Dutchmen open up UConn Toyota Classic against #15 Massachusetts

The last time the Dutchmen touched the ice was on December 11th when they beat the U.S. U-18 team 4-1 at Messa Rink in an exhibition match. Now 18 days later they head to Storrs, Connecticut to try and extend their nine game unbeaten streak in the UConn Toyota Classic. In order to extend the streak to 10 they have to face a very tough team in the #15 UMass-Amherst Minutemen (10-5-0, 6-4-0 Hockey East (4th Place)) on Tuesday. Depending on the outcome of the game they will play either host UConn or Bentley.

Here are some things to note heading into the game with the Minutemen:

• Union holds the second longest unbeaten streak in the nation (9)
• This is the first game the Dutchmen will face a ranked opponent since becoming ranked
• Coach Nate Leaman's next win will be his 100th
• Mario Valery-Trabucco leads Union's offensive attack with 10 goals and 11 assists. The Dutchmen are 5-1-2 when he scores a goal this season.
• Union goaltender Keith Kinkaid is 5-0-2 in his last seven games with a 2.08 GAA and a .921 save percentage. He faced RPI in his last start where he let up four goals. This was his weakest outing during his streak, which might have been due to fatigue. He should have plenty of rest heading into the tournament.
• The only Hockey East opponent the Dutchmen have faced this year is Maine. They faced the Black Bears in the opening weekend of the season where they took both games 4-1 and 6-3. Maine has improved since opening weekend and now sit in third place in Hockey East.
• UMass hold the advantage in the series with a 5-2-1 record against the Dutchmen. In their last meeting (11/25/07) the Minutemen won 5-2.
• UMass is a tremendous third period team as they have outscored their opponents 22-10 in the final frame.
• The Minutemen last played on December 12th where they beat Hockey East foe Merrimack 4-1 at the Mullins Center.
• UMass is 3-3-0 against ranked opponents this year with their wins coming against #2 Boston University (3-2, 10/16), #9 Yale (4-3(ot), 11/19), and #18 Vermont (6-2, 11/24). After winning their first three games against ranked opponents they lost the next three to #9 Quinnipiac (5-4 (ot), 11/28), #15 Boston College (3-1, 12/4), and #8 UMass-Lowell (5-3, 12/5).
• The Minutemen hold a 2-1 record over ECAC opponents this year with a 5-2 win over RPI (10/8), a 4-3 (0t) win over Yale (11/19), and a 5-4 (ot) loss against Quinnipiac.
• Junior James Marcou is one of the top forwards in the nation and leads the UMass offense. In 90 career games he has registered 105 points including his 32 assists last season which was a UMass single-season record. Last season as a sophomore Marcou was named a second team All-American. Marcou has kept up the pace this season as he leads the nation with 1.73 points per game and is a legitimate contender for the Hobey Baker award. His 26 points (5g, 21a in 15 games) is third most in the nation. He is only one point behind the nation's top scorers Cory Conacher (Canisus, 18 games) and Corey Tropp (Michigan State, 20 games). His 21 assists and 1.40 assists per game is tops in the country. Look for Marcou's speed and vision on the ice to standout.
• With Marcou setting up all these goals someone has to be the beneficiary. And the person reaping the benefits of Marcou's play is sophomore Casey Wellman. Wellman leads the Minutemen with 13 goals, seven power-play goals, and is second on the team with 22 points (13g, 9a). Of his 13 goals Marcou has assisted on 11 of them including all seven of his power-play goals. Wellman is tied for fourth in the nation in goals and power-play goals, sixth in points per game (1.47), and is 15th in points.
• Defenseman Justin Braun is also an offensive threat for UMass from the blueline. Braun, a 2008-09 Hockey East All-Conference selection and a draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins last year, is 13th in the nation in scoring with 13 points (3g, 10a).
• On the Minutemen power-play look out for defenseman Matthew Irwin who has scored four goals on the man advantage.
• In goal for the Minutemen is junior Paul Danton, who took over the starting job as a freshman when All-American Jon Quick graduated and went to the NHL where he is having a stellar season for the Los Angeles Kings. In 13 games (11 starts) Danton is 8-5 with a 2.61 GAA and a .922 save percentage.

The game will take place at 4pm at the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum. For more information on the Dutchmen and Minutemen check out UnionAthletics.com and UMassAthletics.com. You can also read the tournamnet preview on USCHO.com.