This Weekend
Union returns home for Homecoming & Family Weekend with a two-game series against Mercyhurst University. Saturday's game will be the
Breast Cancer Awareness game in support of the initiative led by Union's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and other athletic teams.
Supporting Matt DuBrey
The Union Hockey family is banding together to support our beloved broadcaster, Matt DuBrey, in his recent cancer diagnosis. DuBrey, Union's play-by-play broadcaster for over 20 years, was diagnosed last Friday and has begun treatment. There is a
GoFundMe set up to assist DuBrey and his family during this time.
Last Weekend
Union split last weekend with a 4-2 win at Stonehill and a 4-1 loss at #3 Boston University. Friday saw four different goal scorers for the Garnet Chargers. Sophomore
Jacob Jeannette scored what eventually turned into the game-winning goal for his first collegiate tally. First-year
Drew Sutton recorded his first collegiate point, an assist, on junior
John Prokop's goal. Junior
Carter Korpi and Prokop both scored their second goals of the season.
Saturday saw Union outshooting BU early in the first before the Terriers scored twice to go up 2-0. Junior
Parker Lindauer scored his first goal in a garnet sweater in the second period and made a strong push in the third, but BU took the game 4-1.
On the weekend Union totaled 82 shots on goal.
Scouting Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst is 1-3-0 to start the season and hits the road for the first time in the 2024-25 campaign. The Lakers are coming off a weekend split with AHA rival RIT with a 4-2 win on Friday and a 4-2 loss on Saturday. Mercyhurst opened the season with a pair of games against Bowling Green and lost both by a goal.
Trent Sambrook is the reigning AHA Defenseman of the Week after recording three assists last weekend against the Tigers.
Boris Skalos is the early leader for he Lakers with four points (1-3-4) in four games and a +3 rating. Five skaters have three points. The Lakers have scored three power-play goals in their first four games to come in at a 17.6% with the player advantage.
Simon Bucheler has been solid between the pipes for the Lakers with a .930 save percentage and a 2.37 GAA in three starts.
Strength in Center
Union has been exceptionally strong on the faceoff this season. The Garnet Chargers are currently ranked seventh in the country with a 58.4% win percentage through three games. Junior
Parker Lindauer leads the team with a 63.9% win rate with first-year
Drew Sutton not far behind at 61.7%. Sophomore
Jacob Jeannette (56.8%) and junior
Nate Hanley (51.4%) round out Union's centers. Lindauer is currently 12th in the nation in faceoff wins with 39.
Shots, Shots, Shots!
Union has been peppering the opposition with shots this season. Through three games, Union is averaging 38.7 shots per game. The Garnet Chargers put up a season-high 45 shots on goal in Friday's win at Stonehill and another 37 shots on net on Saturday against BU. The team opened the season with a now season-low 34 shots against Army West Point.
Defender of the Week
Junior
John Prokop was named the ECAC Hockey Defender of the Week on Tuesday, October 8th. Prokop netted the overtime goal against Army West Point.
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.
