This Week In Union College Hockey - February 25
Weekly Storyline
Union Looks To Clinch Home Ice In Final Weekend Of Regular Season – Union (15-12-5, 8-8-4 ECAC Hockey) returns home this weekend to close out the regular season against St. Lawrence (16-12-4, 9-7-4 ECAC Hockey) and Clarkson (9-16-7, 8-9-3 ECAC Hockey), two teams the Dutchmen are battling in the race for a first round bye in the ECAC Hockey playoffs. Union needs just two points this weekend to assure itself of a home playoff series (top-8 finish), but will need help from other teams for a first round bye (top-4 finish). Union, which was swept at Colgate (4-1) and Cornell (4-2) last weekend, has had much more success at Messa Rink (7-3-2) this season than on the road (6-9-3). St. Lawrence had a four game winning streak snapped on Saturday night in a 3-2 loss against Dartmouth, but is still 9-3-1 in its last 13 games. Clarkson fell 6-2 to Harvard in its last contest, but sits just one point behind Union in the league standings.
Must Read/See/Hear Material
USCHO.com: Division I Men’s Poll – Feb. 25
USCHO.com: Hopes, dreams, and comebacks with one week to go
USCHO.com: Duplicating success a challenge, but Union starting to ‘get it’
College Hockey News: Goulakos scores game-winner in first home game since return
Schenectady Daily Gazette: Union can’t overcome Cornell’s quick start
Schenectady Daily Gazette: Penalties hurt Union in 4-1 loss to Colgate
Union Hockey News: Early run sends Cornell past Union
Raleigh News and Observer: Canes make distress call, bring up center Welsh
NOTE OF THE WEEK
Success on Senior Night – Union has had great success on Senior Night in recent years, winning the last five Senior Night games at Messa Rink dating back to the 2007-08 season. Union is 11-7-3 in the Division I era in final regular season home games.
FIVE MORE NOTES NO MEDIA PERSON SHOULD BE WITHOUT
Carr Nears Century Club - Junior forward Daniel Carr (52 goals, 46 assists), who had a goal against Cornell last Saturday, is just two points away from becoming the 10th Union player in the DI era to reach 100 career points.
Three is the Magic Number - Union’s record when reaching three goals this season is impressive, a testament to the team’s strong defensive unit. Union is 12-0-2 this season when scoring three or more goals, but just 3-12-3 in games where they score two or fewer goals. Since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Union is 36-0-7 when scoring three or more goals in a game.
Home Is Where The Heart Is - Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Dutchmen have an impressive record (29-6-7) in their last 42 regular season home games at Messa Rink. Not including exhibition contests, the Dutchmen are 157-140-46 all-time at home. Union has been even more dominant in ECAC Hockey play at Messa Rink.
Since the 2010-11 season, the Dutchmen have compiled a record of 21-5-5 in ECAC Hockey regular season home games.
Offensive Minded Defensemen – Union is the only team in the nation with three defenseman among the top-20 nationally in scoring (points per game). Senior defenseman Greg Coburn (T-13) leads the pack at 0.72 points per game, junior defenseman Mat Bodie (T-15th, 0.70) and sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (20th, 0.68 points per game) are also in the top-20.
Going as Wayne Goes – Union’s success this season has been tied to the play of senior forward Wayne Simpson, who leads the team in scoring with 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists). When Simpson registers a point, the team has a record of 14-2-3. When Simpson is not on the scoresheet, Union’s record is 1-10-2.
