Team Notes: Union Set for Non-Conference Test at No. 5/5 Merrimack

SCHENECTADY, NY - No. 11/12 Union (8-3-5, 3-2-2 ECAC Hockey) takes a five game unbeaten streak (3-0-2) into a key non-conference game at No. 5/5 Merrimack (10-2-2, 7-2-1 Hockey East) on Saturday afternoon at Lawler Arena. Saturday's game will mark Union's first contest against a non-conference opponent ranked in the top five since taking on No. 1 Notre Dame (L, 1-3) on Jan. 2, 2009 in the Shillelagh Tournament. Union is 1-1-2 against ranked opponents this season, with a 6-3 win in their most recent game against ranked competition at No. 11 Michigan on Nov. 27. The Dutchmen are 4-4-0 against Hockey East competition in the past three plus seasons, with their last victory on Oct. 10, 2010, a 6-3 win over Maine at Messa Rink. Union's last road win against a Hockey East opponent came on Oct. 29, 2005, a 4-3 win at UMass-Lowell.
 
»Union Retains Capital Skates Trophy For Eighth Straight Year
With a 5-2 win over RPI at the Festivus Faceoff in Lake Placid, NY last Saturday, Union retained the Capital Skates Trophy for the eighth straight year, the longest run since the trophy was first awarded in 1996. The trophy is awarded to the team that accumulates the most points each year in the Union-RPI series.
 
»Five is the Magic Number
Last season, Union set a school record in the Division I era by scoring five or more goals in 12 contests. Through 16 games in 2011-12, the Dutchmen have scored five or more goals in six contests, including three of the last five games. Union is 18-0-0 over the past two seasons when it scores five or more goals in a game.
 
»Road Warriors
Union has established itself as one of college hockey's toughest road teams over the past two seasons. The Dutchmen, 6-1-3 on the road this season, are 24-11-6 in road contests over the past two-plus years, including a current 16-game stretch (13-1-3) that includes the final seven (7-0-0) road games of the 2010-11 season. Union's current eight-game stretch away from Messa Rink marks the longest stretch of games away from Schenectady for Union since the 2004-05 season, when the Dutchmen played nine consecutive contests at road/neutral sites from Nov. 19, 2004-Jan. 2, 2005.
 
»Starting Off Strong
Union has scored in the first period of 13 of its first 16 games this season and has a 8-1-4 record in those contests. The Dutchmen have scored their opposition 24-12 in the opening frame. Union has scored a goal in the first 10:00 of the first period in seven contests this season (4-1-2) and has twice scored in the first minute of games this season (10/22 vs. RIT and 11/11 vs. Brown).

»Union to Face Harvard at Fenway Park on Jan. 13
Union College, Harvard University, ECAC Hockey and Fenway Sports Group (FSG) announced that the men's ice hockey contest between Union and Harvard on January 13 at 7:00 p.m. will now be played outdoors at Fenway Park as part of Sun Life Frozen Fenway 2012. The game will be the fourth NCAA Division I men's ice hockey game ever played at Fenway Park and the 10th outdoor NCAA Division I men's ice hockey contest.
 
»Scouting Merrimack
Last weekend, Merrimack was tested by another ECAC Hockey opponent when it traveled to Colgate. In that contest, sophomore defenseman Brendan Ellis scored and senior goalkeeper Joe Cannata made 34 saves in a 1-1 tie at Starr Rink. The Warriors, who were ranked No. 1in the nation for the first time in program history earlier in the season, are another program on the rise. Last season, Merrimack earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1988 and set a school record with 25 wins. The Warriors are particularly tough at Lawler Arena, compiling a record of 19-3-2 at home since the start of the 2010-11 season.
 
Merrimack features a balanced offensive attack led by senior forward Ryan Flanagan (six goals, seven assists). As the nation's No. 2 scoring defense (1.64 goals allowed/game) they have allowed just 23 goals in 14 games. Cannata, a 2009 sixth-round Vancouver Canucks draft pick, is one of the nation's top goaltenders with a 1.75 GAA and .936 save %.
 
»The Union-Merrimack Series
The Union-Merrimack series dates back to 1976, although the two teams have not met since 2004. Merrimack owns an 19-6-3 all-time record, including an 8-3-2 mark in the DI era. Union's last win against Merrimack came on Oct. 18, 2003, a 3-1 win at Messa Rink.
 
Union is 2-11-1 all-time at Lawler Arena, and last won at Merrimack (4-2) on Dec. 30, 1995. Union's first game in the Division I era took place against Merrimack on Nov. 1, 1991, a 9-6 loss at Messa Rink.