DANBURY, Conn. – Senior
Tyler Dunbar was named the SidelineSwap Defender of the Week, and first-year
Nathan Free repeated as the Rookie of the Week presented by Just Play after the Union College men's hockey team swept Rensselaer to open conference play, the ECAC Hockey league office announced Monday morning.
Dunbar claimed his first weekly award from the league this season and is the second Garnet Charger defender to earn the honor in 2026-27, joining junior
Will Felicio. Dunbar tallied two goals and two assists along with a +6 rating in Union's pair of wins over its rival from Troy.
Free was tabbed as the best-performing rookie across ECAC Hockey for the second week in a row after netting both game-winning goals against the Engineers during a five-point weekend.
Dunbar and Free both scored during a three-goal first period on Friday in Houston Field House. Free sniped on the power play and then assisted on Dunbar's goal. Free scored again on an empty net Friday, putting Union up 4-2 before his team held on for a 4-3 road win.
The next night, Free scored another first-period goal on his way to his second consecutive two-goal performance. He is on a six-game point streak with four multi-point games during that stretch. He is second in the country among rookies with 11 points and leads all first-year players with six goals. He is also leading the nation in game-winning goals (3).
Dunbar assisted on Free's goal Saturday during a 5-3 home victory over RPI and sealed the deal with an empty-net goal, getting his shot on target from behind Union's goal line. The senior defenseman has six points on the season, and his four goals are tied for the third-most in the NCAA for a defender.
Union is also ranked 17th in the USCHO.com poll as of Monday afternoon. Everything College Hockey released a ranking on Monday with Union at 18th as well. Free, Dunbar, and the 17th-ranked Garnet Chargers take their talents on the road for a weekend series in the North Country against Clarkson and St. Lawrence, beginning Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. in Potsdam, N.Y.
