Union Travels to Brown and Yale This Weekend – Union College Athletics

This Weekend
After falling last weekend to Cornell and Colgate, the Dutchmen look to bounce back in the first road trip of the 2023 calendar year. Union heads to Brown on Friday before closing out the weekend at Yale on Saturday. 

Union’s Last Time Out
Union dropped a 6-1 decision to nationally-ranked Cornell on Friday before falling 2-1 to Colgate Saturday evening. On Friday, senior Owen Farris netted his fourth goal of the season for the Dutchmen, with junior Nic Petruolo and sophomore Cullen Ferguson recording assists. 

In Saturday’s game, first-year Nate Hanley tallied his fourth goal and team-leading 17th point. Junior Nathan Kelly registered his first point of the season in his return and sophomore Josh Nixon added his ninth point. 

With the pair of losses, Union falls to 7-3-0 at home this season. 

Scouting the Bears
Brown is 5-10-2 overall this season and 1-7-2 in ECAC play. The team is coming off a decisive 6-2 win on the road against #8 Merrimack this past weekend. Eight of Brown’s 17 games so far have been decided by a goal or less. 

First-year Ryan Bottrill (6-6-12) and senior Cole Quisenberry (5-5-10) lead the Bears in scoring. As a team, the Bears have scored three short-handed goals this season.

Defensively, Luke Krys has blocked 44 shots this season. The senior is tied for fourth in team scoring with eight points (1-7-8). 

Sophomore Mathieu Caron has started all 17 games so far. Caron is 5-9-2 with a shutout and a .924 save percentage and a 2.14 GAA. 

Scouting the Bulldogs
Yale is 2-10-3 this season with wins coming in the season opener against Brown and on Jan. 2 against Army. The Bulldogs are 2-2-0 at home, but 1-8-1 in conference play. They are 1-0-2 in their last three games, posting back-to-back ties over Vermont and #8 Merrimack this past weekend. 

First-year David Chen paces the Bulldogs in scoring, compiling nine points (4-5-9) in 15 games. Sophomore Briggs Gammill has also scored four goals this season, including two of the team’s four power-play goals. 

The sophomore blueline duo of Kieran O’Hearn and Dylan Herzog combine for 55 blocked shots this season. 

In goal, all three netminders have seen time this season. Sophomore Luke Pearson is 1-1-3 so far with a .952 save percentage and a 1.53 GAA. Junior Nathan Reid has made eight starts and is 1-6-0 with a shutout, a .887 save percentage, and a 3.48 GAA. 

You’re an All-Star
Two Union alumni were recently named to all-star teams. Mike Vecchione ’17 was named to the Atlantic Division roster for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic. Jake Kupsky ’19 was named to the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic roster. Kupsky will represent the Idaho Steelheads. 

Vecchione earned his first all-star nod in six professional seasons. The Hershey Bears’ alternate captain has 30 points (13-17-30) in 34 games this season, including five game-winning goals and four on the player advantage. 

In his fourth professional season, Kupsky has posted a 6-1-0 record with the Steelheads, a 1.15 GAA and a .955 save percentage. The Waukesha, Wisc. native made his AHL debut with the Abbotsford Canucks on Dec. 17 and earned his first AHL win on Jan. 6 against the Henderson Silver Knights. 

Sanda’s Return
Senior Christian Sanda made his return to the lineup on Dec. 30 against UNH after an injury last February cut his junior year short. The senior winger recorded a shot and blocked a shot in his return. 

Chauvette’s First Win
First-year Kyle Chauvette made his first collegiate start on home ice on Dec. 31 and earned his first collegiate win between the pipes. Chauvette turned aside 34 shots, including a big post-to-post kick save in the third period. The 34 saves is tied for the second highest save total by a Union netminder this season. 

No Place Like Home
After playing a majority of the season on the road to start the season, Union flips the page to 2023 and the bulk of conference play. So far this season, Union is 7-3 on home ice. The Dutchmen won all three games in October and all three in December. Union’s lone loss at home in the first half was against Harvard on Nov. 12.  

Lead the Way
Just over two months into the season, 17 of 62 NCAA teams are led in scoring by first-year players. First-year Nate Hanley leads the team in scoring with 17 points in 21 games. 

Block Party
The Dutchmen have racked up 286 blocked shots through…