This Weekend
Union returns to ECAC Hockey action this weekend with only 10 games left in the regular season. The Garnet Chargers host Yale on Friday night Mental Health Awareness Night and Brown on Saturday. The inaugural 1975-76 team and the 1983-84 Division III national runners-up will be recognized on Saturday.
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 welcomes the inaugural 1975-76 team as well as the 1983-84 Division III national runners-up back to Schenectady on Saturday, February 1. 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 played in the 12th Annual Capital District Mayor's Cup this past weekend against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Garnet Chargers took the rivalry game in overtime, 3-2. Senior
Josh Nixon scored twice in regulation and junior
Nate Hanley potted the game winner at 3:56 into the extra frame. The win gave Union their fourth straight Mayor's Cup victory over the Engineers.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Yale is 5-13-1 with a 4-7-1 record in ECAC Hockey play. The Bulldogs are coming off a two-game losing streak in the CT Ice Tournament, falling 8-2 to Sacred Heart on Friday, and 6-2 to Quinnipiac on Saturday.
Ronan O'Donnell leads the way for the Bulldogs with 17 points (10-7-17) including three game-winning goals. Zach Wagnon is second on the team in scoring with 13 points (2-11-13) in 19 games.
Jack Stark has started in 13 games for the Bulldogs with a 3-8-1 record. Stark has a 3.85 GAA and a .876 save percentage.
Scouting the Bears
Brown is 8-9-2 with a 4-7-1 record in conference play. The Bears are coming into Schenectady on a four-game win streak dating back to January 17th at St. Lawrence.
Brian Nicholas paces the Bears with 17 points (7-10-17) in 19 games. Max Scott comes into the weekend on a five-game point streak. Scott has five goals, including a hat trick, and three assists in the last five games.
Lawton Zacher has manned the net in 16 starts with an 8-6-2 record with two shutouts. Zacher boasts a .935 save percentage and a 2.00 GAA.
20 Point Party
Six Union skaters have reached the 20-point mark this season. Junior
Nate Hanley leads the way with 24 points (8-16-24) to average a point per game. First-year
Ben Muthersbaugh has 22 points (10-12-22) while junior
John Prokop (7-13-20), junior
Colby MacArthur (3-17-20), junior
Brandon Buhr (12-8-20), and senior
Caden Villegas (5-15-20) have also reached the 20-point plateau.
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 24 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 20 points (12-8-20) in 24 games for the Garnet Chargers. Buhr, the team leader in goals, is ranked 27th nationally with 0.50 goals per game. Union is 10-4-1 when Buhr scores at least one point.
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 20 points (3-17-20) in 24 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 24 points (8-16-24). In 24 games, 19 skaters have at least one goal and 21 skaters have at least one point.
Leading the Way
Union's junior class is leading the way for the Garnet Chargers. Through 24 games, the junior class has amassed 117 (31-56-87) of the team's 216 (80-136-216) points.
Throw Those Hats (Again)
Junior
Brandon Buhr scored Union's second hat trick of the season on Jan. 18. 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 that 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 24 games. Muthersbaugh leads the team with 86 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.
