Union Announces 2008-09 Schedule
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Union College athletics has announced the
2008-09 men's ice hockey schedule, which features three
regular-season tournaments including a trip to the Lightning
College Hockey Classic in Tampa, Florida, in early January. The
Dutchmen's schedule includes 13 non-conference games against three
2008 NCAA tournament participants and teams from all six college
hockey conferences.
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The Dutchmen open the season at Messa Rink with a 7:30 p.m.
exhibition game against the U.S. Under 18 Team on Saturday, October
11.
"That's going to be a difficult game," said Head Coach Nate Leaman.
"The team is very well coached and is made of the highest-skilled
18-year olds in the U.S. It's a great way to start the season and
measure ourselves."
Union will then participate in a pair of tournaments, first
traveling to the Mutual of Omaha Stampede in Omaha,
Nebraska, on October 17 and 18.
"It's good for us to get on the road early and bond," said Leaman.
"We look for it as a bonding trip and another early measuring stick
for us. "Then with the Governor's Cup the next weekend, it's a
chance to compete for a championship two weekends in a row."
The Dutchmen return to the Capital District for the Governor's Cup
on October 24 and 25, facing cross-town rival RPI in the evening
matchup at the Times Union Center on the opening day; they will
match up with Colgate or Robert Morris on the second day of action.
Union opens a seven-game homestand with a single Friday game
against Connecticut on October 31 before starting ECAC Hockey
action against Dartmouth and Harvard on November 7 and 8. The
Dutchmen follow with Quinnipiac and Princeton before non-conference
games against Army and Providence.
"It'll be a chance for us to reacquaint ourselves with our home
fans and to kick off the season in high gear," commented Leaman.
"It will be a strong focus for us to get things going the right
way."
After a weekend trip to Brown and Yale on December 5 and 6, Union
returns home to host American International in a Tuesday game on
December 9. The Dutchmen wrap up the first half of the season with
a weekend set at Maine on December 12 and 13, marking their first
games against the Black Bears since 1998 when Leaman was an
assistant on the Maine staff.
"Alfond Arena is by far one of the toughest environments to play in
college hockey," said Leaman. "The fans are rabid, they're
passionate hockey fans. We look for that to be great competition
and to help us prepare for everything we're going to see in the
second half of the season."
Union rings in the New Year at the Lightning College Hockey Classic
against some stiff competition in national runner-up Notre Dame,
who hosts the annual tournament, before jumping back into league
play at Princeton and Quinnipiac on January 9 and 10.
"It will certainly be tight down there," commented Leaman. "We're
looking forward to the opportunity to play Notre Dame, a team that
is coming off a trip to the Frozen Four. Being able to represent
our league and compete with quality teams is a great way to start
the second half of the season."
The Dutchmen host Cornell and Colgate on January 16 and 17 before
hitting the road for five ECAC Hockey games, trekking to Clarkson
and St. Lawrence on January 23 and 24 before taking on Harvard and
Dartmouth the following weekend.
The first weekend in February marks the home-and-home series with
RPI, with the teams facing off at Houston Field House on Friday,
February 6, before skating at Messa Rink Saturday night.
The Dutchmen once again have a friendly February with five of eight
games at home, hosting Yale and Brown on the 13th and
14th before traveling to Colgate and Cornell the next
weekend.
"February is a stretch drive, and those are always the most
valuable points because our league is so close every year,"
commented Leaman. "Last year we were fortunate to get some of those
points. It's a tough stretch and we're looking forward to having
the great fan support in Messa Rink behind us during that time."
Union concludes the regular season at home against St. Lawrence and
Clarkson on February 27 and 28.
The Dutchmen finished the 2007-08 season with a 15-14-6 record,
with a first-round bye in the ECAC Hockey playoffs for the first
time in program history earning a fourth-place finish in the
regular season. Union was 10-7-5 in league play and 9-4-6 at
home.
