| #20 Union College vs. Princeton University |
| 2026 ECAC HOCKEY TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS |
| Friday, March 13, 2026 • Princeton, N.J. • Hobey Baker Rink • 7:00 PM |
| Live Stats • Video Stream |
| Saturday, March 14, 2026 • Princeton, N.J. • Hobey Baker Rink • 7:00 PM |
| Live Stats • Video Stream |
| *IF NECESSARY: Sunday, March 15, 2026 • Princeton, N.J. • Hobey Baker Rink • 4:00 PM |
| Live Stats • Video Stream |
THE ROAD TO LAKE PLACID: The 20th-ranked and fifth-seeded Union College men's hockey team visits fourth-seeded Princeton University for a best-of-three quarterfinals series in the ECAC Hockey Tournament, beginning Friday, March 13 at 7 p.m. Union is on a seven-game unbeaten streak, coming off a 9-0 victory over Brown University in the Opening Round, and seeking its first trip to Lake Placid since 2017. Princeton had a bye as the fourth seed in the tournament but enters the playoffs with only one win in its last six games.
PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME: Since Feb. 1, Union is 7-1-1 with the second-best winning percentage in all of NCAA Division-I men's hockey over that span. Only Denver has a better winning percentage since the start of February (.938). The Garnet Chargers also have the highest goals-per-game average in the country since Feb. 1 at 5.11. Union has scored five or more goals in four of its last nine games including scoring its most goals in an ECAC Hockey Tournament game ever when the team shut out Brown 9-0 on March 7.
NOT TO BE OUT-DUN: Tyler Dunbar is the reigning ECAC Hockey Adapt Nutrition Defender of the Week after earning three assists and helping the Garnet Chargers shut out Brown for the second straight game. Dunbar has the third-most points in college hockey among defensemen (33) and is one of five blueliners with double-digit goals this season.
EARNING THEIR STRIPES: Jaxson Ezman (2g, 1a) and David Jacobs (3a) lead the Tigers with three points each against Union this season. Arthur Smith and Conor Callaghan earned starts against the Garnet Chargers with Smith taking the loss in a 27-save performance (.900; 3 GA) and Callaghan winning on Dec. 6 (.967; 1 GA).
NUMBERS TO KNOW
90.7% - Union has the best PK% in the country at 90.7% and has not allowed a power-play goal in six games (16 chances).
.833 - Union has the second-best winning percentage since Feb. 1 in all of NCAA Division I men's hockey (Denver .938).
5.11 - Union's 5.11 goals per game and 46 total goals since Feb. 1 are both the top marks in the country.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Union and Princeton are meeting for their seventh series against each other in the postseason. Princeton leads the playoff series 6-5 and won the most recent meeting 6-4 in the Opening Round back in 2023. Union is traveling to New Jersey for a postseason series with the Tigers for the first time since the 2009 quarterfinals which Princeton won in three games.
GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START
The Garnet Chargers have scored the first goal in six of their last seven games and are 6-0-1 over that stretch. However, Union is also 7-6-3 this season when its opponent scores first.
PENALTY KILL
The Garnet Chargers have not allowed a power-play goal in the last six games, killing 16 straight penalties. Union went six games without allowing a man-up goal from Oct. 10 - Nov. 1 and erased 22 straight penalties during that time. That all adds up to Union boasting the #1 penalty-kill in the country at a 90.7% success rate.
ELECTRIC CITY POWER PLAY
For the ninth time since 2005-06 and the second time under head coach Josh Hauge, Union scored four power-play goals in a single game. It was part of a larger 9-0 blowout of Brown on March 7 in the Opening Round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament.
THREE TOUCHDOWNS AND TWO FIELD GOALS
The Garnet Chargers registered 17 assists on their nine goals against Brown in the Opening Round, producing 26 points and their first game with 20+ points since Jan. 4, 2019 vs St. Cloud State. It marked their most points in a game since posting 33 points against Clarkson on Feb. 5, 2010.
SINCE STEVENS
Cameron Korpi earned his fifth shutout of the season and second in a row on March 7, tying him with Kris Mayotte and Troy Grosenick for the second-most shutouts in a single season in program history. Adding to Korpi's historic game against Brown, he also broke Colin Steven's program record for the longest individual shutout streak by going 153:48 without allowing a goal. Stevens '15 went 140:40 without allowing a goal from Feb. 22 - March 15, 2014.
SECRET SAUCE
Colby MacArthur posted the most productive month of his career in February, leading the team with 12 points (4g, 8a). He nearly doubled his season point total from the beginning of February and is fifth on the team with 30 points. He carried his February success into the postseason, scoring twice with an assist against Brown on March 7.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMPS
Ben Muthersbaugh leads the team with 36 points (19g, 17a). He is tied for the eighth-most points among sophomores in all of college hockey, and second-year Garnet Chargers have accumulated 114 points this season.
++++++++++++++++++
Riley Brueck is the team leader in +/- at +18. He has 18 games in the positives, seven games at +2, and was +3 for the first time this season on March 7 against Brown.
Nick Young,
Carter Rose, and
Tyler Dunbar are the only three Union players to earn a +4 in one game this season, doing so in three different contests. In 2024-25,
John Prokop,
Nick Young, and
Ben Muthersbaugh all had a +5 rating in the same game against Mercyhurst.
FOUR POINTER
Parker Lindauer (vs Niagara, Oct. 18),
Tyler Dunbar (vs Quinnipiac, Dec. 6),
Etienne Lessard (@ Clarkson, Feb. 7), and
Colby MacArthur (@ Yale, Feb. 27) 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
For the fourth time this season, Union trailed by two goals and won. The Garnet Chargers trailed Yale by two goals on two seperate occasions, last at 8:48 in the second period (4-2) on Feb. 27. They came back to win in overtime. Union has salvaged at least one point in games it trailed by two or more on seven occasions in 2025-26. They beat Mercyhurst, RPI, Colgate, and Yale after trailing by at least two goals, trailed Colgate and Dartmouth by two and came back to earn ties, and lost in overtime to Clarkson after trailing by two at two different points in the matchup.
SEEING DOUBLE
Brandon Buhr (19g, 16a),
Tyler Dunbar (12g, 21a),
Ben Muthersbaugh (19g, 17a),
Lucas Buzziol (14g, 12a), and
Colby MacArthur (12g, 18a) all have double-digit goals and assists this season. The last time Union boasted five players with double-digit goals and assists was 2018-19, led by Ryan Walker '19 (15g, 14a).
72 AND COUNTING
Nate Hanley reached 72 career assists on March 7 when he assisted twice against Brown. Hanley has 15 multi-assist games in his career and has the 10th-most assists in Union's Division-I history. Hanley is tied for the 10th-most helpers among active Division-I players and has the 16th-most across DI and DIII. He also has 97 career points, which is tied for the 19th-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).
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.
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.
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 nine 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.
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.
