2013-14 Union College Men's Ice Hockey Schedule

SCHENECTADY, NY – Head coach Rick Bennett released the 2013-14 schedule for the Union College men's ice hockey team today at the annual Garnet Blades Golf Tournament at the Stadium Golf Club in Schenectady.
 
The schedule includes 34 contests against six non-league opponents and the 11 other members of ECAC Hockey. Union will play four non-conference weekend series, including a season-opening set against Bowling Green of the WCHA on Oct. 11-12 at Messa Rink, followed by a home series against another WCHA opponent, Lake Superior State.
 
“I know it's been talked about in years past that we've started with a lot of games on the road, but this year we're playing at home for the first four games against two excellent opponents,” Union head coach Rick Bennett said. “It's a nice way for us to start the season.”
 
Union will take on Connecticut of Atlantic Hockey in non-conference play in Storrs, CT on Oct. 25.
 
The schedule also includes a two-game series at Penn State of the Big Ten on Nov. 30-Dec. 1, and a two game series at 2013 Frozen Four finalist St. Cloud State of the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference on Dec. 13-14.
 
Union will take a break from league action to take on perennial Hockey East power New Hampshire in a two game series in Durham, NH on Jan. 17-18, ensuring that the Dutchmen will take on one team from every conference in college hockey next season.
 
The team's final non-conference contest will be the second annual Mayor's Cup against RPI at the Albany Times Union Center on Jan. 25. Last season, freshman forward Matt Wilkins scored the game-winning power play goal with just over 36 seconds left to play in the third period to help Union earn its eighth straight win over the Engineers.
 
Union opens its ECAC Hockey slate on Nov. 1 with a road contest at Dartmouth, kicking off a run of six straight games in league play. The Dutchmen will host Colgate and Cornell on Nov. 8-9 before its annual home-and-home series against RPI, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. contest at Messa Rink on Nov. 15.
 
“I think our league has been an absolute war in the past few seasons and I don't see that changing at all,” Bennett said. “I think that we will have a big target on our back similar to what this past year's team had with a lot of expectations.”
 
After the Penn State trip, the Dutchmen host three straight league games at home, playing Princeton and Frozen Four finalist Quinnipiac on Dec. 6-7, followed by a rare Wednesday night contest against Dartmouth on Dec. 11. Union will fly out to Minnesota the next day for its two game series at St. Cloud State.
 
“We have a tough grind in December with three games within four days,” Bennett said. It's similar to what happened to us in the NCAA Tournament in the fact of facing a little adversity in scheduling. I think we have that here, playing Dartmouth at home and then jumping on the plane the next day and heading out to St. Cloud State for two games against a Frozen Four opponent.”
 
Union will be on the road for much of January, continuing league play at Quinnipiac and Princeton on Jan. 10-11, before a trip to UNH the following weekend. Union hosts Harvard at Messa Rink on Jan. 24 before the Mayor's Cup game the next day.
 
Union then closes out the season with 10 straight league contests, beginning with the North Country trip for games against St. Lawrence and Clarkson on Jan. 31-Feb. 1. The Dutchmen will then host Brown and defending national champion Yale on Feb. 7-8 before another road trip to Cornell and Colgate on Feb. 14-15.
 
The Dutchmen will conclude their home schedule against Clarkson and St. Lawrence on Feb. 21-22, followed by the final weekend of the regular season, when Union takes on Yale and Brown on Feb. 28-Mar. 1.
 
Bennett guided Union team to another memorable season in 2012-13. Union finished the season with a record of 22-13-5 (10-8-4 ECAC Hockey), clinching its fourth straight 20-win season and making Bennett the first coach in program history to record 20 wins in each of his first two seasons in Schenectady.
 
Union played its best hockey of the season down the stretch, stringing together a seven-game winning streak en route to the team's second straight Whitelaw Cup with a 3-1 win over Brown in the ECAC Hockey Championship Game on March 23.
 
Union defeated No. 2 Boston College, the defending national champions, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 1 Quinnipiac in the East Regional Final in Providence, RI.