Union Wins The Cleary Cup on Senior Night

Last night was such a great feeling. The emotions of when the final buzzer sounded, all the way to the post-game celebration was perfect. I am so proud of the guys for everything they accomplished, and everything the seniors have done in their four years. The reception the seniors received from the fans was awesome and well deserved. I was also honored and shocked when Andrew Buote gave me a shout out during his speech. I really appreciated it and am just honored to be a very small part of this amazing senior class and Union Hockey.

It was also great to see Luke Cain and Stephane Boileau score goals on Senior Night. They both don't dress every game, so it was awesome to see them capitalize. You could tell how excited they were to score, especially Boileau (check the highlights). John Simpson also added an empty netter.

Union's power-play once again did a great job last night as they scored twice with the man advantage. They lead the nation with a 30.97% conversion rate. Union went 3-for-4 last night and 4-for-6 on the weekend. Daniel Carr netted a PP goal and added an even strength goal later. He is now tied with New Hampshire's Paul Thompson and Colorado College's Tyler Johnson for the nation's lead with 12 power-play goals. Thompson and Johnson are both seniors, while Carr is a freshman. His two first period goals gave Union an 3-0 first period lead. Three has been the magic number this season as the Dutchmen are 21-1-2 in games where they've scored at least three goals.

Keith Kinkaid had another great weekend once again. He made 35 saves (including 17 in the second period) last night to pick up his third shutout of the season. Kinkaid leads the nation with a 1.93 GAA and 24 wins.

Well, now it's on to the playoffs. Union gets the weekend off with the first round bye. Here are the first round matchups:
(5) RPI vs. (12) Colgate
(6) Princeton vs. (11) St. Lawrence
(7) Clarkson vs. (10) Harvard
(8) Quinnipiac vs. (9) Brown

For more on the game check out:
USCHO
Union Athletics
Ken Schott's Blog
Times Union (Sean Martin)
Times Union (Mark McGuire)

I also want to make a special shout out to former Union College president Roger Hull. In January 2004 he said:

"Let me tell you of my idea of being competitive: fielding a team that has a reasonable chance of winning every time it steps on the ice... And when they got to 40 percent [winning percentage], I was proud, and when they reached nearly 50 percent a few years ago, I was tremendously proud of them."

I wonder if he's super-tremendously-ridiculously-doing hand stands proud of this team.

Tonight's Lineups vs. Princeton (2/26/11)

Union
Presizniuk - Zajac - Hatch
Carr - Welsh - Jooris
Boileau - J. Simpson - W. Simpson
Buote - Pallos - K. Bodie

Forgaard - Cain
M. Bodie - Matheson
Coburn - Stuart

Kinkaid
Milan
Grosenick

Notes: For Senior Night all the seniors will dress. Luke Cain is listed as the 6th defenseman, but I assume he'll just fill in on forward lines throughout the game. Also, Stephane Boileau replaces Kevin Sullivan on the Simpson line. We'll see if Milan gets a shot to see some minutes. From what I heard Union will be wearing their black jerseys tonight, which have been a good luck charm so far this season.

Princeton
Kleebaum - Calof - Kramer
Arhontas - Meland - Lohry
Ammon - Zuk - Farris
Carlson - Berger - Kerr

Fedun - Ritchie
Pallis - Rush
Sdao - Godlewski

Condon
Bonar

Notes: Sdao is a draft pick of the Ottawa Senators.

Players To Watch This Senior Weekend

I think this is the weekend Union fans have been waiting for for a long time. With two games left in the regular season the Dutchmen control their own destiny in winning the Cleary Cup. They are one point ahead of Yale in the standings, and if they match the Bulldogs point-for-point this weekend they will win the Cleary Cup for the first time in program history. Yale hosts Colgate and Cornell this weekend (click here).

But, to get to the cup the Dutchmen will have to go through the Quinnipiac Bobcats and Princeton Tigers. Union played these two teams on the road two weekends ago. They came back to beat the Tigers 7-4, and then came back again to beat the Bobcats 2-1 in overtime the following night.

This is our moment.... Let's take it!

Quinnipiac
Jeremy Langlois: the sophomore forward leads the team with 15 goals (5th in the ECAC), and is tied for the team lead with six power-play goals.
Loren Barron: the sophomore defenseman leads the team with 14 assists, and leads all Bobcat defensemen with 15 points.
Scott Zurevinski: the Bobcats' leading scorer (21 points) has tallied a point in five of his past six games.

Princeton
Andrew Calof: the freshman forward leads the Tigers with 23 assists (third in the ECAC) and 29 points.
Mike Kramer: the senior forward has been very hot of late. He's picked up a point in nine of his past 10 games, including nine goals and six assists over that span. Kramer leads the team with 13 goals and is second in assists (15) and points (28).
Taylor Fedun: the senior defenseman has 10 goals on the season, which is tied for the league lead in goals by a defenseman. His seven power-play goals is the most among ECAC defenseman, and tops on the team.

Union
Kelly Zajac: Zaj is Union's leading scorer with 37 points. He got hurt last Saturday night, but Coach Leaman says he will play this weekend. Let's see if that injury bothers him or not.
Wayne Simpson: the younger Simpson has been extremely hot of late. He's picked up a point in 10 of his last 12 games, and has scored a goal in four of his last five games.
Class of 2011: I'm sure the seniors want to make their final regular season weekend a memorable one where they lift the Cleary Cup over the heads. In last year's regular season finale EVERY senior made a contribution to Union's victory. I expect the same this year. Read my post from last Senior Night to know what I'm talking about.

For more check out:
Union Athletics.com
Quinnipiac Bobcats.com
Go Princeton Tigers.com

Here's what happened the last time Princeton and Quinnipiac played at Messa Rink during the regular season:

Union Travels to #19 Princeton and Quinnipiac

Ok I got to make this quick since I'm leaving for Boston in a few minutes.

The Dutchmen head south this weekend to take on two hot teams. Princeton has only lost once in their past 11 games, while Quinnipiac is unbeaten in their last five. Every ECAC game has become more important as the season goes on and each of these game are equally important. The Dutchmen might have to win every ECAC game for the rest of the season if they have any hope in catching Yale and fending off the likes of Princeton, RPI, and Dartmouth.

Players To Watch
Andrew Calof (Princeton): the freshman leads the team with 18 assists.
Taylor Fedun (Princeton): the senior defenseman leads all Tiger defensemen with six goals and 10 assists.
Kevin Lohry (Princeton): leads team with nine goals.
Connor and Kellen Jones (Quinnipiac): the freshman twin brothers have both accumulated 16 points so far this season. Connor has seven goals, while Kellen has 11 assists.
Jeremy Langlois (Quinnipiac): leads team with 13 goals and 18 points.
Adam Presizniuk (Union): let's see if he keeps up his scoring touch after a break out performance last weekend.
Shawn Stuart (Union): he wore the red jersey (because of a shoulder injury) in Wednesday's practice.
Mike Ingoldsby is already out indefinitely and the Dutchmen don't have any solid replacements if Stuart were to go down.

I predict that both Capital Region teams keep it rolling and seep the Tigers and Bobcats.

I also want to point out that the Quinnipiac arena is the nicest in the ECAC, so I recommend on checking it out.

For more on the weekend check out:
Union Athletics.com
Go Princeton Tigers.com
Quinnipiac Bobcats.com

ALSO IF YOU ARE STAYING IN SCHENECTADY THIS WEEKEND GO CHECK OUT THE WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM!!!!! THIS WEEKEND IS "PINK IN THE RINK."
More info...

Here's a video of Quinnipiac promoting the games this weekend:


And here's what happened the last time Union and Quinnipiac played each other:

Dutchmen clinch first round bye

Last night in the press box I was told that in order for the Dutchmen to clinch a first round bye in the playoffs they would have to win tonight against Quinnipiac. Well, I just found out this morning that that was wrong and Union has already clinched a first round bye in the ECAC playoffs. So, my article on USCHO.com is incorrect. Just don't pay attention to the fourth to last paragraph haha. For more detailed information about how the Dutchmen clinched the bye check out the Extra Frame Blog.

It was nice to see Kinkaid bounce back with a solid performance after last weekend's debacle. Kyle Bodie scored once again for his third time in three weekends. He could be a secret weapon heading into the playoffs. Also, congratulations to 'Super' Mario Valery-Trabucco for breaking the program's Division I single season point record.

I can't seem to figure out Princeton goaltender Zane Kalemba. Last season he was the best goalie in the ECAC and an all-American, and this year his stats are pretty awful. He seems a little slow in the net and unfocused. I'm not sure why he's had such a let down this year; only he knows.

For more on last night's game check out Union Athletics.com, Daily Gazette.com, Times Union.com, and Ken Schott's Blog.

Tonight's Lineups (2/19/10 vs. Princeton)

FINAL UPDATE: 4-1, Union... Bodie scores and Zajac socres empty netter.

2nd PERIOD UPDATE: 2-0, Union... Union looks a little better. Mario scored Union's first goal a little over four minuets into the period. With the goal he breaks the Division I single-season points record with 39 points. Jeremy Welsh scored Union's second goal with 7:10 remaining in the period. Princeton has the favor in shots 25-20.

1st PERIOD UPDATE: 0-0... The Dutchmen are looking sloppy in the first. The timing on their passes are way off. They have gone offsides way to many times. Keith Kinkaid is looking a little shaky in goal as he has had some trouble controlling dump-ins on net and playing the puck. Princeton looks pretty decent. They're moving fast and blocking a lot of shots in the slot.

Union:

Prez - Wally - Mario

Welsh - J. Simpson - Boileau

Cain - Zajac - W. Simpson

Buote - Lareau - Bodie

Matheson - Forgaard

Wakita - Julseth-White

Schreiber - Stuart

Kinkaid
Milan

Princeton:

Zuk - Bartlett - Meland

Arhontas - Magnowski - Kleebaum

Lohry - MacDonald - Hagel

Sabky - - Crane

Pallis - Fedun

Godlewski - Schroeder

Sdao - Pederson

Kalemba

Reynolds

Players to watch this weekend

Union:

• Mario Valery-Trabucco: he currently has 38 points on the season, which is tied for most in a single season in program history. Linemate Adam Presizniuk set the record last season. He leads the team with 17 goals and is tied with Prez in assists with 21. He also leads the team with 1.31 points per game. Mario has registered at least one point in five of his last six games, has scored a goal in three out the last four games, and has tallied 10 points in the last four games.
  
• Jason Walters: Wally has 35 points on the season and potentially break Prez's record this weekend as well. He has registered a point in his past four games, and seven points in total.


• For more on the Dutchmen go to Union Athletics.com.

Princeton:

• Dan Bartlett: leads team in goals (16) and points (25). Bartlett has registered a point in 10 out of his last 12 games where he has tallied 10 goals and 5 assists.


• Mike Kramer: is second on the team with 11 goals and 21 points. He got his four game goal streak snapped last Saturday against St. Lawrence.


• Mark Magnowski: leads the team with 13 assists. Magnowski has tallied an assist in seven of his last eight games.


• Princeton is second to last in the ECAC with 2.69 goals per game.


• For more on the Tigers check out Go Princeton Tigers.com

Quinnipiac:

• Brandon 'All Night' Wong: leads the Bobcats with 15 goals and 30 points. When on top of his game he is one of the most lethal players in the ECAC. Wong is the go-to guy on the power-play as he has scored 11 goals on the power-play. But, lately he hasn't been so stellar. In his last 13 games he has tallied only six points where he has only scored three goals, only one of which came against an ECAC opponent.


• Eric Lampe: the same can be said about Lampe as he is second on the team with 28 points and leads the team with 17 assists, but has not been great lately. In his last eight games he as only put up one goal and one assist.
  
• The Bobcats recently snapped their 12 game winless streak as they won back-to-back games by shutting out their opponent. In goal has been sophomore Dan Clarke, who is third in the ECAC with a 2.47 goals against average, and is tied for third with a .913 save percentage.
  
• For more on QU check out Quinnipiac Bobcats.com.

Players to watch for this weekend

Princeton:

The Princeton offense is led by senior Dan Bartlett who leads the team with 11 goals, 17 points, four power-play goals, and a .297 shooting percentage. He is also second on the team with six assists and a +1 rating. Also look out for forward Mike Kramer who leads all forwards with seven assists, and Mark Magnowski who is second on the team with three power-play goals. In the pipes last season for the Tigers was Zane Kalemba who was named the ECAC Player of the Year, Goalie of the Year, and first team all-ECAC along with being a second team All-American. But, after being named a pre-season first team All-American by Inside College Hockey Online in October he has been very disappointing. This season as a senior he has gone 2-5-2 with a 3.63 GAA and a .894 save percentage. For his poor play he is now a part of a tandem with junior Alan Reynolds who has been more successful this year. He has accumulated a 4-2-0 record with a 2.63 GAA and a .911 save percentage. He played in Princeton's last game in their win over Quinnipiac.

Quinnipiac:

The Bobcats have been known for their scoring abilities for the past few years and are still one of the highest flying offenses in the nation and lead the ECAC with 71 goals this season. The offense is led by five senior forwards lead by Brandon "All Night" Wong. Wong leads the team with 12 goals, 24 points, four game-winning goals, eight power-play goals (tied for second most in the nation), and 1.26 points per game. The other seniors include Eric Lampe (9g, 14a, 23pts), Jean-Marc Beaudoin (5g, 10a, 15pts), Greg Holt (5g, 9a, 14 pts), and Mike Atkinson (7g, 5a, 12pts). Also be aware of sophomore forward and the Bobcats top faceoff man Scott Zurevinksi (9g, 7a, 16pts), and senior defenseman Zach Hansen (1g, 11a, 12pts). In goal for Quinnipiac has been sophomore Dan Clarke who has been pretty solid while posting a 8-4-1 record, 2.50 GAA, and a .919 save percentage.

This will be a very important weekend for the Dutchmen as it kicks off the 2010 ECAC schedule, is always a very difficult road trip, and could possibly be a weekend where they could climb higher into the standings. As a Dutchmen fan I would be happy with two points and any other points would be just icing on the cake.

You can read previews for the weekend on Union Athletics.com, Go Princeton Tigers.com, and Quinnipiac Bobcats.com.

Hot Princeton tops cold Quinnipiac 4-3 in overtime

Heading into Friday's game against the Dutchmen the Tigers have gone unbeaten in their past four games where they have played four nationally ranked teams (UMass-Lowell, Maine, Cornell, and now Quinnipiac) after going winless in their previous seven games. Quinnipiac has gone the opposite way as after winning 12 of their first 13 games they have only won one game in their past six, where four of the losses have come against league opponents.

What this means for the Dutchmen is that this weekend will be a tough won. Princeton is lower in the standings but are riding a hot streak, while Quinnipiac is on top of the ECAC but have fallen apart of late. A few weeks ago the Dutchmen might have looked over the Tigers and looked straight to the Bobcats, but because these recent streaks this will not be true.

You can read the game summary on the ECAC Hockey website.

Quinnipiac at Princeton tonight

This upcoming weekend the Dutchmen will travel to Princeton and Quinnipiac to open up ECAC play in 2010. Tonight will be a great scouting opportunity for the coaching staff and even Union fans as the Bobcats will travel to Hobey Baker Rink to face the Tigers in an ECAC matchup. This will be a great opportunity for the Dutchmen to see what they will be up against this weekend.

You can read about the game on the ECAC website.