Union Loses Mariucci Classic Championship Game

Matt Read scored twice for the Beavers

After Friday night's big win against Minnesota, the Dutchmen followed it up with a disappointing 3-1 loss against the Bemidji State Beavers in the tournament championship game. This is a pretty disappointing way to end the out of conference schedule and head into the winter term.

Here is what Union has done in OOC games this season:
vs. Sacred Heart - W, 9-0
vs. Sacred Heart - W, 7-3
at. Alaska-Fairbanks - L, 1-2 (Brice Alaska Goal Rush)
at Alaska-Anchorage - W, 4-3 (Brice Alaska Goal Rush)
vs. Niagara - W, 6-1
vs. RIT - W, 7-2
vs. UConn - T, 3-3
vs. RPI - T, 3-3 (Lake Placid - Halloween Faceoff)
vs. AIC - W, 8-1
vs. Army - W, 6-2
at Western Michigan - L, 1-2
at Western Michigan - L, 1-3
at Minnesota - W, 3-2 (OT) (Mariucci Classic)
at Bemidji - L, 1-3 (Mariucci Classic)

So Union went 8-4-2 in non-ECAC play, which looks pretty good but when you analyze it they really didn't do so great. Against Atlantic Hockey opponents (some of the weakest teams in NCAA Division I hockey) the Dutchmen went 6-0-1, outscoring their opponents 46-12. This means they went 2-4-1 against stronger OOC opponents where they were outscored 11-15 (I am not counting the RPI game since they are in the ECAC). So, this shows that Union has trouble competing against some of the tougher teams in college hockey, while they beat up on weaker opponents. One should also realize that these "tougher" OOC opponents are not ranked higher than the Dutchmen in the USCHO national rankings. Besides the win over Minnesota, Union has not proven that they are a legitimate contender for a national tournament berth.

Presizniuk is just one point away from breaking Union's
all-time points record. He currently tied with Jason Walters
at 115 points.

The problem behind this struggle against these tougher teams is the lack of offense. In the seven games against these "tough" teams the Dutchmen averaged just 1.57 goals per game. That is not a formula for success. Maybe the absence of Adam Presizniuk is a reason to why this has happened. The defense on the other hand has done their part as they have only allowed 2.14 goals per game in these seven games.

To be brutally honest, I really think that at this moment Union is very overrated. They have not proven to be the #12 team in the country. Beating up on the cellar dwellers is nice, but if you can't pull out wins against tough opponents on the road you will not be making the national tournament. Hopefully, they can step their game up in ECAC play, climb the standings, and make a run in the league playoffs. There are plenty of big games against good opponents in the ECAC to play (Yale, Clarkson, Princeton, Dartmouth), so Union still has the chance to prove that they are a legitimate Top 16 team. As of this moment Union is tied for 14th in the PWR, which is good for a NCAA tournament berth.

I will be back on campus tomorrow as classes start up for the winter term on Monday.

Here are some links about the game against Bemidji:
Union Athletics.com
USCHO
CHN
BSU Beavers.com