Team Notes: No. 14/13 Union Set for Frozen Fenway Game Against Harvard
SCHENECTADY, NY - No. 14/13 Union men's
ice hockey (10-5-6, 4-2-3 ECAC Hockey) travels to historic Fenway
Park to take on Harvard (4-4-6, 3-3-4 ECAC Hockey) as part of Sun
Life Frozen Fenway 2012. The game will be the fifth Division I
men's ice hockey game ever played at Fenway Park and the tenth
outdoor NCAA Division I men's ice hockey contest. Each of the last
four contests between the two teams have been decided by one goal
or less. Last Friday night, Union and Harvard tied 3-3 at Messa
Rink as the Crimson rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third
period on goals from Danny Biega and Alex Killorn in the first 7:03
of the frame. Sophomore forward Daniel
Carr and sophomore defenseman Mat
Bodie each scored on the power play in the second
period to give Union a two goal lead, and junior
forward Wayne
Simpson added a first period goal for the
Dutchmen.
Union's Outdoor Hockey
History
The Union College men's ice hockey team played varsity
intercollegiate hockey outdoors from 1919 to 1949. Union played
home contests at a rink constructed in Central Park for College use
until 1934, when an outdoor rink was created near the current
Memorial Field House. In 1939, an outdoor rink was created on
Graduate Council Field, where hockey was played until the end of
the 1948-1949 season. Union last played outdoors on Feb. 12, 1949,
when the Dutchmen fell 2-0 at Vermont. The last outdoor game played
at Union was on Feb. 7, 1948, when the Dutchmen lost 5-2 to
Champlain College. Union's last win in an outdoor game came on Jan.
3, 1948, when the Dutchmen beat Lehigh at a tournament hosted by
Hamilton College in Clinton, NY.
Road
Warriors
Union has established itself as one of college hockey's toughest
road teams over the past two seasons. The Dutchmen are 7-3-3 on the
road this season. Union is 25-13-6 in road contests over the past
two-plus years, including a current 20-game stretch (14-3-3) that
includes the final seven (7-0-0) road games of the 2010-11 season.
Union's recent eight-game stretch away from Messa Rink, ending at
Colorado College on Dec. 31, marked 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.
Special Teams
Success
The Dutchmen have gotten off to another hot start on the power
play, which ranks fifth in the nation at 26.9% (28-for-104). Union
has scored two or more power play goals in 10 contests this season
(7-0-3). The Dutchmen have scored a power play goal in 14 of 21
games this season and have a record of 10-1-3 in those contests.
Union's penalty kill, which ranks 22nd in the nation at 83.7%
(72-for-86), has also been strong.
Welsh and Carr are Union's Extra
Men
Sophomore forward Daniel
Carr and junior forward Jeremy
Welsh have gotten off to a strong start on Union's
fifth-ranked power play unit (26.9%, 28-for-104). Carr, with three
power play goals last weekend now has eight on the season (2nd in
NCAA). Nipping at his heels is Welsh, who is tied for sixth in the
nation with seven power play goals. Carr is tied for second with
Olivier Bouchard '07 in the Division I era at Union with 20 career
power play goals, while Welsh has 19 career power play goals, both
chasing Jordan Webb '05 for the program record of 22 career power
play tallies.
Scouting
Harvard
After stuggling on offense in 2010-11, Harvard forwards are off to
a great start this season. Alex Killorn paces Harvard with 18
points (9-9-18), while Danny Biega (4-13-17) is tied for eighth in
the nation averaging just under an assist per game. Biega and
Patrick McNally (4-11-15) rank second and third in scoring among
defensemen, while McNally leads all freshmen in points per
game.
Harvard, which averages 3.36 goals/game is on pace for its
highest-scoring season since 2002-03, when the Crimson averaged
3.91 goals per game and ranked sixth nationally in scoring
offense.
Harvard's power play is first in the nation and has scored at
least one power-play goal in 18 straight games and has netted 28
man-advantage goals in its last 16 ECAC games.
On the flip side, Harvard is allowing 3.57 goals/game, and is 70%
on the penalty kill, both in the bottom five nationally. Freshman
goaltender Steve Michalek is 4-3-5 with a 3.33 GAA and .888 save
percentage.
The Union-Harvard
Series
Last season, the Dutchmen swept Harvard for the first time in
program history with 2-1 wins on Nov. 5, 2010 and Jan. 22, 2011. It
was also the first time that Union has won consecutive games
against the Crimson. Union and Harvard tied 3-3 in their first
meeting this season on Jan. 6.
Harvard has controlled the series, which began when Union joined
Division I in 1991. The Crimson own a 30-7-4 record, including a
6-3-1 record in the last 10 meetings. The Dutchmen are 4-14-2
all-time against Harvard at Messa Rink.
Pacing the
Dutchmen
Junior forward Jeremy
Welsh has 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in
the last 10 games and has scored a goal in seven of his last 10
contests. Welsh leads the team with 14 goals and entered the
weekend as one of 9 players in the nation with 14 or more goals.
Sophomore defenseman Mat
Bodie (three goals, 15 assists), who had a goal and
an assist last Friday against Harvard, has points in five of his
last six games (goal, five assists). Sophomore forward Daniel
Carr has the longest streak on the team with points
in six straight games (five goals, three assists).
Starting Off
Strong
Union has scored in the first period of 17 of its first 21 games
this season and has a 10-2-5 record in those contests. The Dutchmen
have scored their opposition 30-15 in the opening frame. Union has
scored a goal in the first 10:00 of the first period in nine
contests this season (5-1-3) and has twice scored in the first
minute of games this season (10/22 vs. RIT and 11/11 vs.
Brown).
