| Union vs Rensselaer |
| Saturday, January 25, 2025 • Albany, N.Y. • MVP Arena • 6:00 p.m. |
| Live Stats • Live Audio |
This Weekend
Union is set to battle RPI this weekend in the 12th edition of the Capital District Mayor's Cup. Union has won the last three matchups in the annual rivalry game held at MVP Arena in Albany.
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 in October and has begun treatment. There is a
GoFundMe set up to assist DuBrey and his family during this time.
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.
Last Time Out
Union is coming off a weekend split at home against Dartmouth and Harvard. The Garnet Chargers fell to Dartmouth, 4-0, on Friday before rebounding to win 4-1 against Harvard on Saturday. Seniors
Cullen Ferguson and
Josh Nixon, junior
Brandon Buhr, and first-year
Ben Muthersbaugh all scored against the Crimson.
Mayor's Cup 2024 Edition
Five different players scored on Jan. 27, 2024 in Union's 5-3 win to keep the Mayor's Cup in Schenectady for the third year in a row. Current senior
Cullen Ferguson led all players with a goal and two assists. Junior
Carter Korpi scored the eventual game-winning goal and classmate
Kyle Chauvette made 22 saves in the win.
Scouting the Engineers
The Engineers are 9-12-2 with a 4-8-0 record in ECAC Hockey play. After defeating nationally-ranked Clarkson on the road, RPI was swept at home by Harvard, 5-2, and Dartmouth, 5-3.
Will Gilson saw a six-game point streak snapped on Saturday. The junior defenseman leads the Engineers with 19 points (5-14-19) in 23 games. Jakob Lee leads RPI with seven goals.
Noah Giesbrecht has started in 18 games for RPI this season with an 8-10-0 record. Giesbrecht has an .894 save percentage and a 3.45 GAA.
Players to Watch
Union has six players averaging a point per game or more against RPI. Junior
Parker Lindauer (0-4-4) and first-year
Ben Muthersbaugh (3-1-4) lead the way with two points per game. Junior
Colby MacArthur (1.25), junior
Nate Hanley (1.12), junior
Brandon Buhr (1.00), and senior
Josh Nixon (1.00) round out Union's top scorers against RPI.
20 Point Party
Three Union skaters have reached the 20-point mark this season. Junior
Nate Hanley leads the way with 23 points (7-16-23) to average a point per game. First-year
Ben Muthersbaugh has 22 points (10-12-22) and junior
John Prokop (7-13-20) have also reached the 20-point plateau. Three skaters,
Brandon Buhr,
Caden Villegas, and
Colby MacArthur are close with 19 points each.
Prokop for Hobey
For the second straight year, junior
John Prokop has been nominated for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award. Prokop has 20 points (7-13-20) in 23 games and ranks first among ECAC Hockey defensemen in points and goals. Fan voting is now open and can be found at
hobeybaker.com/vote
The Brandon Buhr File
Brandon Buhr has been one of the most consistent Union skaters this season. The winger has 19 points (12-7-19) in 23 games for the Garnet Chargers. Buhr, the team leader in goals, is ranked 26th nationally with 0.52 goals per game. Union is 9-4-1 when Buhr scores at least one point.
Leaders of the Pack
Three Union skaters rank in the top seven skaters in ECAC Hockey. Junior
Nate Hanley leads the way with 23 points (7-16-23).
Ben Muthersbaugh is tied for third with 22 points (10-12-22), while
John Prokop is tied for ninth with 20 points (7-13-20).
Mac Attack
Junior
Colby MacArthur is in the middle of a breakout season and has surged to the top of the leaderboard for Union with 19 points (3-16-19) in 23 games.
The Final Six
The turn of the calendar year means the final set of games at Messa Rink. Union has six guaranteed home games remaining with the conclusion being senior day on March 1.
Balanced Attack
Nine Union skaters have reached double-digit scoring this season.
Nate Hanley leads the team and ECAC Hockey with 23 points (7-16-23). In 23 games, 19 skaters have at least one goal and 20 skaters have at least one point.
Leading the Way
Union's junior class is leading the way for the Garnet Chargers. Through 23 games, the junior class has amassed 114 (30-54-84) of the team's 208 (77-131-208) points.
Throw Those Hats (Again)
Junior
Brandon Buhr scored Union's second hat trick of the season on Saturday night. Buhr struck twice in the first period at St. Lawrence with a pair of power-play goals before sealing the hat trick with an empty netter. Buhr was one of eight players nationally to record a hat trick this past weekend.
The Kid's Alright
First-year
Ben Muthersbaugh has been a spark for the Union offense this year with 22 points (10-12-22) in 23 games. Muthersbaugh leads the team with 84 shots and has scored a team-leading five power-play goals.
They'd Be Honored
Juniors
John Prokop and
Kyle Chauvette were honored by ECAC Hockey with a pair of weekly awards on Jan. 6. Prokop picked up his second Defender of the Week honor this season while Chauvette was named the MAC Goaltending Goalie of the Week for the first time in his junior campaign.
No Penalties, No Problem
Friday's game at Niagara saw the Purple Eagles put together a penalty-free game. The last time an opposing team did not commit a penalty against Union was over 20 years ago, a 3-2 loss to UMass Lowell on November 1, 2002. In an interesting twist, Union's women's team also saw their opponent stay out of the penalty box on the same night. The women tied #8 St. Cloud State, 2-2.
How Sweep It Is
Union swept a road opponent for the first time this season after previously sweeping Mercyhurst at home in October. The last time Union won both games on the road was this past January, when the team defeated Dartmouth 5-1 on Jan. 19 and Harvard in a 5-4 overtime thriller on Jan. 20.
Shoot More, Score More
Union is averaging 3.77 goals per game in the first 13 games of the 2024-25 season. Compared to the first 13 games from 2023-24, where Union averaged 3.61 goals per game, on the way to a 7-6-0 record. Union is currently averaging 32.8 shots per game and is on pace to surpass last year's shot total.
Shorty for Korpi
Junior
Carter Korpi has been a key part of Union's special teams unit the last two seasons. Eight of Korpi's 22 career goals have come on either the powerplay or the penalty kill. Korpi has two short-handed goals already this season. To date, Korpi has five short-handed tallies in his career. He is only two goals back from tying Union's Division I record of seven short-handed goals which is held by Mike Vecchione '17.
Hot Start
Union compiled a 6-1-0 record in the month of October, marking the best start for a Union squad since the 1976-77 team won their first seven games.
The Capital Skates are Home!
For the first time since 2017, the Capital Skates trophy has returned to Schenectady. Union won game one of the series in Troy, 6-3, and followed it up with a 4-3 win at home.
Powered Up Powerplay
The Union powerplay exploded for four goals against RPI on Oct. 25, which marked the most for a Union team since they scored four on the player advantage on February 11, 2017, an 8-3 win at Dartmouth. The team went 4-for-9 on the powerplay with 23 shots on the player advantage. The team followed it up the next night with a 1-for-2 effort.
Awards Keep Coming
First-year
Ben Muthersbaugh had a stellar start to his collegiate career. After being named the ECAC Hockey #Bitcoin Rookie of the Week twice, and Forward of the Week, presented by Bluebird Hotels, the first-year was honored as the ECAC Hockey Rookie and Forward of the Month. His play also caught national attention as the Hockey Commissioners Association named him the HCA Rookie of the Month.
Defender of the Month
Junior
John Prokop was named the ECAC Hockey Defender of the Month for October. The blueliner has six points (3-3-6) in seven games, including the overtime game-winning goal against Army West Point.
Weekly Awards
First-year
Ben Muthersbaugh put together a stellar weekend against Mercyhurst with seven points (3-4-7) including his first collegiate goal and hat trick. He was named the ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week, presented by Bluebird Hotels, and the ECAC Hockey #Bitcoin Rookie of the Week.
Throw Those Hats
First-year
Ben Muthersbaugh scored a hat trick on Friday night against Mercyhurst, making him the first Union rookie to score a hat trick since Daniel Carr '14 recorded one in a 6-2 win against Army West Point on Dec. 11, 2010. The hat trick was part of a five-point night, making him the first Union skater to score five in a game since Mike Vecchione '17 recorded five (4-1-5) on Oct. 22, 2016.
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.
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 2028-29.
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.
