PRINCETON, NJ – With a seven-game conference unbeaten streak on the line, the 17th-ranked Union College men's ice hockey team travels to Princeton on Friday, Jan. 8 and to 12th-ranked Quinnipiac on Saturday, Jan. 9 for a pair of 7 p.m., ECAC Hockey contests that mark the beginning of a 15-game, conference stretch for the Dutchmen. Union currently resides in third place in ECACH with a record of 4-0-3 (11 pts). Princeton is in seventh with a mark of 3-6-1 (7 pts.) and Quinnipiac is first with a record of 7-4-0 (14 pts.).

 

As usual the two-headed broadcast team of Matt Dubrey and Brian Unger '93 will provide the coverage on WRUC 89.7 FM and online at Teamline.cc. Live stats and video for Friday's contest can be seen at GoPrincetonTigers.com, while both features for Saturday's game can be viewed at QuinnipiacBobcats.com. Follow the action on Twitter at @UnionHockey.

 

The Dutchmen join 10th-ranked Bemidji State (CHA: 8-0-0) as the only two teams in the country that remain unbeaten in their respective conferences. At 4-0-3, Union is off to its best conference start and its second-longest ECACH unbeaten streak in program history – the 1993-94 squad finished the regular season 7-0-2.

 

Union has benefited from freshman denseman Greg Coburn's play lately. He has posted a plus-six rating to go along with his eight points, including seven assists. At the 2009 Toyota UConn Classic, Coburn registered a pair of assists in both contest, earning him all-tournament and an ECAC Hockey Weekly Honor Roll accolades.

 

Princeton is rolling as it is on a four game unbeaten streak that includes three wins. Most recently, they knocked off Quinnipiac on Monday with a 4-3 overtime victory thanks to three goals, including the winning, by senior Dan Bartlett.

 

Bartlett is the team's leading scorer with 17 points, including 11 goals. He has tallied four power-play goals and one game-winner. Next is junior Mike Kramer, who has six goals and a team-high tying seven assists.

 

Between the pipes, senior Zane Kalemba struggled – for his standards – in the first half of the season, posting a 3.64 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. He is 2-5-2 overall. Junior Alan Reynolds has appeared in six games, posting a 2.63 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and a 4-2-0 record.

 

These two teams met five times last season, including a best-of-three series in the quarterfinals of the ECAC Hockey playoffs. Union is 5-5-0 in the last 10 meetings, and 6-3-1 in the last 20.

 

Friday's contest will be the 45th all-time between the two schools and 42nd in Union's DI history. Princeton holds a 22-18-4 advantage all-time and 20-17-4 DI lead.

 

After starting the season 12-1-0, Quinnipiac has lost four of its last six games, including a 4-3 overtime outing at Princeton on Monday. The Bobcats hot start included an eight-game winning streak, which was snapped by a 7-4 Yale victory. Quinnipiac's last league victory came on Nov. 25 against Princeton (5-1).

 

Senior Brandon Wong is one of the nation's top scorers with 24 points behind a team-best 12 goals, including eight power-play and four game-winning tallies. Senior Eric Lampe is next with 23 points, including a team-high 14 assists. In all, Quinnipiac has nine players with 10 or more points.

 

Sophomore Dan Clarke has seen the majority of playing time in goal, posting an 8-4-1 record with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.

 

Saturday's game will only be the 14th all-time between Union and Quinnipiac and the Bobcats own a 8-4-1 series mark. However, last year Union went 2-1-0, including a 6-5 season-opening victory at the 2009 Omaha Stampede.

 

In the last five outings, Union is 3-1-1, and in the last 10 they are 3-6-1.

 

At the end of the weekend, Union will have played five games in 12 days. A semi-light weekend follows when the Dutchmen host RPI on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. The contest will be the fourth between the two teams this year with Union owning a 2-1-0 advantage. Tickets can be purchased at UnionAthleticsTickets.com.