Team Notes: No. 10/12 Union Hosts No. 18 Dartmouth, Harvard
SCHENECTADY, NY - Union will spend the next two weekends at home with four crucial league games on the schedule, beginning with No. 18 Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend. The Big Green, who sit one spot ahead of the Dutchmen in the most recent Pairwise Rankings, have played very well since a 0-0 tie against Union on Nov. 6 at Thompson Arena. Dartmouth is 9-3-1 in 13 games since that meeting, and have been buoyed by an explosive offense and strong goaltending. Senior forward Scott Fleming (eight goals, 12 assists) leads the nation's No. 5 scoring offense (3.65 goals/game), and junior goaltender James Mello is second in the country in save percentage (.936). After a 3-0 loss at Northeastern on Wednesday, Harvard has lost five in a row and 12 of 13. The Crimson offense is currently No. 58 (last) in the nation in scoring at 1.81 goals/game. Senior goaltender Kyle Richter has proven capable of big games for the Crimson, with 33 saves on 35 shots in Union's 2-1 win at Harvard on Nov. 5, and a shutout in 1-0 win against RPI the following night.
Union Continues to Climb National Polls
Union moved up for the second consecutive week in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls released Monday. The Dutchmen were ranked No. 12 and earned 459 points in the USCHO.com poll and earned a No. 10 ranking with 172 points in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. This marks the 27th consecutive week the Dutchmen have been ranked in the USCHO.com poll, extending a school record. Union has been ranked for 12 consecutive weeks in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll
The Defense Holds Strong
Union's defense has held its opponents to two or fewer goals 15 times this season, placing the team No. 1 in the country with a 2.00 goals-against average. The Dutchmen, who have outscored opponents 89-48, have held the competition to less than 30 shots 21 times, including eight games with less than 20 shots.
Home is where the Heart is
Dating back to last season, the Dutchmen are unbeaten (13-0-1) in 14 regular season home games at Messa Rink. Not including exhibition contests, the Dutchmen are 133-132-41 all-time at home and 73-45-19 with Nate Leaman behind the bench.
About Dartmouth
After starting the season 1-2-1 in their first four games, the Big Green have been on a roll for the better part of three months, with a a 9-3-1 record in their last 13 games. In their most recent outing, Dartmouth upset No. 4 New Hampshire, 5-4, in the annual “Battle for the RiverStone Cup.”
Like Union, the Big Green can score in bunches, with five or more goals in eight games this season. Junior goaltender James Mello (1.96 GAA, .936 save%) has proven a worthy canddate for the Ken Dryden Award. Special teams are also a strength for the Big Green, who are No. 9 in the nation on the power play (21.5%) and No. 20 on the penalty kill (83.9%)
Union-Dartmouth Series
In a series that dates back to 1977, the Big Green own a 22-15-6 advantage over the Dutchmen and an 19-14-6 record in the Division I era. Union is 2-5-3 against Dartmouth in its last 10 games, with one of its wins coming last season at Darmouth, a 5-4 win on Feb. 12. Union rallied back from a four-goal deficit, as Kyle Bodie capped off the comeback with a goal at 17:15 of the third period.
Union is 7-9-4 against Dartmouth at Messa Rink, with a 1-2-2 record in its last five games against the Big Green at home.
Last Meeting
Union ended its first ECAC road trip with a 0-0 tie at Dartmouth, the fifth scoreless tie in the school's Division I history.
Sophomore goaltender Keith Kinkaid made 29 saves for his third career shutout, while Dartmouth's James Mello stopped 37 shots. The Dutchmen killed off a late Matt Hatch holding penalty at 4:03 into the overtime period to secure a point against the Big Green.
Senior forward John Simpson nearly gave Union a 1-0 lead in the third period, but his backhand shot was stopped by a fully-outstretched Mello with 5:30 left to play in regulation. Union and Dartmouth exchanged great opportunities early on in the second period. Junior forward Luke Cain swept a backhand into Mello's pad on a rebound off a shot from the point by sophomore defenseman Ryan Forgaard just over three and a half minutes into period.
Thirty seconds later, Dartmouth's Rob Smith came back the other way with a partial breakaway that Kinkaid stopped with a sliding pad save. Union had three power play opportunities in the first period, but could not solve Mello early on. Sophomore forward Jeremy Welsh had Union's best opportunity, but his shot from the point hit the post at about the 11:00 mark.
Dartmouth tested Kinkaid early on with two power play opportunities, but the sophomore was sharp as well, making a key stop on Kyle Reeds on a 3-on-2 rush at 14:07.
About Harvard
Harvard will conlcude a stretch of three games in four days when it arrives in Schecnectady to face Union. Despite Harvard's struggles this season, junior forward Alex Killhorn (six goals, eight assists) is in the midst of an impressive campaign, with points in each of his last 10 games before Wednesday's contest against Northeastern. The Crimson dropped a 3-0 decision to the Huskies, marking the eighth time this season that Harvard has scored one goal or less.
Defenseman Danny Biega leads all blueliners with 10 points, including seven assists. Goaltender Kyle Richter, a Ken Dryden award winner two seasons ago, owns a .913 save percentage and 2.73 goals-against average.
Union-Harvard Series
Union head coach Nate Leaman was an assistant at Harvard before arriving at Union eight years ago. Last season, the Dutchmen were swept by Harvard for the seventh time in the last nine seasons. The Crimson has controlled the series, posting a 30-6-3 record, including a 7-3-0 record in the last 10 meetings.
Union is 3-16-1 all-time at Harvard after picking up a 2-1 win on Nov. 5, 2010. The Dutchmen are 3-14-2 against the Crimson at Messa Rink.
Last Meeting
In the ECAC opening game for the men's ice hockey team, sophomore defenseman Greg Coburn scored on the power play at 13:38 to lift Union to a 2-1 win at Bright Hockey Center.
Senior forward Adam Presizniuk won a faceoff back to senior forward John Simpson, who fed Coburn for a hard shot from the point through traffic that eluded Harvard goaltender Kyle Richter. Sophomore goaltender Keith Kinkaid made 15 saves for his sixth win of the season.
Union continued their trend of getting on the scoreboard first, as they scored the game's first goal for the ninth consecutive time to open up the season. Junior forward Kelly Zajac scored his seventh goal of the season at 8:30 of the second period on a play set up by Presizniuk. Freshman forward Josh Jooris fed Presizniuk in the slot, who fired the puck on net. Presizniuk got his own rebound and fed Zajac, who found the open net for a 1-0 lead.
Harvard evened the game at 1-1 on an impressive individual effort by Danny Biega, who banked the puck off of Kinkaid from behind the net at 9:00 of the third period.
With two assists on the night, Presizniuk moved into a tie for first on Union's Division I all-time scoring list with 115 career points matching Jason Walters ('10) mark. The Dutchmen applied the early pressure, outshooting Harvard 11-3 in the first period. The three shots allowed by Union are tied for the fewest the Dutchmen have allowed in a period all season long.
John Simpson had perhaps the best chance of the period just over three minutes into the contest, stealing the puck in the offensive zone for a shot in the slot that was kicked away by Richter.
