This Weekend
Union returns home for the final weekend of the regular season. Union hosts #20 Cornell on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. before closing out the regular season on senior day against Colgate at 4:00 p.m. The class of 2025 will be honored in a post game ceremony. After the ceremony, there will be an open skate. Fans are asked to bring their own skates and helmets if they wish to participate.
Welcome Back Alumni
All Union men's hockey alumni are invited back to celebrate the final regular season game at Messa Rink on March 1. An alumni game is set for Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. prior to the game against Colgate.
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.
Last Time Out
Union split the weekend series against Harvard and Dartmouth on the road. The Garnet Chargers defeated the Crimson 2-1 before falling to the Big Green 2-1.
Bye On The Line
Union is still in contention for a first-round bye. The Garnet Chargers need three points between the two games this weekend. Union is currently tied with Colgate with 37 points and can finish no lower than sixth place in the conference.
The Class of 2025
The six members of the class of 2025 will be honored after Saturday's game against Colgate. Union will recognize
Josh Phillips,
Thomas Richter,
Joe Sharib,
Josh Nixon,
Caden Villegas, and
Cullen Ferguson. In their time at Union, the team went 62-67-12 (37-41-8 ECACH) with a 35-26-5 record at Messa Rink. The seniors have led Union to their first record above .500 since the 2018-19 season.
The class of 2025 clinched home ice every year in the conference tournament and was instrumental in returning the Mayor's Cup to Schenectady for four straight years. The seniors also played a large role in returning the Capital Skates trophy to Union for the first time since 2017.
Recognizing Frank Messa '73
Prior to the game on Saturday, Frank Messa '73 will drop the ceremonial puck on the final regular season home game at Messa Rink.
Scouting Cornell
The Big Red are back in the national rankings after winning three of their last four games. Cornell swept Brown and Yale on the road before splitting with Clarkson and St. Lawrence at home last weekend. Cornell is 12-9-6 overall with a 9-7-4 record in league play.
Leading the Big Red in scoring is sophomore Ryan Walsh with 24 points (13-11-24). Dalton Bancroft (13-7-20) is the only other skate above 20 points, but 12 total skaters have reached double-digit scoring.
Ian Shane has started in 26 of Cornell's 27 games. Shane is 11-9-6 with two shutouts. The veteran netminder has a 2.32 GAA with a .895 save percentage.
Scouting Colgate
Colgate comes into the weekend with a 16-13-3 record overall and a 11-7-2 record in ECAC Hockey. The Raiders are currently tied for third in the standings with 37 points. Colgate is coming off a split of the North Country, defeating St. Lawrence 5-4 before falling to Clarkson 5-3.
Brett Chorske has reached the 30-point mark this season to lead the Raiders in both goals and points. Three other skaters have eclipsed the 20-point mark: Alex DiPaolo (9-15-24), Max Nagel (6-17-23), and Tommy Bergsland (4-19-23).
Andrew Takacs has been the primary netminder for the Raiders this season with 28 appearances and 27 starts. Takacs is 15-10-2 with two shutouts, a 2.80 GAA and a .903 save percentage.
Messa Rink
This weekend marks the final weekend of the regular season and the final regular season games at Messa Rink. To date, Union is 395-289-74 all-time at Messa Rink with a 224-207-69 record as a Division I program.
New Year, New Season
After dropping all four games in December to end 2024, Union has flipped the script and gone on a 9-4-2 run in the calendar year.
Scholar-Athlete Nominee
Junior
Brandon Buhr was named Union's nominee for the ECAC Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Buhr has a 3.977 GPA as an economics major and is in the middle of a career year on the ice.
Forward of the Week
Brandon Buhr was honored with the first ECAC Hockey award of his career on Monday. Buhr, the ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week, presented by Bluebird Hotels, scored four points (3-1-4) at Colgate and Cornell.
Reaching New Heights
With two games remaining in the regular season, several Union skaters have reached new career highs. Junior
Nate Hanley set a new career high in points (28) and goals (10) while classmate
Brandon Buhr also set highs in the same categories with 27 points and 18 goals. Junior
Colby MacArthur set a new career high with 26 points and
Parker Lindauer set a new benchmark of 14 points.
The Brandon Buhr File
Brandon Buhr has been one of the most consistent Union skaters this season. The winger has 27 points (18-9-27) in 32 games for the Garnet Chargers. Buhr, the team leader in goals, is tied for first nationally in hat tricks, and is ranked 14th nationally with 0.56 goals per game. Union is 14-4-3 when Buhr scores at least one point. Buhr's 18 goals are the most since the 2017-18 season when Ryan Scarfo scored 20 and Anthony Rinaldi netted 17.
Prokop for Hobey
For the second straight year, junior
John Prokop has been nominated for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award. Prokop has 24 points (8-16-24) in 32 games. Fan voting is now open and can be found at hobeybaker.com/vote.
Leader of the Hats
Junior
Brandon Buhr scored his second hat trick of the season in a 4-1 win at Cornell. Buhr joins three other skaters to reach that feat this season: Jack Ricketts (Quinnipiac), Joey Muldowney (UConn) and Ryan Leonard (Boston College).
Buhr becomes the first Union skater to record two hat tricks in a season since Mike Vecchione and Spencer Foo each scored two in the 2016-17 season. Union's season total for hat tricks is now at three, marking the most since the 2016-17 season had four.
20 Point Party
Seven Union skaters have reached the 20-point mark this season. Junior
Nate Hanley leads the way with 28 points (10-18-28). Junior
Brandon Buhr (18-9-27) and first-year
Ben Muthersbaugh (12-15-27) are tied for second in team scoring. Junior
Colby MacArthur (6-20-26) and senior
Caden Villegas (6-20-26) are tied for third in scoring. Junior
John Prokop (8-16-24) and senior
Josh Nixon (12-9-21) have also reached the 20-point plateau.
The Kid's Alright
First-year
Ben Muthersbaugh has been a spark for the Union offense this year with 27 points (12-15-27) in 32 games. Muthersbaugh leads the team with 112 shots and has scored a team-leading five power-play goals.
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.
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.
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.
