| #20 Union College vs. Yale University |
| Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 • New Haven, Conn. • Ingalls Rink • 7:00 PM |
| Live Stats • Video Stream |
| #20 Union College vs. Brown University |
| Saturday, Feb 28, 2026 • Providence, R.I. • Meehan Auditorium • 7:00 PM |
| Live Stats • Video Stream |
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: The Union College men's hockey team clinched at least a top-eight seed in the ECAC Hockey Tournament and can earn a top-four seed and first-round bye with six points against Yale University on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. and Brown University on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. However, the Garnet Chargers also need Harvard University to beat Princeton University in regulation Friday and then have both the Crimson and the Tigers lose on Saturday in order to earn a first-round bye. If any of those games fail to go Union's way, the Garnet Chargers will host an Opening Round single-elimination game at M&T Bank Center.
TOP-20 WATCH: The Garnet Chargers are back in the USA Hockey Poll for the first time since Nov. 17 when they were 8-2-1 and headed to Belfast, Northern Ireland for the Friendship Four. Union received the national recognition after a win over Harvard and a 3-3 tie with #14/12 Dartmouth despite trailing 3-1 in the third period. Union is on a four-game unbeaten streak and averaging 4.83 goals per game in February.
BEAR NECESSITIES: Brown enters the weekend in last place of the ECAC Hockey standings. Despite a 5-21-2 record overall. The Bears do play .500 hockey in their own barn, owning a 5-5-2 record in Providence. The Bears beat a ranked Dartmouth team at the beginning of the month, and Ivan Zadvernyuk leads the team with 22 points (8g, 14a).
BULLDOG NECESSITIES: After defeating Union 4-1 in Schenectady on Jan. 17, Yale went on a six-game losing streak and is 1-8-1 in the 10 games since. Ronan O'Donnell leads the way with three goals and five assists over that stretch.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
90.1% - Union retook the national penalty-kill lead at 90.1% and have killed nine straight penalties dating back to Feb. 13 against Colgate.
4 - Union is on a four-game unbeaten streak, including a win over #9/10 Cornell and a tie with #14/12 Dartmouth.
4.83 - Union is averaging 4.83 goals per game in February which is its largest monthly goal average this season. Quinnipiac leads the conference at 5.17 goals per game in February.
INSIDE THE SERIES: Union went 3-0-1 against Brown and Yale in the regular season in 2024-25, 0-3-1 against them in 2023-24, and 2-1-1 in 2022-23. The Garnet Chargers are on a five-game unbeaten streak against Brown, averaging 3.8 goals per game over that stretch. Over the last 10 years, Union is 5-5-1 against Yale following a loss to the Bulldogs.
BUZZIOL IS BUZZING
Lucas Buzziol is on an eight game point streak (6g, 5a), which is the longest active streak in ECAC Hockey and the third-longest in the league this season overall. Buzziol is tied with Boston College's James Hagens and Holy Cross' Matthew Kursonis for the second-longest active point streak in college hockey. Minnesota's Brody Lamb owns the longest active streak at nine games. Buzziol is the 14th Union men's hockey player with a point streak of eight games or longer since 2005-06. Brandon Buhr is the most recent Garnet Charger to do it at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, and Spencer Foo has the longest Union point streak of the last 20 years at 21 games (14g, 24a).
(despite the catchy title of this note, Lucas' last name is pronounced "BOOZ-e-oll").
OVERCOMING THE SHOT TOTAL
Union was outshot by Harvard 35-31 on Feb. 19. It was Union's first win when being outshot since Feb. 8, 2025 at Cornell. It is also the most shots Union has allowed in a win since Harvard put 36 on target against them on Jan. 18, 2025.
GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START
The Garnet Chargers have scored the first goal in three of their last four games and are 3-0-1 over that stretch. Yale is 4-14-1 when its opponent scores first, and Brown is 2-15-0 in that scenario this season.
BUT EVEN IF THEY DON'T GET OFF TO A GOOD START...
Dartmouth scored first against the Garnet Chargers on Feb. 20, but Union was able to erase a third-period two-goal deficit and force overtime. Union is now 7-6-3 when its opponent scores first.
CONJURING UP SOME KORPI MAGIC
After allowing four goals in the first period against Colgate on Feb. 13, Cameron Korpi battened down the hatches and started standing on his head. From the second period against Colgate on, Korpi has a 1.88 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. He has helped fuel Union's unbeaten streak, making a season-best 34 saves against Harvard on Feb. 19 and making 11 saves in the third period against Dartmouth on Feb. 20, allowing Union to come back.
RENZ & LESSY
First-years Alex Laurenza and Etienne Lessard are tied for the fourth-most power-play points on the team (9). Laurenza has three goals and six assists, and Lessard has two goals and seven assists on the man advantage. Laurenza's three PPG's are tied for the 25th-most in men's college hockey this season among first-years. Lessard recorded a four-assist game against Clarkson on Feb. 7, becoming the first rookie defenseman to accomplish that feat this season in college hockey.
THIRD-PERIOD HEROICS
Tyler Dunbar leads the team with 15 points in the third period of games this season. He is tied with Parker Lindauer for the most assists in third periods (8), and
Brandon Buhr paces the team with eight third-period goals. Two of those eight goals from Buhr have served as the game-winner, and the senior also has an overtime score this season.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMPS
Ben Muthersbaugh leads Union with 30 points (15g, 15a). He is tied for the 15th-most points among sophomores in college hockey, and second-year Garnet Chargers have accumulated 105 points this season.
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Riley Brueck is the team leader in +/- at +13. He has 15 games in the positives and seven games at +2. Parker Lindauer has the longest active streak of a positive on-ice rating at four straight games, and is +5 over that stretch.
FOUR POINTER
Parker Lindauer (vs Niagara, Oct. 18),
Tyler Dunbar (vs Quinnipiac, Dec. 6), and
Etienne Lessard (@ Clarkson, Feb. 7) have all produced four-point games this season. It is the most 4+ point games in a season for Union since 2016-17 when Mike Veccione '17 (twice), Spencer Foo '17, and Sebastian Vidmar '19 combined for four.
RESILIENT-GC
Union trailed Dartmouth 3-1 before salvaging its regular-season finale at home with a 3-3 tie. Union has now tied two games in which it trailed by two goals, won two games it has trailed by three, and forced overtime against Clarkson on Feb. 7 despite trailing by two on two occasions in the contest, eventually falling in overtime.
SEEING DOUBLE
Brandon Buhr (17g, 11a),
Tyler Dunbar (12g, 17a),
Ben Muthersbaugh (15g, 15a), and
Lucas Buzziol (12g, 11a) all have double-digit goals and assists this season.
Colby MacArthur (9g, 13a) is close to joining Buhr, Dunbar, Muthersbaugh, and Buzziol in double-figures, and the last time Union boasted five players with double-digit goals and assists was 2018-19, led by Ryan Walker '19 (15g, 14a).
POWER-PLAY POINTS
While Brandon Buhr leads the team and is tied for eighth in the country with seven power-play goals, Ben Muthersbaugh leads the team with 13 points on the power-play overall (4, 9a). Muthersbaugh is tied for the fourth-most power-play points in ECAC Hockey, and Union's 12 players with at least one power-play point are tied for the third-most in the league.
SETTING THE (DUN)BAR HIGH
Tyler Dunbar's 29 points are the second-most on the team and tied for the third-most in college hockey among defensemen. He has scored a point in 19 of Union's 32 games in 2025-26.
69 AND COUNTING
Nate Hanley registered his 69th career assist on Feb. 13 when he helped set up
Lucas Buzziol the game-winning goal against Colgate in the third period on the power play. He has the 10th-most assists in Union's Division I history and is five away from cracking Union's all-time assist leaderboard. Hanley is tied for the ninth-most helpers among active Division I players and 16th-most across DI and DIII. He also has 94 career points, which is the 18th-most among active players in DI hockey.
UNION DID WHAT?
In their 5-4 win over RPI on Jan. 24, the Garnet Chargers won a game in which they allowed an empty-net goal for the first time since Dec. 7, 2013. However, that rare instance occurred under slightly different circumstances compared to Union's miraculous comeback in this year's Mayors' Cup. Back in 2013, Quinnipiac scored on an empty net during a delayed penalty in the second period. Union retook the lead shortly after and eventually skated to a 6-4 victory. Prior to Saturday, Union had not won a game when allowing an empty-net goal under traditional circumstances since at least 2005-06 (when game-by-game stats are available).
HOBEY BAKER VOTE!
Add this number to your contacts because we need you to text it daily! 844-623-9688!!
Text 26024 to 844-623-9688 to vote for Brandon Buhr for the Hobey Baker Award, and text 26023 to 844-623-9688 to vote for
Tyler Dunbar for the Hobey Baker Award! You can vote once per day, and voting closes at 11:59 p.m. on March 9.
HERE'S TO 300 MORE!
Union earned its 300th ECAC Hockey victory with a win against #20/19 Princeton on Jan. 10. The Garnet Chargers originally accepted the ECAC's invitation to join its Division I men's hockey league on Jan. 28, 1991. The program replaced Army, keeping the number of teams in the league at 12. Union played its first Division I contest Nov. 1, 1991, a 9-6 loss to Merrimack. On Jan. 17, 1992, Craig Ferrero scored with 10 seconds left in overtime as Union recorded its first ECAC victory, a 2-1 triumph at Dartmouth. Luigi Villa stopped 45 shots for Union in goal. 12,047 days later, Tyler Dunbar scored the game-winner while
Brayden Gillespie made 21 saves in Union's 300th conference win.
2026 RICHTER AWARD WATCH LIST
Cameron Korpi was named to the 2026 Richter Award Watch List. Korpi already has three shutouts on the season and made a season-high 32 saves against UMass Lowell on Nov. 14. He helped Union start the season 4-0-1 and won ECAC Hockey's Goalie of the Month award for October. Of the 29 netminders listed, Korpi is one of eight Americans garnering Richter Award recognition.
GILLESPIE'S ISLAND
Brayden Gillespie made 31 saves during his first collegiate shutout on Dec. 12 against #8 Quinnipiac. He is the first Union netminder to shut out a ranked foe since Alex Sakellaropoulos '17 against #13 Merrimack on Nov. 28, 2015. He earned another ranked win against #20/19 Princeton on Jan. 10, making 21 saves, and another shutout on Jan. 16 against Brown.
LIMITING THE Ls
Union suffered back-to-back losses for the first time against Miami and Princeton, 16 games into the season. The last time it took Union that long to drop consecutive games was 2016-17, when the Garnet Chargers didn't lose in back-to-back contests until their 21st game of the season.
A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER
After a 3-1 record as a team in December, Brayden Gillespie was recognized as the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Month, and
Tyler Dunbar earned Adapt Nutrition Defender of the Month honors. Gillespie was 3-0 in the final month of 2025 and earned his first collegiate shutout. Dunbar averaged 1.5 points per game in December and accumulated seven blocked shots.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Union was featured as College Hockey News' "Team of the Week" after a 2-0 weekend on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 where it outscored UMass Lowell and New Hampshire 13-1 overall and improved to 8-2-1 on the season. During an interview with College Hockey News' editor, head coach Josh Hauge said, "I love our hockey team ... We believe we're good ... We're excited about trying to continue to grow the program and get it back to where it can be."
M&T BANK CENTER
This season, the men's and women's Union hockey teams will call the state-of-the-art M&T Bank Center its home, becoming the primary tenant of the 100,000-square-foot multi-purpose venue. The arena holds a capacity of 2,200 for hockey games and expands to 3,600 for other sporting events, trade shows, special events, and conventions. Highlights include seven luxury suites, a spacious hospitality suite, two full-service concession stands, and an elegant bar overlooking the Mohawk River. M&T Bank Center is the 16th hockey venue in the NCAA to open in the last 10 years.
SENIORITY PRIORITY
Union hits the ice with eight seniors, tied with Niagara and St. Thomas for the seventh-largest senior class across Division I. The Garnet Chargers' average age as a team is 22.5, meaning they are tied for the seventh-oldest team in the country.
DON'T COUNT THESE GUYS OUT
Union stormed back from a 3-0 deficit and scored five unanswered goals in a 5-3 win over Mercyhurst on Oct. 11. It marked the Garnet Chargers' first victory after trailing by three goals since Dec. 1, 2013, when they erased a 4-1 deficit to beat Penn State. Daniel Ciampini scored the game-winner in that comeback with three seconds left in regulation, breaking the hearts of 5,177 Penn State fans in University Park, Pa. Union also erased a two-goal deficit with less than three minutes to play in the 2026 Mayors' Cup, eventually winning in overtime thanks to a highlight-reel goal from Brandon Buhr. On Feb. 7, Union erased a pair of two-goal deficits and scored five game-tying goals against Clarkson, but eventually fell 8-7 in overtime. Union earned its second three-goal comeback win of the season when it dug out of a 4-1 hole in the first period against Colagate on Feb. 13.
BUHR WATCHING
College Hockey News released its "Players to Watch" in ECAC Hockey and recognized Brandon Buhr with some high praise. "Buhr is shifty and has a good shot, which makes him successful. He is also good at getting to the important areas of the ice, which is the way his coach,
Josh Hauge, would like his team to play. Union as a whole is returning a deep group, and [Buhr] could be in the mix for Player of the Year."
NEED A RECHARGE?
The Garnet Chargers lost 12 players from its 2024-25 roster to graduation, the transfer portal, and the pros. Those departures accounted for 101 points last season, but Union still kept its top goal scorer in Brandon Buhr (19) and point scorer in
Colby MacArthur (29). Not to mention, four of Union's 20-point scorers from last season are still on the squad, and Union's 78 "returning" goals are the seventh-most in Division I.
FRESH FACES
Hauge and his staff brought in two of each positional group to round out their recruiting class. Alex Laurenza (F),
Troy Pelton (F),
Etienne Lessard (D),
Ollie Chessler (D)
Brayden Gillespie (G), and
Brendan Holahan (G) all get their first taste of college hockey this season.
Will Felicio (D, Michigan),
Carter Rose (D, Clarkson),
Tyler Dunbar (D, Colorado College),
Cameron Korpi (G, Michigan), and
Luke Buss (F, Wisconsin) end up in Schenectady as transfers after earlier stops around the Division I hockey landscape.
WHAT'S UP BROTHER?
They say your teammates are like your brothers. For Carter and Cameron Korpi, one of their teammates actually is their brother. Carter is three years older than Cameron, and this will be the first time they've played hockey on the same team together (other than knee hockey games in the basement of their childhood home).
GO BIG BLUE?
Three Garnet Chargers previously played college hockey at the University of Michigan. Cameron Korpi and
Will Felicio both played for Michigan last season, and
Brendan Miles transferred to Union after the 2023-24 campaign.
Tyler Dunbar, Miles, and Cameron and
Carter Korpi all hail from Michigan as well. Across Division I men's hockey, there are 91 players from the Wolverine State.
