The Blog Hits New Jersey - Union Downs Princeton, 7-4

3..2..1, Class Dismissed!


Within ten minutes after hearing these words from my professor on Friday afternoon, I was in the car slammed in with four other guys headed for Princeton, NJ. I had never been to the state of New Jersey before, so this was the perfect opportunity to expand my travels. If you've never taken the drive from Doidtown to central Jersey, one thing I will tell you is expect to go through at least a dozen tolls. It is pretty ridiculous but thats besides the point. I was fortunate enough to grab the beloved Dutchmen flag from Union's finest admissions officer, Geoff Bowman, on the way down in New Paltz. This flag is money, let me tell ya. Waving this thing later that night just brought our small group to another level of fanship.


When we arrived at the Baker Arena, named after college hockey legend Hobey Baker, we were all fired up ready to go. I had my Union hockey jersey on and all my buddies were repping their Union colors. Even the legendary Will Friedman, who broke olympic records to make the 6:07 train out of Manhattan to Princeton, was in attendance. From the moment Union came out from the locker room wearing their "lucky" black retro jerseys, we were ready to roll. We were chanting and chirping Princeton's goalie, Mike Condon. Although it is unlikely that a talented division 1 goalie was rattled by our efforts, we'll go ahead and believe we made a difference. After Trailing down early 4-1 midway through the second period, the Union Dutchmen stormed back scoring six unanswered goals. Presizniuk, Welsh, Coburn, and the great Kelly "Shut up Richard" Zajac led the efforts with four offensive points. The final whistle was blown and Union defeated #19 Princeton in their own building!


Silence. Utter Shock. Pure Epicness. However you want to describe it - the Hobey Baker Rink felt like home away from home for us. Only the few spoke. It was as if the hockey gods grabbed Messa Rink right out of the ground in beautiful Schenectady and dropped it right on top of Princeton. The Union alumni who were in attendance felt as if they were reliving their college years. The LETS GO UNION! chant was heard from every section in the building. It was truly an awesome experience for both the young and the old. Together, WE WERE UNION. The team raised their sticks after the game in salute of our efforts as we cheered as loud as we could. As many of you know me for my overbearing Bostonian character, I'll put it one way...."It was wicked friggen awesome."


I encourage all of you who read us regularly to catch a Union game on the road. Going to RPI is obviously commendable, but traveling someplace outside the capital region and making a roadtrip out of it is truly an incredible experience.


For game recap, visit the following links:
Union Athletics - http://www.unionathletics.com/news/2011/2/4/MICE_0204112721.aspx

Ken Schott's Report - http://dailygazette.com/news/2011/feb/04/hkcunion204/

USCHO.com -http://www.uscho.com/recaps/2011/02/04/union-rallies-from-three-goals-down-beats-princeton/


Thanks for reading!
-JZolot