconds in.
The Skyhawks return leading scorer from last season, Frank Ireland, who had 18 points (9-9-18) in 36 games.
Scouting BU
Boston University is coming off an excellent 2023-24 campaign that saw the team go 28-10-2 overall. After losing to rival Boston College in the Hockey East Championship game, the Terriers swept through the NCAA Sioux Falls Regional with 6-3 wins over RIT and Minnesota. The Terriers fell in overtime, 2-1, to eventual national champion Denver.
BU returns 16 skaters from last year's Frozen Four team including Ryan Greene (12-24-36) and Quinn Hutson (18-18-36).
Former Brown University goaltender Mathieu Caron is back between the pipes for BU for his second season after appearing in all 40 games for the Terriers. Caron earned the win in the team's season opener against Holy Cross, a 5-2 win at Agganis Arena.
All-Messa Rink Teams
Over the course of the season, Union fans will have a chance to vote for the best players to don the garnet and white over the years. Your votes (both online and in person at Messa Rink) will help to determine which players will be recognized on the Union Hockey All-Messa Rink Teams, which will be announced later in the season.
Welcome Back Alumni
The men's team will welcome back the inaugural 1975-76 team as well as the 1983-84 Division III national runners-up on Saturday, February 1 to be recognized during Union's game against Brown University. On Saturday, February 15, Union will be inviting back members of the first Division I team from 1991-92 as well as the 2011-12 Frozen Four team to be recognized during the game against Princeton University.
The Final Season
The 2024-25 season marks the final season at Messa Rink for both the Union College men's and women's hockey programs. Beginning in 2025-26, the teams will play down the road at Mohawk Harbor Arena. The Union men are 388-283-72 (.570) all-time at Messa Rink with a 217-201-67 (.515) record as a Division I program.
Captaining the Ship
Senior
Cullen Ferguson was named the captain of the 2024-25 team. Joining him as alternate captains are seniors
Caden Villegas and
Josh Nixon as well as juniors
Nick Young and
John Prokop.
All-American Era
John Prokop returns for his junior campaign after earning All-America Second Team East honors last season. Prokop led the team in scoring for the second-straight season with 35 points (8-27-35).
Picked Eighth
Despite finishing in sixth last season, Union was selected to finish eighth in the ECAC Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll. Union garnered 60 points in the votes, only six back from seventh-place St. Lawrence.
Double Trouble
Senior
Caden Villegas and junior
John Prokop were two players to watch last season as they both recorded 30 or more points. Villegas and Prokop became the first Union duo to put up a 30-spot since the 2017-18 season saw three skaters reach the 30-point mark.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered!
Head Coach
Josh Hauge signed a contract extension this offseason to stay on as head coach through the 2028-29 season.
Welcome Home
Over the summer, the 2014 National Championship team returned to Schenectady for their 10 year reunion. The team met at Mohawk Harbor to sign a steel plate that will be installed at Union's new rink.
This is What Champs are Made of
June 24, 2024 was a night to remember as two alumni won championships in the same night. Mike Vecchione '17 and the Hershey Bears defeated the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL Calder Cup Championship to win their second-straight title. Former student manager and video coordinator, Thomas Harding '19, lifted the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in a thrilling game seven. Harding is the Communication Manager for the Panthers.
Not So Young Anymore
Union is one of the older teams in the country in terms of age. On average, the team is 22.6 years old. Of Union's 28 players, 17 are either juniors or seniors. Union's junior class boasts 11 members.
Return Them
Union boasts one of the top returning teams in terms of scoring. The Garnet Chargers returned 219 points, which ranks 10th in the NCAA.
Preseason Pick
Junior
John Prokop was named the ECAC Hockey Preseason All-ECAC Hockey team, the first Union skater to be honored since Mike Vecchione '17 was recognized in the 2016-17 season.
Adding the Assist
Head coach
Josh Hauge added two members to his coaching staff this past summer.
Mike Zannella joins the team from the USHL's Lincoln Stars. Also joining the staff is
Sean Speck '24, a former member of the men's soccer team, and hockey equipment assistant.
