Team Notes: Bears Return Home to Host Rensselaer and No. 12 Union
This Weekend: In the midst of a stretch of
16 straight ECAC Hockey contests, Brown returns home this weekend
to host Rensselaer and #12 Union. The weekend series will close out
the regular season with the Capital District pair, as the Bears
split games at Union (2-1) and RPI (0-1) in November. Brown, which
jumped from 11th to 8th in the ECAC standings after last weekend's
trip to the North Country, will look to continue its climb in the
standings. With 10 points, the Bears sit one point behind sixth
place (Yale & Clarkson) and two points behind fourth place
(Colgate & Princeton). All children 12-and-under will be
admitted free of charge for Friday's game, while youth hockey
players will be admitted free of charge for Saturday's game.
This Date Historically Speaking: All-time,
Brown is 7-7-0 in games played on January 20th, including a 3-3-0
record at home. Brown and RPI have played one other time on January
20th, a 3-1 RPI win at Brown in 2006. All-time, Brown is 3-4-1 in
games played on January 21st, including a 3-1-1 in home games.
Brown and Union have played one other time on January 21st, a 2-2
tie at Brown in 2006.
Last Time Out: The Bears picked up three
points in their trip to the North Country, tying Clarkson, 2-2, on
Saturday before earning a 4-1 win over St. Lawrence on Sunday, in
games that were bumped by a day due to a winter storm and ensuing
power outages in the area. Senior Bobby
Farnham led Brown with 4 points (1g, 3a) in the two games,
while junior Chris
Zaires (2g against St. Lawrence), senior Jack
Maclellan (1g, 1a) and freshman Matt
Lorito (1g, 1a) all had multiple point weekends. SeniorJeff
Buvinow (Clarkson) and freshman Ryan
Jacobson (St. Lawrence) also scored over the weekend. For
Maclellan and Lorito, it was their 8th and 7th consecutive games
with a point, respectively, as they each had a point in both games.
Maclellan's assist on Saturday was the 50th of his career, as he
became the first Brown player since 2008 to post at least 50 career
assists. Jacobson also hit a milestone, as the rookie scored his
8th goal of the year, moving into Brown's all-time top 10 for goals
in a season by a freshman. Sophomore Marco
De Filippo earned the tie on Saturday with 39 saves,
matching his career-high, while senior Mike
Clemente stopped 22 shots to post the win on Sunday.
Brown vs. Rensselaer: This weekend will mark
the 83rd meeting between Brown and RPI, dating back to a 5-0 Brown
win during the 1951-52 season. The Engineers currently lead the
all-time series, 54-21-7, including a season sweep last year with a
6-2 win in Providence and a 3-0 win in Troy. RPI extended its
winning streak over the Bears to three games with a 1-0 victory in
November. The two teams split the regular season in 2009-10, with
each team winning in its own rink. The Bears then faced RPI in the
first round of the playoffs, eliminating the 6th-seeded Engineers
in three games with wins in game #1 and game #3. The split during
the regular season marked the first time in four seasons that Brown
earned a win over RPI in the regular season, as the Engineers were
7-0-1 from January 2006 through February 2009, including sweeping
the season in 2006, 2007, and 2009. Seniors Jack Maclellan (4g, 2a)
and Bobby Farnham (2g, 4a) are Brown's statistical leaders against
RPI with six points (2g, 4a) in 10 and nine career games,
respectively. Classmate Jeff Buvinow has six points, all assists,
in 10 career games against the Engineers.
Scouting Rensselaer: The Engineers enter
Friday's game at Brown following a 5-1 loss on the road at Union,
as RPI was 1-1 on the week following a 3-1 victory over AIC on
Tuesday night. The Engineers are led by junior Nick Bailen, who has
14 points (4g, 10a) in 22 games, while sophomore Brock Higgs adds
12 points (1g, 11a) in 17 games. Freshman Ryan Haggerty leads the
team with five goals and is third overall with nine points, while
also leading RPI with five power play goals. Bailen leads the team
with two game-winning goals. Junior Bryce Merriam has seen the
majority of time in net and has earned a 2.66 GAA with a .901 save
percentage in 15 games (3-12-0). Freshman Scott Diebold has played
in seven games (1-5-1) and has a 2.85 GAA with a .899 save
percentage.
Brown vs. Union: This weekend marks the 43rd
meeting between Brown and Union, dating back to a 3-2 Union victory
on December 30, 1989. The Bears hold a 20-12-10 series advantage
over the Dutchmen, including an 8-5-5 record in the past 18
meetings. Union was 2-0-2 in the previous four games with Brown
leading up to the first game this season in November, which Brown
won, 2-1, on the strength of a pair of goals from senior Jack
Maclellan and 24 saves from senior Mike Clemente. Since the
2008-09 season, when the current seniors were freshmen, Brown holds
a 2-3-2 record. Senior Jack Maclellan is Brown's statistical leader
against Union with 7-2-9 totals in seven career games, while senior
Bobby Farnham has 2-1-3 totals in six career games.
Scouting Union: The Dutchmen enter Friday
night's game at Yale riding a four-game unbeaten streak and a
three-game winning streak, dating back to a 3-3 tie with Harvard on
January 6th. Last weekend, Union defeated Harvard, 2-0, in a game
played at Fenway Park on Friday night, and then defeated
travel-partner RPI, 5-1, on Saturday night. The Dutchmen are led by
senior Kelly Zajac, who has 26 points (5g, 21a) in 23 games, while
junior Jeremy Welsh (16g, 5a) and sophomore Daniel Carr (11g, 10a)
both have 21 points in 22 and 23 games, respectively. Four other
players have already reached double digits in scoring, while an
additional 17 players have posted at least one point.
Sophomore Troy Grosenick has played the majority of time in net
this season and has earned a 1.60 GAA with a .939 save percentage
in 19 games (11-3-3). Freshman Colin Stevens has appeared in seven
games (1-2-3) and has a 2.40 GAA and a .910 save
percentage.
