SCHENECTADY, NY – After a 3-3-1 start, the Union College men's ice hockey team has gone 10-1-4 in its last 15 games and looks to add a pair of wins to its record when Harvard and Dartmouth come to Messa Rink for 7 p.m. games on Friday and Saturday. The Dutchmen enter the weekend with a record of 13-4-5 and a first-place conference mark of 7-0-3. Harvard is 4-10-2 this season and in seventh place with a record of 4-5-2. Dartmouth, which plays are RPI on Friday, is 4-13-0 and tied for 11th with a 2-8-0 ECACH mark. Tickets for both outings can be purchased online at
UnionAthleticsTickets.com.
As usual the broadcast team of Matt Dubrey and Brian Unger '93 will provide the coverage on WRUC 89.7 FM and online at Teamline.cc (
CLICK HERE). Fans can also follow the game via live stats (
CLICK HERE) and live video (
CLICK HERE). Stay up-to-date on the action through Twitter at @UnionHockey.
With 10 student-athletes with double-digit points, the Dutchmen are putting together one of the best offensive numbers in program history. Senior
Mario Valery-Trabucco (12g-15a) and
Jason Walters (12g-14a) lead the team with 27 and 26 points. Junior
Adam Presizniuk (7g-12a) is about to reach the 20-point mark, and senior d-man
Mike Schreiber (5g-13a) is right behind him with 18 points.
Union's defense has held its opponents to two or fewer goals 11 times this season, placing the team 13th in the country with a 2.41 goals-against average. The Dutchmen, who have outscored opponents 80-53, have held the competition to less than 30 shots 15 times, including four games with less than 20 shots. As a unit, the defense has posted a plus-56 rating with Schreiber (+19) and freshman
Shawn Stuart (+11) and Coburn (+10) leading the way.
Junior
Corey Milan and freshman
Keith Kinkaid have combined to make one of the best goaltending tandems in the country. Union's 2.41 goals-against average is 13th nationally and the duo has combined for a .911 save percentage. Milan (6-2-3) has registered a 2.07 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage, while Kinkaid (7-2-2) has posted a 2.61 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage and is 6-0-1 in conference action.
>> About Harvard
After starting the season 2-10-2, Harvard has won its last two games, including a 3-2 win against Yale, which was ranked fifth at the time, on Jan. 12. The Crimson followed with a 4-1 victory against Dartmouth on Monday. In its last three ECAC Hockey games, Harvard is undefeated with a 3-1 win against Quinnipiac on Dec. 29.
Junior Michael Biega leads the Crimson's offensive efforts with a team-high 15 points and 10 assists. Right behind him is freshman sensation Louis Leblanc with 14 points, including a team-best eight goals. Against the Big Green on Monday, Leblanc netted a pair of goals.
The Crimson have two other 10-plus point scorers with sophomore Alex Killorn producing 12 points and sophomore Daniel Moriarty registering 11.
In goal, junior Kyle Richter has seen the majority of time, producing a 2-8-1 record with a 3.54 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. Junior Ryan Carroll has appeared in six games, going 2-2-1 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
>> Union-Harvard Series
Union head coach Nate Leaman was an assistant at Harvard before arriving at Union seven years ago. Last season, the Dutchmen registered its first home victory (3-1) against the Crimson since the 2000-01 season. Harvard has controlled the series, posting a 28-5-3 record, including a 7-2-1 record in the last 10 meetings.
The Crimson are 3-13-2 all-time at Messa Rink with their last win (3-2) coming on Feb. 6, 2007.
>> Scouting Dartmouth
Entering the weekend, Dartmouth is on a three-game skit and has only won once in its last eight outings. Most recently, the Big Green lost a 4-1 game at Harvard on Monday, but look to rebound at RPI on Friday before it comes to Messa Rink on Saturday. With two league victories, Dartmouth is 2-2 in its last four ECAC Hockey contests with wins against Brown (9-4) on Jan. 8 and at St. Lawrence (3-2) on Nov. 21.
Juniors Scott Fleming and Adam Estoclet led the team with 15 points each. Fleming has netted a team-best eight goals to go with seven assists, while Estoclet is second on the team with nine assists. The duo has combined for five of Dartmouth's 10 power-play goals.
Between the pipes, sophomore Jody O'Neill has posted a 4-12-0 record with a 3.79 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage. Last season, he gave Union fits, making 48 stops in a 2-2 tie on Jan. 31.
>> Union-Dartmouth Series
In a series that dates back to 1977, the Big Green own a 21-14-5 advantage over the Dutchmen and an 18-13-5 record in the Division I era. Union is 2-5-3 against Dartmouth in its last 10 games with its last win (4-1) coming on Feb. 5, 2007 at Union.
Dartmouth is 8-7-4 all-time at Messa Rink with a 1-2-2 in its last five trips to Messa Rink.
>> Next Up for Union
The Dutchmen return to the road when they head to third-place Yale (10-4-3, 7-6-0) on Friday, Jan. 29 and ninth-place Brown (5-11-1, 3-6-1) on Saturday, Jan.
