See What Mario Valery-Trabucco Is Up To...

Mario Valery-Trabucco '10 is currently playing for TPS Turku (SM-Iiiga) in Finland. Through 55 games Mario leads the team with 16 goals, but the team is in second to last place.

In his final season with the Dutchmen, Valery-Trabucco had his best year posting 23 goals, 22 assists, and 45 points.

Here are some videos of Mario:

(Start at 1:45)


(Start at 1:43)


Hockey in Europe looks fun... and colorful

College Hockey Video of the Week (10/22/10): Yale Fans Bribe The Refs, Plus Bonus Video

I thought this would be an appropriate video after Professor Boileau's lesson on faceoff techniques, and that Union will be playing at Yale on ESPNU on December 5th.



Also, check out this bonus video of Mario Valery-Trabucco being interviewed in Finland:

Valery-Trabucco signs with team in Finland

Former Union star forward and recent graduate 'Super' Mario Valery-Trabucco has signed with TPS of Finnish SM-Iiiga league. TPS, which is short for Turun Palloseura, won the league championship last season. Some famous TPS alumni include Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, Anaheim Ducks forward Saku Koivu, and Jere Lehtinen who played for the Dallas Stars last season. After finishing off a record breaking senior year, Mario played a few games for the Adirondack Phantoms 0f the AHL. Hopefully, Mario is very successful in Finland and is able to work his way back to the states to play in the AHL, and maybe (and that's a big maybe) make a few appearances in the NHL. Valery-Trabucco is just one of many former Union players who will be playing in Europe next season (Walters, Schreiber, Fox, Beynon...)

For more check out ECAC Hockey.com and the TPS Website (if you can speak Finnish!).

Webb signs with EHC Munchen

Former Union great Jordan Webb '05 has just been signed by EHC Munchen of Germany. Last season he played for Kaufbeuren where netted 24 goals and 48 assists. Prior to this season Webb held the record for career points by a Dutchmen (114), but Jason Walters broke the record as he jumped ahead of Webb with an assist against St. Lawrence in the ECAC semi-finals. Mario Valery-Trabucco tied Webb with an empty net goal in the same game, but was unable to get point 115.

For more on Webb check out ECAC Hockey.com.

Valery-Trabucco and Boileau honored at senior dinner

At the 2010 Union Athletics Senior Appreciation Dinner tonight senior forward Mario Valery-Trabucco and junior forward Stephane Boileau each won the William B. Jaffe '26 Award. I don't know what the award is for. But, one thing that alarms me is why Boileau was honored if he has one more year of eligibility. Again I'm not sure if this was a "senior only" award, but there were rumors circling around a few months ago about Boileau leaving Union before his senior season. I haven't been able to get any info on the matter, but I'll keep looking.

Also, senior laxer Tim Schwarz was honored at the dinner as he was given the Award for Community Service and Community outreach. In his first to years in Schenectady Tim was a member of the Union College Hockey team in a minimal role. For the past two seasons Schwarz has been a member of Union's Lacrosse team where he has been a faceoff specialist. I had the privilege of living down the hall from Tim last year, and he is truly a great guy. He's an extremely nice and out-going individual who is always up for a good conversation about anything. I've never had a class with Tim, but I've heard that he is a tremendous student.

For more on the dinner check out Union Athletics.com.

Zajac had shoulder surgery

Word from the end of the year banquet is that sophomore forward Kelly Zajac had shoulder surgery after the season. I remember that he was having shoulder problems during the playoffs, and it was even unsure if he would play in the ECAC semifinals. Hopefully Kelly gets better soon and is ready to go next season. He is one of the players that needs to step up for the Dutchmen and fill the shoes of the departed Mario Valery-Trabucco and Jason Walters. It is very possible that he will be moved up to center the first line with Adam Presizniuk.

Also, I ran across this cool picture of the team at the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. You can see Presizniuk on the right side of the picture with a camera, and former team manager Jeremy Apple in the left side of the picture. The team went since they played in the Shillelagh Tournament at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois hosted by Notre Dame. The Dutchmen lost to the Fighting Irish 3-1 in the first game, but beat UMass-Lowell in the consolation game 2-1.

Awards handed out at Annual Banquet

This past evening, the Union men's hockey team celebrated the best season in their history at Glens Sanders Mansion. At the banquet the annual awards were given out. Here is who won each award:

MVP: Mario Valery-Trabucco

Rookie of the Year: Keith Kinkaid

Unsung Hero: Andrew Buote

Most Improved: Luke Cain

Coaches' Award: Mike Schreiber

7th Player Award: Mario Valery-Trabucco

Charles N. Morrison Award: Mike Wakita

Thomas VanArden Dukehart Award: Stephane Boileau

No surprises here for the most part. I thought Brock Matheson would get an award over Buote because Buote has won awards in the past, but there are no complaints here on any decisions.

For more on the awards and the banquet go to Union Athletics.com

'Super' Mario update

Senior forward Mario Valery-Trabucco played in his second pro game on Wednesday night. His Adirondack Phantoms beat the Binghamton Senators 3-2, and he ended up with a -1 rating. For more on Mario check out a feature on him from Post Star.com.

Valery-Trabucco appears in first pro game

Last night, senior Mario Valery-Trabucco appeared in his first professional game as he suited up for the Adirondack Phantoms in a 4-2 loss to the Albany River Rats. Ironically, the game took place at the Times Union Center where Mario's Dutchmen lost the ECAC Championship game a few weeks ago. Mario didn't play much, but he still managed to receive a penalty. The Phantoms are not in the playoff hunt, and with the season winding down Valery-Trabucco should see more playing time in the final games of the season. For more on Mario's debut check out Times Union.com.

'Super' Mario signs with Adirondack Phantoms

It has been announced that Mario Valery-Trabucco, Union's leading scorer this year, has signed with the Adirondack Phantoms. The Phantoms are the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and play at the Glens Falls Civic Center, which is less than an hour away from Union College. This could give Mario the opportunity to finish his degree at Union. He will make his professional debut either tonight or tomorrow. For more on the signing check out ECAC Hockey.com and Post Star.com.

Union's Season ends in ECAC Finals

Sorry about the late post... I've been having some computer issues.

Well, that was a disappointing way to end the season. The score and the shots might have been close, but it was not an equal contest. The Big Red was just perfect in every facet of the game and the Dutchmen couldn't handle the constant pressure. Cornell's forecheck worked perfectly, their defense was impenetrable, the penalty kill was swarming, and the power-play was flawless. It just looked like men amongst boys out there as even some of Union's "tougher" players were being knocked around. Going into the game Union knew it was going to be a tough task at hand, but they didn't even make it interesting. The Union crowd seemed to realize this as it seemed to get quieter and quieter as the game progressed. The 3-0 loss was the first time all season the Dutchmen got shutout and lost. In the RPI Tournament, Union beat Lake Superior State in a shootout after finishing regulation at 0-0.

As I said before the game, special teams would be incredibly important. And it was as the Big Red scored two power-play goals, and their penalty kill did not let Union get any good shots on Ben Scrivens, who was named tournament MVP after the game. The Dutchmen took too many penalties and some were undisciplined penalties which were out of character.

But, even though it was a disappointing end to the greatest season in the history of Union College Division I hockey, there were a few good things that came out of the game: 1) Keith Kinkaid had a good game and a good Final Four. The Dutchmen might really have a big time future goaltender. 2) Adam Presizniuk seemed to be one of few Union players not to be over matched against Cornell as he was able to skate and battle with the Cornell players. Prez had a great playoffs and hopefully he can be Union's go-to-guy next season. 3) Four freshman defensemen played in both Final Four games. This gave them some major experience points and will be helpful if the Dutchmen make it back to the Final Four. 4) Many Union fans came out to support their team this past weekend. Hopefully the fans keep supporting the team and more people in the Schenectady area catch on in the future.

It's sad to see Mario Valery-Trabucco and Jason Walters finish up their four years at Union. They are arguably the greatest players in the history of the program. Unfortunately for the Dutchmen the duo did not have a great playoffs. In five playoff games Mario tallied two goals and an assist. One goal came in the first game of the playoffs when he pushed the puck about three inches into the back of the net after Walters rung a shot off the post, and the other goal was an empty netter against St. Lawrence. Walters on the other hand picked up just two assists, the first coming on Mario's goal against Quinnipiac and the second coming on Adam Presizniuk's game-winning goal against SLU. Either way these two guys brought Union to where they were and they will be deeply missed.

That is all I have for now. I will continue blogging throughout the off-season and will focus on such topics as evaluating the 2009-10 season, looking into next season, and maybe even getting some special interviews with people in Union Hockey. I had a great time following the team this season and couldn't have asked for anything more.

Union beats SLU to go to ECAC Championship Game

Who would have picked Union to be in the ECAC Championship game in the beginning of the season? Not many. The Dutchmen were picked to finish sixth in both the Coaches and Media Poll prior to the season. But, with last night's barn-burner Union will face Cornell to decide who will take home the ECAC crown.

Last night's atmosphere was incredible. I don't think I've ever seen so many Union fans in one place! The Union faithful took up about four to five sections at the TUC. The fans were also extremely loud and easily drowned out the SLU fans with their chants. They even found ways to make the SLU cheers into Union cheers. Dutchmen fans will have to be even louder tonight as Cornell has a tremendous and loyal following and has a great cheering section.

The Dutchmen did not play a great game as they seemed to not have enough jump and were fighting the puck a little too much. Luckily, Keith Kinkaid was stellar in net for Union as he made 29 saves on the night, including 13 in the final period. He was great positionally as he was able to catch almost every outside shot in his chest. It looks like the Coach of the Year made a "Coach of the Year" decision. Even though the Dutchmen missed the net on some good opportunities, they were still opportunistic. On only eight shots in the final 40 minuets, Union was able to score two goals.

On other notes, Kelly Zajac got hurt for the second game in a row. After separating his shoulder last weekend, he seemed to sustain another arm/shoulder injury. But, he returned in the second period and played the rest of the game. Now that's what I call a hockey player. As an old hockey friend of mine used to say, "Just Tape It Up." Also, with an assist on last night's game-winning goal, Jason Walters in now the all-time leading scorer with 115 points. But, Mario Valery-Trabucco is right on his tail.

For more on last night's game check out Union Athletics.com, USCHO.com, Ken Schott's Blog, Daily Gazette.com, and other literature you can find on the Extra Frame Blog.

Tonight's game against the Big Red will be a tough one for the Dutchmen as Cornell is one of the most fundamentally sound teams in the nation. Oh, and have I mentioned that they have one of the nation's best goaltenders? Ben Scrivens has been lights out all year and is near the top in every statistical category in all of Division I college hockey. He is tied for first with a .935 save percentage, second with a 1.83 GAA, fourth with 20 wins, and tied for first with six shutouts. He was recently named First Team all-ECAC and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Scrivens leads the second best defense in the country that has only allowed 1.91 goals per game. Besides Scrivens, Cornell's strength is its' special teams. The Big Red sports the ninth best power-play in the country (20.7%) and the third best penalty kill in the country (87.4%).

So, the keys tonight for the Dutchmen are to stay out of the penalty box and to be opportunistic. It was only two games ago that Union did not have to kill any penalties, and if they do that again they will be in good shape. Also, if they go on the power-play they're going to have to screen Scrivens and pounce on any loose pucks.

If the Dutchmen are able to come out on top tonight it will probably be by the score of 1-0 or 2-1. In their past five games, Cornell has not allowed more than one goal and have only allowed one goal in their three playoff games. Scrivens and the defense brings their shutout streak into tonight's game as they have shutout Harvard and Brown in back-to-back games. Cornell has not allowed a goal in over 170 minutes. The game will be a great battle between high-flying offense (Union is fifth in the nation in scoring) and stifling defense (Cornell is second in the nation in team defense).

Union in the National Rankings

• The Dutchmen move from #17 to #15 in the USCHO.com National Poll... they have been in the poll for the past 13 weeks


• They also jump back into the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll at #15


• Union is #20 in the PairWise Rankings


• Also, Union has rocketed up four spots to #8 in the INCH Power Rankings

In other news, the ECAC Player of the Year Finalists have been announced... and Mario Valery-Trabucco is not one of them. The finalists are RPI's Chase Polacek, Cornell's Ben Scrivens, and Yale's (yep you guessed it) Sean Backman. You already know how I feel on the Mario vs. Backman argument. I'm not really sure how a guy like Backman can be dominated for the league's MVP after he made the bonehead mistake of going swimming after hours and breaking his ankle the week before the league playoffs started. You would think that the players would be extra careful in the time leading up to the biggest part of the season. But, I highly doubt Backman will win the award. I already predicted that Chase Polacek would win the award.

Message From Coach Leaman

All Union College Students were sent this message from Coach Leaman this morning:

Dear Union College Students,

The Game 2 win last night at Messa Rink was a crucial one for our team and I want to thank everyone who has helped to fill our student section and supported us through these past two games and over the course of the entire season.

The cheering, chanting and the packed section of students wearing Union College gear have created a home ice advantage for our team. As I told reporters after the game last night, I think our fans have done a terrific job picking us up in the this series. It was by far the best job of our fans at Union. We have to use that energy that our building creates to our advantage and make sure that we're coming out with our A-game.

We ask for your support again tonight, as we face Quinnipiac at 7pm for the third and deciding game of this quarterfinal series. Instead of just letting the first 200 students in for free, we will be letting in ALL students arriving before the puck drops at 7PM. If we win tonight, we will advance to the ECAC Championship at the Times Union Center in Albany next weekend for the first time in school history. This would be a huge advance for our program, and we will need all of your support to make this historic step.

Once again thank you for your support and we hope to see you at Messa Rink tonight.

Go U!

-Nate Leaman
Union Men's Hockey Head Coach

All students should show up to the game. Everyone has finals, but being a part of something special and creating school spirit is important as well. This is the biggest game in the history of Union College Division I Men's Ice Hockey to date. If the team wins tonight and manages to make a run to the national tournament, not only would it be great for the players but it would be great for the school. Success in sports can help get a school's name out into the public, which could lead to greater popularity and recognition (ex. Doug Flutie and Boston College Football... might be a stretch but you know what I'm getting at). I have two massive research papers due in the next two days and I will be there even if I'm not writing tonight.

Also, if you're a senior you better show up. No matter what this will be the last game at Messa Rink for the Class of 2010. These guys are arguably the greatest class in the history of the program. Mario Valery-Trabucco and Jason Walters are possibly the most dynamic forwards Messa Rink has ever seen, while Mike Schreiber is one of the best two-way defenseman in Union history. This might as well be the biggest night of their lives as their whole Union career comes down to tonight. They were brought here to bring Union College Hockey to the next step, and that next step is going to the ECAC Final Four. Tonight's game will be a battle of the seniors as the best players for each team are seniors, and they don't want their season to end tonight. A lot of you seniors have just finished your thesis projects, so you probably have nothing else that important to do. So, come to Messa Rink and support your classmates!

Longest Game in NCAA History

Honestly, that was a lot of fun but very disappointing. Almost everyone knows what happened already so I'll just highlight some interesting points from my night:

• I got to the rink around 5:30pm and left around 2:00am


• The student section, lead by Will Friedman, was full and loud for the entire game


• Stephane Boileau left the game due to an injury. It looks like it could be an upper leg problem or a groin or hip problem. After talking to Coach Leaman it doesn't seem like he will be playing in Game 2 at least.


• I got to meet Mario Valery-Trabucco's father last night... what a nice guy!


• Thanks to Union's Assistant Athletic Director/Sport Information Guy Eric McDowell who brought the media staff Burger King Whopper's around 2:00am.


• Also, thanks to the Times Union's Mark McGuire who drove me back to my dorm after 2am... walking in Schenectady with your computer by yourself at night is not the smartest thing to do.


• I talked to a member of the Union Dining Staff this morning who served lunch to the players today and he said that the boys looked exhausted. But, he has the utmost confidence that they will win tonight.

For more on the game check out my article on USCHO.com, Union Athletics.com, and Ken Schott's Blog.

It will be interesting to see how tired the players are and to see if there will be any changes to the lineups and who will start in goal for each team.

Things We Missed

• Yale's Sean Backman out due to some unnecessary horseplay by the pool. Doesn't everyone read the sign about running by the pool?


• Mike Schreiber (defenseman of the year), Keith Kinkaid (goaltender of the year), and Head Coach Nate Leaman (coach of the year) were all nominated for ECAC awards.


• Mario Valery-Trabucco received the most votes in the first round of Hobey Baker fan voting.


• RPI lost to Brown in first round of ECAC playoffs.


• Jason Walters and Mario were selected as alternates for the Frozen Four Skills Challenge.

Well, that's all I can remember for now. If I think of anything else I'll post it.

Three Dutchmen selected to All-ECAC teams

The All-ECAC teams were announced today and three Union players were selected. Senior defenseman Mike Schreiber was named to the First Team, senior forward Mario Valery-Trabucco was selected to the Second Team, and freshman goaltender Keith Kinkaid was named to the Third Team and All-Rookie team. For more on Schreiber, 'Super' Mario, and Kinkaid check out Union Athletics.com.

First off, congratulations to all three players on being named to All-ECAC teams. Here is my analysis on each of the selections:

Schreiber was an obvious choice for First Team. He leads all ECAC defensemen with 28 points, is second with eight goals, first with 20 assists, first with a +23 rating, fourth with a .129 shooting percentage, and is towards the bottom of the list when it comes to penalty minutes (18). He is the top defenseman in the league and is one of the best in the nation.

Being named to the Second Team is a great honor, but I feel MVT definitely deserved to make the First Team. He has been Union's best player all season and has carried them on his back for many stretches this season, including of late (seven goals in past eight games, nine points in past 10 games). You can also make a legitimate case saying that he is also the MVP of the ECAC. Don't get me wrong, Chase Polacek, Broc Little, and Sean Backman are all great players (as I said earlier this week) and are all well deserving of the honor. But, I feel MVT should have made the First Team over Backman. While Backman had a very good season (21g, 14a, 35pts in 29 games) for the league's top team, Mario is statistically better (21g, 21a, 42 points - second in ECAC) and more important to his team. MVT has more assists and points than Backman, has a better plus/minus, more points per game, and has a higher shooting percentage.

Also, Mario (19g, 13a, 32pts - second in ECAC) has been better than Backman (16g, 9a, 25pts) in league games which are the most important games of the season and when a team needs their best player the most. MVT also has the upper hand in points per game in ECAC games, and all six of his power-play goals have come in ECAC games while only six of Backman's nine power-play goals have come in ECAC contests. There is a huge disparity in each players plus/minus in league games as Mario is +13 and Backman is +8. The only statistic where Backman has the upper hand over Mario in ECAC games is game-winning goals: Backman has two while Mario has one. Personally, league stats should be the only one's taken into consideration when it comes to picking all-league teams as many teams play weaker teams where big time players can pad their stats. By just looking at ECAC stats it is obvious that MVT should be on the First Team instead of Backman. It's also interesting to note that Backman is third on his team in points overall and in ECAC games. Sophomore forward Brian O'Neill has one more point than Backman and did not make any of the All-ECAC teams. Whoever chose Backman over 'Super' Mario has some explaining to do.

Keith Kinkaid has done a very solid job in goal for the Dutchmen this season and is definitely the top rookie goaltender in the ECAC, but is he really the third best goaltender in the league? I have seen almost every goalie in the ECAC this season and I never really thought Kinkaid was a Top 3 goaltender. Harvard' Ryan Carroll and Dartmouth's James Mello each stole games where they made 40+ saves, which is something Keith has not done all season. If I had to pick the third best goalie in the ECAC I would have to go with St. Lawrence's Kain Tisi or Quinnipiac's Dan Clarke. Tisi was on fire for the majority of the season as he sported a goals-against average under two. But, Tisi ended the season on a five game win-less streak where he let up 21 goals in five games. This poor end of the season is probably the reason why he did not make an all-league team. In the same amount of games (22) and about the same time played (Kinkaid has played four more minutes) as Kinkaid, Tisi has a better GAA and save percentage, and has made more saves and let up less goals. Tisi also has better stats than Kinkaid in ECAC games. The same is to be said about Clarke, but Clarke has played in more games and has played behind an awful defense. I know I've been bashing Keith a little of late, but he needs to step up in the playoffs to prove me wrong... and I really hope he does.

A major surprise was the lack of Jason Walters on any of the All-ECAC teams. Wally (16g, 22a 38pts) has had an amazing season, which is one of the best ever by a Dutchman. It just happened to be that Mario is having an epic season that is slightly overshadowing Wally's accomplishments. He is tied with Yale's Broc Little (1st team) and Colgate's David McIntyre (2nd team) for fifth in the ECAC with 38 points, and is tied for the top plus/minus (+23) with Mike Schreiber in the league. Walters is also in the top tier in the league in goals and assists. I am shocked that Brown's Aaron Volpatti was picked for the Third Team over Walters. Volpatti has only amassed 11 goals and 10 assists this season for 21 points, while leading the league in penalty minutes by far (91, the second closest is 75) and sporting a +1 plus/minus. For comparison Walters has more assists than Volpatti has points ,and has a plus/minus rating +22 better than Volpatti. The only case you have for Volpatti is that he scored more goals in ECAC games than Walters and that he has played on a weaker team. Volpatti has been a very good forward for Brown this year and has come up big for them, but it is not fair to say that he is a better player than Jason Walters.

The picks for ECAC Player of the Year, Goaltender of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Forward of the Year, Defensive Defenseman of the Year, and Coach of the Year should be out some time in the next few weeks. Here are my predictions:

Player of the Year: Chase Polacek, RPI

Goaltender of the Year: Ben Scrivens, Cornell

Rookie of the Year: Louis Leblanc, Harvard

Defensive Forward of the Year: Blake Gallagher, Cornell

Defensive Defenseman of the Year: Mike Schreiber, Union

Coach of the Year: Nate Leaman, Union

The Starr Curse Lives On

After last night's 5-2 loss at Colgate the
Dutchmen are now 1-17-1 at Colgate. Surprisingly this year's seniors have not won a game at Starr Rink, which is the least intimidating rink in the ECAC. The crowd is always dead and no one even goes to the games. Maybe the problem is going from Lynah to Starr and how different the environments are. Either way losing two games in a row is not how you want to head into the playoffs, but the Dutchmen have a bye which will give them some time to think everything over and get their heads on straight.

Once again, congratulations to Mario Valery-Trabucco on his program record 21st goal of the season. Mario is the MVP of the team this year and is one of the top forwards in the ECAC (along with Chase Polacek, Brock Little and Sean Backman just to name a few). He is a legitimate Hobey Baker and All-American candidate. Also, Mario's linemate Jason Walters is one point away from tying the program's career point record (114, Jordan Webb).

This weekend does bring up some concern for the playoffs. First and most importantly is goaltending. Keith Kinkaid has not stepped up when he has really needed to. He, nor Corey Milan, have stolen a game for the Dutchmen even though they have had some very good games. Goaltending is the most important factor for any playoff teams as hot goaltending will prevail above everything in the playoffs. This also brings up another concern which is the amount of breakaways allowed by the Union defense. It seems like almost every game the opposition gets at least one breakaway opportunity. Also, even though there is no official statistic, it seems like Kinkaid has trouble with breakaways. Finally, it is a bit worrisome that 'Super' Mario scored two of Union's three goals this weekend (the other goal coming from Kyle Bodie). Union played two Top 4 ECAC teams this past weekend and were only able to score three goals. Offense is the strength of this team and will have to continue to be if they want to be successful in the playoffs.

We now have two weeks for Union Hockey to return, and I'm sure it will feel longer than that. Hopefully this extra time will give the Dutchmen some time to relax and tie up some loose ends. If all the top seeds win their first round playoff games Union will face RPI in the quarterfinals, which will be a very energized and exciting series. I'm not excited about this potential matchup because it is very difficult to beat a team five times in one season, especially a rival. Also, all of the regualr season games this season have been extremely tight and could have gone either way.

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

Union loses important game at Cornell

Well, all hopes of making it into the National Tournament are smashed with the loss to Cornell. Union is now on the outside looking in the PWR in a tie for 18th. I don't know if it's possible for the Dutchmen to jump back into the Top 16, but it is possible something drastic will probably have to happen.

From what people have been saying and from looking at the box score it seems like Union played a good game, but Cornell was opportunistic and had a great defense. The Big Red scored on their only man-advantage last night and only threw 15 shots at Keith Kinkaid. This sounds exactly like what Cornell Hockey has been for years, and this is why I feel they are the best team in the ECAC. Yes, Yale has the top offense in the nation (4.29 goals per game), but Cornell has the second best defense in the nation (2.11 goals allowed per game) and most of the time a great defense will beat a great offense. And this why I predict that Cornell will win the ECAC tournament and each game they will play from the quarterfinals on will be by the scores of 2-1 or 3-2.

Union will finish in third place in the ECAC this season, no matter what happens tonight. But, it is very important that the Dutchmen pick up a win so they can head into the playoffs on a high note, and so they can break the Starr Curse.

Also, congratulations to 'Super' Mario Valery-Trabucco who broke Jordan Webb's program record for most goals in a career. Mario's lone goal last night was the 56th of his career. He is also just one goal away from breaking Union's single season record for goals in a season. He currently has 20.

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

Dutchmen finish regular season at Cornell and Colgate

As everyone expected, the seeding for the top spot in the ECAC playoffs has come down to this weekend. Tonight's game at Cornell is a huge one as both the Big Red and Dutchmen are tied for second place. Colgate is also looking to get a first round bye so expect them to come out flying on Saturday night. Here are some players to keep a tab on this weekend:

Mario Valery-Trabucco (Union): he's only one goal for breaking Union's all-time goals record. Mario is also currently leading the online voting for the Hobey Baker Award.

Jeremy Welsh (Union): the big freshman has scored four goals in his past six games. Cornell has very big defensemen so maybe Welsh will be able to neutralize them.

Riley Nash (Cornell): the junior has registered a point in his past five games, four of which have been multi-point games. In these five games he has tallied three goals and eight assists for 11 points.

Blake Gallagher (Cornell): the senior forward leads the team with 17 goals and 32 points. He has also registered a goal in his past five weekends, including one on a Tuesday night game against Colgate.

Colin Greening (Cornell): this other senior forward has been carrying a hot stick of late as he has scored a goal in five of his past six games. Over this six game span he has totalled six goals and three assists.

Ben Scrivens (Cornell): the senior goaltender is the top goaltender in the ECAC and is one of the top five, statistically in the nation. He sports a 2.07 GAA and a .928 save percentage.

David McIntyre (Colgate): the senior captain is second on the team with 34 points and is tied for first with 24 assists (second in ECAC). McIntyre has registered a point in eight out of his last 10 games, including a point in each of his last five games. Last season he was one of the top players in the ECAC with 21 goals and 22 assists.

Brian Day (Colgate): leads the team with 20 goals (third in ECAC) and is currently riding a four game goal scoring streak. He has also picked up three assists in that span.

It should be a fun and exciting weekend. For more on the games check out: Concordy.com, Union Athletics.com, Daily Gazette.com, and INCH.com.