Skating Dutchmen open ECAC season this weekend

     After five non-conference games this season which saw the Dutchmen log over 1800 miles and earn a 3-1-1 record, Union will kick off its 11th season as a Division I school in the ECAC this weekend.  Union will go west to take on the Cornell Big Red (2-0-0//0-0-0) and the Colgate Raiders (1-4-0//0-0-0) before more non-conference action at home on November 20 and 28.  Union will first face ECAC opponents at home on December 7 and 8 when Princeton and Yale visit.  That will be the latest ECAC home opener since the 1998-99 season when Union faced Princeton on January 3.

     Last weekend's doubleheader with Bemidji State saw Union involved in a wild game on Friday, which saw 14 total goals and 14 different goal scorers, Union came away with the 8-6 win.  Freshman defenseman Matt Vagvolgyi had a great night, scoring one goal and two assists to bring his points total to four.  Five freshmen scored goals on Friday and six players notched their first collegiate goals.

     Saturday's game was as defensive as Friday's was offensive.  Union held Bemidji to only two shots on goal in the first period, their first shot coming after over 16 minutes of play.  Bemidji had a total of 15 shots in the game, which broke Union's school record for fewest shots on goal allowed in a period.  The previous record was 16 shots set on January 13, 1995 vs. RPI.  Sophomore goalie Kyle Loney made his first collegiate start, which ended in a 2-2 tie after Bemidji scored the game-tying goal with less than four seconds to play in regulation.  The Union fans who are used to seeing senior Brandon Snee in net, got a promising glimpse of what the goalie could do after some great saves in the second and third.  Loney had a 1.85 GAA and .867 sv% in the game.

    Here is a quick look at last weekend's action at Achilles Rink:

The Skating Dutchmen improved to 3-1-0 overall after beating Bemidji State 8-6 in their first home game of the season.  Freshman Max Seel opened the scoring in the first period on a shorthanded goal, which was his first as a Dutchman.  The goal scoring exploded in the second with both teams finding the back of the net four times.  Bemidji would score two in a row before freshman Matt Vagvolgyi (one goal, two assists for three points) would score his first goal at 9:00. Chuck Simard (0-1-1) and Jeff Hutchins (0-2-2) each picked up an assist.

Union's freshman class would account for five of Union's eight goals with Brain Kerr (1-1-2), Marc Neron (1-1-2), and Jordan Webb (0-1-0) all scoring in the game.  Jason Kean and Glenn Sanders, who had a shorthanded tally, would also add goals while defenseman Randy Dagenais (1-0-0) would score his third of the season after Bemidji pulled goalie Grady Hunt.  Also adding assists in the game were Chris DiStefano (0-1-1), Jeff Wilson (0-1-1), Nathan Gillies (0-2-2), Brent Booth (0-2-2), and Kris Goodjohn (0-1-1).  Special teams were key as Union capitalized on two of six power plays and scored two shorthanded goals.

DUTCHMEN TIE WITH BEMIDJI TO CLOSE OUT HOME OPENER

            Union College came within four seconds of sweeping Bemidji State before the Beavers capitalized with an extra attacker and scored to tie the game at 2-2.  A Union goal was disallowed in overtime.

            Kyle Loney made his first start of the year for the Dutchmen and made key saves in the second to keep the Dutchmen ahead, but the Union defense was also stifling, only allowing two shots in the first period and 15 overall. 

            Scoring in the first for Union was captain Jeff Wilson, assisted by Kris Goodjohn and Charles Simard.  Bemidji tied it at two after a shorthanded goal in the second before Joel Beal put the Dutchmen ahead 2-1, assisted by Max Seel and Glenn Sanders.  Marty Goulet would score at 19:56 to tie the game.

2001-02 Union College ECAC Honors

November 5, 2001:   Matt Vagvolgyi, D, Fr.  (Honor Roll) Three point game vs.

                        Bemidji on 11/2/02

October 15, 2001:  Randy Dagenais, D, Jr. (Player of the Week)  Two goal

                        weekend at Notre Dame

                        Brandon Snee, G, Sr. (Goalie of the Week)  Turned away 55 of

                        60 shots at Notre Dame

                        Nathan Gillies, F, Jr. (Honor Roll)  1-3-4 at Notre Dame

FRESHMEN PHENOMS:  Union's freshman class scored five of eight goals in Friday's game vs. Bemidji and tallied 15 of the 28 points on the weekend.  They now are 6-11-17 in the first five games of the season.

Freshman defenseman MATT VAGVOLGYI had a breakout game on Friday, scoring a goal and two assists.  He is now 1-3-4 on the season and leads the freshman class and all defensemen in overall points production.  For his effort in Friday's game, Vagvolgyi was named to the ECAC Honor Roll on November 5. 

Seven Dutchmen scored their first collegiate goals in this weekend's series:  JOEL BEAL, BRIAN KERR, MARC NERON, GLENN SANDERS, MAX SEEL, VAGVOLGYI, and JORDAN WEBB.

11 Union players had multiple points vs. Bemidji: VAGVOLGYI (1-2-3), BRENT BOOTH (0-2-2), NATE GILLIES (0-2-2), KRIS GOODJOHN (0-2-2), JEFF HUTCHINS (0-2-2), KERR (1-1-2), NERON (1-1-2), SANDERS (1-1-2), SEEL (1-1-2), CHUCK SIMARD (0-2-2), JEFF WILSON (1-1-2).

19 Dutchmen have notched points in the first five games, 17 have earned two or more, 15 have goals, three have multiple goals (RANDY DAGENAIS - 3, HUTCHINS - 2, WILSON - 2), and two have averaged a point per game (GILLIES,  HUTCHINS).

UNION'S penalty killing units have held their opponents to five goals in 30 attempts (.833) and have scored three shorthanded goals in five games. 

UNION is tied for first in the ECAC overall standings for scoring by periods (2-8-9=19)

Eye on BRANDON SNEE:  the senior netminder is on pace to break Union's career records for minutes played, games played, and saves, all currently held by All-American Trevor Koenig.  Snee needs173 minutes in net, three games, and 158 saves to shatter the record. 

Senior captain JEFF WILSON is two games away from career-game 100.  He returns as the Dutchmen's leading scorer from last season and is currently 2-2-4 on the season.