Game Notes
Tickets
SCHENECTADY, NY - No. 4/4 Union (25-7-4, 17-3-2 ECAC Hockey) returns to the ice this weekend to begin their quest for another championship after clinching their first ECAC Hockey regular season title, earning a No. 1 seed in the ECAC Hockey Tournament. The Dutchmen will face No. 12 seed Colgate after the Raiders dispatched No. 5 seed Rensselaer with a 2-1 (2OT) win in Game 3 at Houston Field House last Sunday. Union will make its 15th appearance in ECACH postseason play since moving to Division I, and play in its 14th ECACH playoff series. Union will play in the ECACH Quarterfinals for the fourth straight season, with sixth appearances overall in the quarterfinal round. The Dutchmen have never faced Colgate in the ECACH playoffs. The Raiders have made the ECACH Quarterfinals in eight of the last nine seasons, with four appearances in the final weekend of the ECACH Tournament during that span. Union enters the night tied with Holy Cross with the nation's longest unbeaten streak at 11 games (10-0-1), closing the regular season with a 14-1-1 record in its last 16 games, all ECACH contests. During that stretch, the Dutchmen outscored opponents by a combined score of 64-29, with an average winning margin of 2.2 goals per game.
Union Wins First Ever Cleary Cup
On Feb. 26, with a 5-0 win against Princeton on Senior Night at Messa Rink, the Dutchmen made history by clinching their first ever Cleary Cup. Union finished the regular season with a 17-3-2 record in conference play (36 points) finishing one point ahead of Yale. Union's conference record was the best by an ECAC regular season champion since the 2004-05 season, when Cornell won the Cleary Cup with a record of 18-2-2 (38 points).
Union in the ECACH Playoffs
Union is playing in its 14th ECAC Hockey playoff series since making the jump to the
Division I level in 1991-92. The Union-Colgate quarterfinal series marks the eighth time the Dutchmen had hosted a home series. Of Union's 33 D-1 postseason games, 15 have been decided by one goal, and eight have gone to overtime.
Dutchmen Break Team Scoring Record
The Dutchmen, who are third in the nation in scoring, have registered three or more goals in 24 games this season, resulting in an 21-1-2 record. Union has amassed 135 goals so far this season, breaking a team record (134) set last season.
Bodie Closing In on Schreiber's Points Record
Freshman defenseman Mat Bodie (five goals, 24 assists) broke the single-season assists mark for a defenseman (21) set by Mike Schreiber last season. Bodie needs one point to break Schreiber's single-season points record (29) for a defenseman, also set in 2010.
Scouting Colgate
Although Colgate (9-25-3, 4-15-3 ECAC Hockey) did not pick up its first league win until Jan. 31, the Raiders have been one of the hottest teams in the ECAC over the past month. Colgate is 6-3-1 in its last 10 games, including four wins against nationally-ranked opponents (RPI 3x, Dartmouth) and a tie against Yale. On Sunday night at Rensselaer, sophomore forward Robbie Bourdon scored with 9:54 left in double overtime to lift Colgate to a 2-1 win, clinching a 2-1 series win over the Engineers. Bourdon has had the hot hand of late for Colgate, with six points (two goals, four assists) in the teams last six games. Freshman goaltender Eric Mihalik, who earned ECACH Goaltender of the Week honors on Feb. 22, has started all 10 games during Colgate's recent stretch of solid play, allowing two goals or less in six of his last 10 starts.
The Union-Colgate Series
Friday's meeting will be the 55th all-time between the two schools and Colgate leads
34-17-2 and 25-12-2 in Division I action. The programs first squared off on Feb. 15, 1929
and Union claimed a 3-1 win. Between Feb. 21, 2003 and Feb. 10, 2006, the Raiders produced a series-long nine-game winning streak. However, in the past five outings, Union has gone 3-1-1, including a 6-3 win in their last meeting, at Messa Rink on Feb.12, 2011. Earlier in the season on Jan. 14, Union picked up its first win at Starr Rink since February 27, 1998, snapping a 12-game winless streak at Colgate with a 2-1 victory.
Union Moves to No. 4
Fresh off a historic 5-0 win over Princeton on Senior Night to clinch the school's first
Cleary Cup, Union earned a No. 4 ranking in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls released last Monday. The Dutchmen, who were idle last weekend, remained at No. 4 in the most recent editions of each poll. Union earned 842 points in the USCHO.com poll, and 394 points in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, both season highs. The No. 4 ranking in both polls is the highest ranking that Union has earned since moving up to Division I before the 1991-92 season. This marks the 34th consecutive week the Dutchmen have been ranked in the USCHO.com poll, extending a school record. Union has been ranked for 19 consecutive weeks in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll.
What a January and February!
Union finished the month of January with a 7-2-0 record, and the month of February with a 7-0-1 record, matching greatest single calendar month for Union in the Division I era. Prior to this season, he last time Union recorded seven wins in a month was January 2008 (7-1-0).
Union Dominant on Faceoffs
Union has established itself as a dominant faceoff team through 36 games this season.
Union has won more faceoffs than its opponents in all but three games this year, with a combined record of 1341-991 (.575) on faceoffs through 36 games. Leading the Dutchmen is senior forward Stephane Boileau, who is 97-52 (.651) on faceoffs for the season. Junior forward Kelly Zajac has taken the most faceoffs for Dutchmen, and is 394-262 (.601).
The Defense Holds Strong
Union's defense has held its opponents to two or fewer goals 22 times this season, placing the team first in the country with a 2.03 goals against average. The Dutchmen, who have outscored opponents 135-73, have held the competition to less than 30 shots 29 times, including nine games with less than 20 shots.
