Sakellaropoulos ready to take over in goal

by Ryan Fay

When Colin Stevens graduated in June, it left a big void between the pipes for the Union College men's hockey team.

The Niskayuna native was one of the best goaltenders ever to don a Dutchmen sweater. He backstopped the team to their first national championship in 2014, and is their career leader in wins with 53. He also shares the program's career shutouts record (11) and ranks in the top four in saves (2,093), goals-against average (2.12) and save percentage (.924).

Junior Alex Sakellaropoulos is likely to serve as
Union's top goaltender this season.

Talk about leaving a tough act to follow.

But that's the job likely to fall on the pads of junior Alex Sakellaropoulos, the only returning netminder on the roster following the graduation of Stevens and third-stringer Dillon Pieri.

And the consensus is that Sakellaropoulos, who has seen part-time duty in his first two seasons, is ready for the challenge.

"I think so," said Union head coach Rick Bennett, whose team opens the regular season Friday at 7 against Sacred Heart. “He had a good summer and came back in great shape. He's spent two years here, so he knows our style of hockey. He's had two years to work with [assistant coach and former Boston University goalie] Jason Tapp."

Dutchmen senior co-captain Matt Wilkins agrees that Sakellaropoulos is ready for prime time.

"He's put in the work since he's been here," said Wilkins, who had 13 goals and 15 assists in 34 games a year ago. "He had a huge summer and came back in the best shape that I've seen him [in]. He's ready to go."

Sakellaropoulos appeared in eight games as a freshman and 14 as a sophomore. With his workload likely to see a substantial increase this year, the 21-year-old said he upped his summer workouts to get himself mentally and physically ready for the season.

"I definitely think I'm ready for the number one job," he said. "I've been here for [two] years now. Sitting behind [Stevens], I learned a lot from him."

When given a chance, Sakellaropoulos has had his moments. As a freshman, he turned in a 34-save effort in a 4-1 win at then-No. 1 St. Cloud State. When St. Cloud State came to Messa Rink last October ranked ninth in the country, Sakellaropoulos was solid again with 36 stops in a 3-2 setback. In January, he racked up 33 saves in a 3-3 tie at then-No.1 Boston University.

"We're really confident [in him]," said Union junior co-captain Mike Vecchione, the Dutchmen's top returning scorer with 19 goals and 31 assists. "The past couple years, he stepped in for [Stevens] when we really needed him."

Union isn't short of promising alternatives if Sakellaropoulos falters. The other two goalies on the roster are freshmen Jake Kupsky and Joe Young. The San Jose Sharks drafted Kupsky in the seventh round of June's NHL Entry Draft, while Young spent the last two seasons as one of the better netminders in the U.S. Premier Hockey League.

Both have have pushed Sakellaropoulos "pretty good" in early practices, Bennett said.

That's okay with him.

"It helps me a lot in practice," Sakellaropoulos said. "It means that there's always competition. It helps me out and it helps [them out]."

In 22 career games with Union, Sakellaropoulos is 7-5-4 with a 2.80 GAA and an .897 save percentage. While those numbers are decent, Sakellaropoulos said there's room for improvement. Specifically, he would like to improve his GAA and save percentage this season.

He has a pretty simple game plan on how to accomplish that.

"Just make the saves," he said.

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Dutchmen sweep league honors

by Ryan Fay

It was all Union in this week's ECAC Hockey men's awards.

Senior blueliner Mat Bodie was named Player of the Week, junior Colin Stevens earned Goaltender of the Week and freshman netminder Alex Sakellaropoulos captured Rookie of the Week.

Bodie garnered first star honors in Friday's 4-1 win at top-ranked St. Cloud State after recording a goal and two assists.

Stevens, a Niskayuna native, earned Goaltender of the Week honors for the second consecutive week. He registered a career-high 37 saves in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Dartmouth at Messa Rink. He was nearly as good in Saturday's 3-3 tie at St. Cloud State, collecting 35 saves.

Sakellaropoulos posted a career-high 34 saves on Friday in his first start since a 2-2 tie at UConn on October 25. He earned third star honors after Friday's contest.

#6/7 Union (12-3-3) is off until an ECAC Hockey matchup at #8/8 Quinnipiac on January 10.

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Sakellaropoulos starts, Martin debuts (plus line charts)

by Ryan Fay

Union freshman netminder Alex Sakellaropoulos gets the start in goal for tonight's 7:05 p.m non-conference game at Connecticut.

Junior Colin Stevens will be serving as the backup. Stevens is dressing for his first game since suffering an upper-body injury in the season-opener against Bowling Green on Oct. 11.

Union appears to be easing him back into the swing of things. It's a good indication that Stevens returns to the starting gig when Union opens league play next Friday at Dartmouth.

Third-stringer Dillon Pieri didn't make the trip to UConn. The junior was a darkhorse to start tonight after stopping 6-of-6 shots after Sakellaropoulos was yanked in last Saturday's 3-2 loss to Lake Superior State.

Martin Debuts

Freshman defenseman Griffyn Martin, a Southport, Connecticut native, is slated to make his Dutchmen debut tonight. Martin replaces fellow freshman blueliner Matt Krug in the lineup.

"Martin is a very steady defenseman," said John Gardner, who coached Martin as a prep player at Avon Old Farms. "He skates well and moves the puck out of the zone quickly. He has a good hockey sense and awareness of where everyone is on the ice. He's a very well-conditioned athlete who trains hard."

Martin, who originally committed to Yale, had three goals and 14 assists as a senior at Avon Old Farms last season. He served as the team's captain.

Still Sidelined

Forwards Max Novak (lower-body), David Roy (lower-body) and Eli Lichtenwald  (lower-body) remain sidelined. Defenseman Sebastien Gingras apparently remains in the maintenance room.

Dutchmen face uncertainty in goal

By Ryan Fay

The Dutchmen didn't expect to have a lot to worry about between the pipes entering the season.

While Union did lose former All-American goaltender Troy Grosenick to the San Jose Sharks, the Dutchmen had a strong alternative in Colin Stevens, who served as Grosenick's top backup the past two years.

Last season, Stevens posted a 1.62 goals against average and a .931 save percentage in 11 games.

But Stevens' transition to full-time duty is on hold. The junior from Niskayuna remains sidelined with the upper-body injury he sustained early in the season opener against Bowling Green on Oct 11. His return date is unclear.

With Stevens out of action, the Dutchmen first turned to well-regarded freshman Alex Sakellaropoulos. But the former Chicago Steel netminder has been shaky in the early stages of his collegiate career with a 3.95 GAA and an .825 save percentage in four games. 

He was yanked in the second period of Saturday's 3-2 loss to Lake Superior State after allowing three goals on 11 shots. 

Third-stringer Dillon Pieri replaced Sakellaropoulos. Pieri, a junior, was making just the second appearance of his collegiate career; the other one was a garbage time stint in a 7-3 rout over RPI last November. On Saturday, Pieri wasn't tested much, but he stopped 6-of-6 shots in 25:33 of action.

“Last time I checked, he didn't let in any goals,” Union head coach Rick Bennett said of Pieri. “He gave us a good chance to win. That's all we can ask him to do.”

Despite that, Bennett wasn't ready name a starter for next Friday's non-league game at Connecticut.

“[Assistant coach] Jason Tapp is going to work with the goalies like he always does,” Bennett said. “We're going to see who is the best this week and see who gets the shot on Friday night.”

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Stevens injured in season opener (with videos)

by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- Union starting goaltender Colin Stevens suffered an upper-body injury in the first period of Friday's season-opening 3-3 tie with Bowling Green at Messa Rink.

Bowling Green's Bryce Williamson barreled into Stevens at the 6:12 mark of the opening period, and subsequently received a five minute major for charging the goalie. Stevens, a Niskayuna native, was pulled from the game after getting examined by Union athletic trainer Cheryl Rockwood.

Stevens (Union)

The junior is scheduled to be re-examined Saturday morning, leaving his status for Saturday's 7:30 p.m rematch with Bowling Green up in the air.

Freshman netminder Alex Sakellaropoulos, who came to the Dutchmen from the U.S Hockey League's Chicago Steel, was summoned into his first collegiate action following Stevens' injury.

"I was nervous from the get-go," Sakellaropoulos said. "Once I stepped into the rink, I was nervous. My stomach was jittering. It was so scary out there. When I saw [Stevens] go down, I thought he would collect his thoughts and get back at it.... once Stevens headed to the bench, I guess it was my time to go."

Sakellaropoulos said the situation proved how important is to always be ready.

"You have to treat it like you're playing no matter if you're the backup or the starter," he said. "You don't know what's going to happen."

Sakellaropoulos allowed three goals on 24 shots in just under 59 minutes of action in relief of Stevens.

Senior forward Daniel Carr, who picked up a power play goal in the tie, took notice of the freshman's solid debut.

"That was a great job by Sakellaropoulos," Carr said. "He got put in a tough spot tonight with Stevens going down in the first [period]. He stepped in and made some big saves for us. It's rare to see a freshman goalie be a calming influence in net and he does that for us already. We've seen it in practice and we saw it out there today."

Third-year Union head coach Rick Bennett echoed those sentiments.

"[Sakellaropoulos] did a great job for us," Bennett said. "We're proud of the effort he put out there tonight. He gave us a chance."

OTHER FRESHMAN FIRSTS

Forward Eli Lichtenwald's first collegiate goal, a power play tally, put Union on the board at 9:52 of the first period... forward Michael Pontarelli, added to the roster after Josh Jooris signed with the Calgary Flames in late July, notched his first two collegiate assists.

POSTGAME VIDEOS









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Dutchmen announce 2013-2014 recruiting class

by Ryan Fay

The Union men's hockey team announced its incoming recruiting class on Thursday.

The eight member freshman class includes forward Alex Gonye, defenseman Noah Henry, defenseman Matt Krug, forward Eli Lichtenwald, defenseman Griffyn Martin, goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos, defenseman Jeff Taylor and forward Mike Vecchione.

“I’m very happy with this class,” Union head coach Rick Bennett said in a release. “You always want to bring in a group that’s better than the one that just left, but that’s going to be a tough challenge with this group of players. It’s up to them to see if they can accomplish that. I feel our assistant coaches Joe Dumais and Jason Tapp did a tremendous job balancing last season with recruiting.”

Below are some capsules on each player with insight from their previous coaches and/or Bennett.

Defensemen

Jeff Taylor is a local kid, a native of Clifton Park who played at Albany Academy prior to spending last year with Dubuque of the U.S Hockey League. Taylor helped Dubuque capture a Clark Cup Championship, registering 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) in 57 games played.

Taylor (USHL)

The 19-year-old drew raves from now former Dubuque head coach Jim Montgomery, who has since moved on to be the head coach of Division I Denver. The former RPI assistant predicted Taylor will be an impact freshman.

"His [best assets] are quickness and his intelligence," Montgomery told me earlier this year. "He's an extremely smart player with great instincts. He's very valuable all over the ice, especially breaking the puck out."

Taylor is listed at 6-foot, 180-pounds.

"He still needs to get stronger like any teenage athlete," Montgomery said. "He needs to continue to build muscle mass in the weight room so he can have the physicality needed at the college level."

Griffyn Martin, who checks in at 6-foot, 175-pounds, played prep hockey at Avon Old Farms in Connecticut. A former Yale commit, Martin was one of Avon's three captains this past year and scored three goals and added 14 assists in 29 games played. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player.

“Griffyn is a physical defenseman who in time can develop into a really good player for us," Bennett said. "He’s a tremendous character guy to have on your team."

Matt Krug, a Buffalo, New York, native, spent the past two seasons with the Indiana Ice of the USHL. In 56 games played last season, the 20-year-old scored two goals and chipped in nine assists.

"He is a character kid who works hard and has a good first pass," Indiana head coach Jeff Brown told me earlier this year. "He's more of a stay at home defenseman. He's a good leader. Krug won’t step in and be an impact guy, but over the course of his time at Union, he will be a regular and a big part of the future."

Henry

Bennett hopes the 6-foot-1, 198-pound Krug will develop into a Shawn Stuart style defenseman.

Noah Henry, a Seattle, Washington native, is the fourth defenseman coming in. The 19-year-old Henry started last season with the British Columbia Hockey League's Penticton Vees before being dealt to Powell River in mid-November. In 52 combined games played, the 6-foot, 190-pound Henry had two goals and 14 assists. 

“Noah is a defenseman with tremendous speed," Bennett said. "That’s really going to help us with our breakouts, which helps our defensive zone. He’s really going to help us there and we’re excited about that."

Forwards

Prep star Alex Gonye could be one player looked upon to replace some of the offense that left the program with the graduations of top scorers Wayne Simpson and Kyle Bodie and the early departure of fourth-leading scorer Josh Jooris, who signed with Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Gonye, a 19-year-old Deerfield (M.A) Prep product, is known for having a scoring touch. He scored 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 24 games played this past season.

“Alex will be given a very good chance to develop into a top forward here," Bennett said. "He brings a lot of offense and very good vision on the ice, and he can shoot the puck. We think he’ll be able to grow into the daily grind of college hockey and the physicality on this level.”

Another scoring threat coming in is 20-year-old Saugus, Massachusetts native Michael Vecchione. He decommitted from New Hampshire prior to committing to Union and had a breakout season last year in his second season with Tri-City of the USHL. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound forward upped his offensive contributions considerably with 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) in 63 games played. 

Vecchione (USHL)

"He's really developed as a player," Tri-City head coach Josh Hauge told me earlier this year. "He has a confidence now that he can score at this level. Statistically, he's improved a lot but his overall game has also improved by a lot... areas like his defensive play, his ability to block shots, play tough, and do the little things.

"The thing the fans notice is just how good of a skater he is. He's extremely fast, plays at a fast pace, and has a natural ability to score goals."

Eli Lichtenwald, 20, split last season between Omaha of the USHL and Nipawin of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. After a midseason trade to Nipawin, where he played in 2010-2011 and earned SJHL rookie of the year honors, Lichtenwald took off and scored 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 19 games played.

Lichtenwald is one of Union's larger recruits in recent memory as he checks in at 6-foot-6, 235-pounds. For a player so big, the native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan still has a lot of room to grow.

"The biggest thing with Eli is that he has a lot of room to improve," Nipawin head coach Doug Johnson told me earlier this year. "He is a late bloomer. He was an average midget player that blossomed his first year of junior and will only get better in the future. What Union fans see from Eli as a freshman won't even be comparable to what they see from him as a senior.

"I firmly believe Eli has the ability to be a very good regular with the possibility to be an impact player if he keeps developing like I believe he will."

Goaltender

When Troy Grosenick gave up his senior year of eligibility to the San Jose Sharks in April, the Dutchmen needed to add another goaltender for the upcoming season.

Enter 19-year-old Alex Sakellaropoulos.

The native of Tinley Park, Illinois played the past two seasons with the Chicago Steel of the USHL. He posted a 22-20-2 record in 48 contests last year with a 3.03 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage and three shutouts.

“When Troy (Grosenick) signed, our assistants did a great job getting Alex, an excellent goaltender, to come to Union," Bennett said. "We’re looking for big things from Alex.”

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Sakellaropoulos is the odds on favorite to serve as the primary backup to junior Colin Stevens in the upcoming season.

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Young apparently coming later than expected

by Ryan Fay

It was widely believed that Boston Junior Bruins (EJHL) goaltender Joe Young was coming to Union in the fall of 2014. Young's own Twitter account said "Union 2014." However, it now appears Young will arrive in the fall of 2015, as his account now says "Union 2015."

Waiting a year would seem to make sense. After Troy Grosenick gave up his senior year of eligibility to sign with the San Jose Sharks earlier this month, Union received a commitment for next season from Chicago Steel (USHL) netminder Alex Sakellaropoulos. Young would now be the fourth goaltender on the roster for 2014-2015, joining Colin Stevens (then a senior), Sakellaropoulos (then a sophomore), and Dillon Pieri (then a senior).

That glut eases up the following year as both Stevens and Pieri will have graduated. The Dutchmen could have Sakellaropoulos, Young, and another goaltender for the fall of 2015.

Young, who turned 19 this week, had a 2.71 goals against average and a .907 save percentage in 30 games for the Junior Bruins this past season.

Union fills goalie void

by Ryan Fay

Union has received a commitment for next season from goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos.

Sakellaropoulos

Sakellaropoulos, who turns 19 next month, is finishing up his second season with the Chicago Steel of the U.S Hockey League. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound netminder has a 3.12 goals against average and a .911 save percentage in 46 games this year.

Earlier this season, he competed in the USHL/NHL top prospects game and stopped all nine shots that came his way in just under 29 minutes of action. The game drew over 100 NHL scouts.

After Troy Grosenick signed with the San Jose Sharks on Monday, the Dutchmen were left with just two goalies for next season, Colin Stevens and Dillon Pieri. Sakellaropoulos will likely serve as the backup to Stevens with Pieri keeping his third-stringer role.

Current Dutchmen Theo DiPauli was a teammate of Sakellaropoulos with the Steel during the 2011-2012 season.