Going Back To My Roots

The jersey still fits!

Tonight (Tuesday) my Dad, my two two little brothers, and I trekked over to Tate Rink to watch Army take on the Russian Red Stars, who are basically Russia's junior 'B' team. They weren't much of a 'B' team as the Russians completely overwhelmed the Black Knights and beat them 11-4. The Russians played a very high-paced game, and their opponent just couldn't handle them. You can check out the game recap here.

I try to see an Army game every winter break because that is where I learned to love hockey, especially college hockey. I went to my first college hockey game at Army during the 1993-1994 season, and two years later my Dad bought two season tickets. I instantly fell in love. The Black Knights were my favorite team. I can still name some of the stars of that team to this day... Ian Winer, Mike Mansell, Mike Gunning, Frank Fede, Andy Lundbohm, Daryl Chamberlain, Greg Buckheimer, Dan Hinote (who has had a very succesful NHL career after leaving Army after the 1995-1996 season), Anthony Felice, and so on.

During the that early part of that first season, Army played Union to a 0-0 tie. This was the first time I ever heard of Union and when I was told to take a look at the school, that scoreless tie was the first thing to come to my mind. We would go to pretty much every home game for many years. Army hockey and my Dad are the reasons why I follow college hockey, go to the Frozen Four, and care so much about hockey at Union. Even though Union is definitely #1 in my book, Army still has that special place in my heart.

I took some pictures and video from the game. Enjoy!

Army Bench with Head Coach Brian Riley

Army defenseman John Clark. John is 5' 8" and 185 pounds, which gives me hope that one day I can be a D-1 defenseman

John's brother, Jay, had a tough night in net

It was a pretty packed house (over 2,600 people), which surprised us. We thought it would just be 50 people and a goat




There was a goal every four minutes

An Army tradition for as long as I can remember. Union does the same thing.

The Russian goalie let up four goals, but had nothing to worry about

The two teams took a picture together after the game

The Russians had some fun taking pictures after their win

Picture of the 1995-1996 team hanging in Tate Rink

The captain of the 1995-1996 team was Ian Winer (#15). Ian was my first favorite hockey player. He was my favorite player for two reasons: 1) he was the best player on the team, and 2) I sat next to his father. From peewees to today, I wear #15 in honor of Ian. The following season, Ian's brother, Cory, came to Army and was a standout goaltender. Cory wore #31 and I wore the same number for two seasons in high school lacrosse while he was serving our country over seas.





Greg Buckheimer (left) and Andy Lundbohm during the late 90's. In Mites and Squirts I wore #10 in honor of Lundbohm. I got to spend some time with him and really liked him as a person and a player. He ended up getting drafted by the San Jose Sharks.

My Dad, and my brothers Adam (14) and Michael (18) in our front row seats in Section 11. For the first few season we only had two season tickets. But, when Mr. Winer's kids graduated he sold us his two seats so my brothers could come to every game.

The Russian Red Stars on the power-play



Army captain Cody Omilusik scores on a penalty shot

AIC and Army videos

This weekend the Dutchmen host AIC and Army for their only home games of the winter break. The first video is a preview of AIC's season, while the other two are Army videos. The first Army video is the playing of Army's Alma Mater after a Army-Air Force game. I think it's cool because both of the teams stand together while the song is played, and I pretty much know the song by heart after all my years at Army.

The second is a feature about two sets of brothers who played for the Black Knights last season. This season, the Dutchmen feature two sets of brothers: the Bodies and the Simpsons. Also, freshman Cole Ikkala's brother, Cody, is a sophomore defenseman for the Black Knights. Maybe the two will see each other on the ice Saturday night.

Dutchmen officially release 2010-2011 schedule

Toady Coach Leaman and the Union College Dutchmen officially announced thier schedule for this upcoming season. If you have been following the blog lately there should be no surprises. As I reported earlier, Union will be playing in the Brice Alaska Goal Rush, the Dodge Holiday Classic hosted by Minnesota, and at Lake Placid to take on RPI. Also, they will be playing out of conference games against Niagara, RIT, and Western Michigan.

What I did miss were other OOC games. Union will open the season at home with a weekend series against Sacred Heart, who came into Schenectady last season and shocked the Dutchmen with a 6-5 win in overtime in one of the most exciting games of the season. They will also welcome in Atlantic Hockey foes UConn, AIC, and Army.

I have mixed feelings on the schedule. When it comes to the tournaments, Leaman and the Dutchmen did a great job scheduling competitive tournaments. Last season Union played in the RPI tournament and UConn tournament where they played Lake Superior State, RPI, UMass, and UConn, which makes up a pretty weak group of opponents. This year things are different. In the BAGR and DHC the Dutchmen are scheduled to play Alaska-Fairbanks, Alaska-Anchorage, Minnesota, and Bemidji. Alaska-Fairbanks finished in the Top 20 last season, Minnesota is consistently a national contender, and Bemidji made the Frozen Four two years ago and are on the rise. These tournaments will be great tests for the Dutchmen.

But, when it comes to the non-tournament out of conference schedule Union's schedule looks weak. These opponents are SHU, RIT, UConn, AIC, and Army of Atlantic Hockey, and Niagara of College Hockey America. Besides RIT, who made the Frozen Four this past season, these are all pretty weak opponents. Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America are consistently the worst conferences in college hockey, and AIC and UConn are usually two of the worst teams in all of college hockey. Where are the Hockey East opponents? I guess they spent all the travel money on the tournaments to Alaska and Minnesota. RPI has games against Northeastern and Boston University. While the Terriers are playing RPI in Troy, the Dutchmen will be playing Army just down the road. Even though this part of the schedule is weak, it's always good to have some "easy" games on the schedule so some of the players that don't play much can play.

For more on the schedule check out Union Athletics.com.

Seniors key on Senior Night in 7-3 win over QU

No one could have scripted last night's game any better. It had the perfect storyline and the perfect ending. You knew this was going to be a memorable night from the moment when five seniors were announced in the starting lineup to having the senior class honored at the end of the game. There were so many moments in the game that would get the sports fan choked up:

• Senior Jeff Christiansen, who hadn't played a game in about 13 months got to dress and play on the checking line. But, not only did he play he scored a big goal and assisted on another. Christo deserves a lot of credit for sticking with the team for four years, and for working hard throughout his time with the Dutchmen. As soon as he scored Union's third goal I instantly thought of Rudy. What a way for the senior to go out.


• Christo's linemate Jason Shaffer also had a big night as he netted the game-winning goal and also had an assist. Shaffer has been used sparingly this season, so it was nice to see his name get announced in the starting lineup and score his first goal of the season with his mother in attendance, who I assume traveled all the way from Alaska.


• Six out of the seven senior skaters registered at least one point. Captain Mike Wakita was the only one not to tally a point, but he did plenty of things on the ice that you don't see on the scoresheet, including his bone crushing hits. Also, five of them recorded two points.


• While QU's Eric Lampe was making a fool out of himself by trying to fight Jason Walters, 'Super' Mario shoved it in Lampe's face by sniping a goal.


• Senior netminder Rich Sillery got to play the final two minutes of the game in front of his family. Sillery is in the same boat as Christiansen as he has not played much throughout his career. It was awesome how the fans reacted when he was put into the game. It must have been a special moment for him to have his name chanted and everything. But, next time Pudge remember to have a chin strap on your helmet haha.


• Senior Jon Lareau picked up two assists on the night. He along with the combination of Christo and Shaffer was probably the best Union line of the night.


• The post-game ceremonies were very nice. The funniest part was when Mike Schreiber sprinted towards his mother who was jumping up and down on the carpet laid down on the ice. It was also great that Schreiber and Wakita thanked basically everyone that has to do with Union Hockey. The ceremony was all wrapped up when Union Hockey's #1 fan Will Friedman (aka Union Hockey Maniac for those of you on the USCHO.com forums), who is also a senior, started a "Let's Go Seniors" chant. I personally feel Will should have been honored in some way as he has been the most dedicated Dutchmen fan by far throughout his four years. He has traveled to almost every rink in the ECAC and has helped promote the home games and sell the 7th Player t-shirts. When I ran into Will at the end of the game I asked him why he wasn't at his fraternity's formal. He responded by saying something like, "some things are just more important" (or something like that).


• By far the cutest moment of the night was while the seniors were taking a group photo together, Mario left the picture and went into the penalty box/ scorers box. I have no idea how he knew this, but a little girl was waiting for him there with a hand drawn picture of him. Mario gladly signed the picture along with other autographs and took pictures with some young fans. This will be a moment this little girl will never forget. I know this because I still have autographs and pictures in my room from my days watching Army Hockey as a young kid. I also still wear the number (#15 ironically) of my first favorite Army Hockey player, Ian Winer.

Well, I'm done with the cute stuff and on to some meaner stuff because I thoroughly dislike the Quinnipiac Bobcats. I have always held a grudge against them since my freshman year because my girlfriend goes there. But, after watching the Bobcats for the past three seasons I have come to hate their brand of hockey. I hate them even more after Eric Lampe's actions last night. Seriously, what a moron. Once Lampe challenged the Union bench I just wanted to see Wakita jump off the bench and knock him out cold. I feel that the Bobcats are a gutless, self-centered team. It seems that all they want to do out there is dangle and make the big hit. Basically, it seems that they're just having a tryout for the minors. I don't understand how a team with seniors as talented as Brandon Wong, Greg Holt, Mike Atkinson, Lampe, and Jean-Marc Beaudoin can just settle for mediocrity. The Bobcats should have a Top 5 offense with this group. It wouldn't surprise me to see this team drop out of the Top 8 in the ECAC next weekend and get swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Now back to some hockey stuff. With last night's win the Dutchmen can't finish any worse than third in the ECAC. They are now tied with Cornell for second place after their surprising loss to Dartmouth last night, which makes Friday's game that more important. The Dutchmen still only trail Yale by two points for top spot in the ECAC as well. As everyone predicted, next weekends games will be the most important of the season. Also, look out for some more records to be broken next weekend.

Also, the Union Club Hockey team had their own Senior Night on Saturday afternoon at Messa Rink at 2pm. The Club Dutchmen beat rival RPI 3-2 to close out their season. Seniors Anthony Savaglio (captain) and Greg Karamian (club president) assisted on senior Alex Kenyon's game-winning goal with about eight minutes remaining in regulation.

For more on Senior Night check out Union Athletics.com, Daily Gazette.com, Times Union.com, USCHO.com, Ken Schott's Blog, and Ken Schott's video.

Well, that's all from me. I can't wait to be back at Messa Rink in three weekends for the playoffs!

Union squeaks out overtime win over Army

It wasn't pretty but in the end the Dutchmen were able to pull out a 2-1 overtime victory over the Black Knights thanks to two goals by Jason Walters. Wally scored with 11 seconds left in the first period and with about three minutes left in overtime. Army was completely outmatched by Union as the Dutchmen were bigger, faster, and stronger than the Black Knights who were getting tossed across the ice like rag dolls.

But, the Black Knights weren't intimidated as they fought hard throughout the entire game and even got the better of the Dutchmen in the second period. In the 15 years that I have watched Army Hockey I have noticed that they are one of the hardest working teams in all of college hockey and they proved that once again tonight as they skated hard to the puck, finished their checks, and blocked shots at all costs. Another thing that has been consistent over the years for Army is great goaltending, and they got that tonight from Jay Clark (39 saves) who halted the furious Union attack in the third period with some difficult saves.

To be honest no one on the ice for the Dutchmen looked great as they were unable to hold on to the puck, had poor shot selection, didn't make crisp passes, and even Corey Milan (18 saves) didn't look to sharp in the net. Even though he only allowed one goal (power-play) he had trouble controlling his rebounds in the few shots that came at him. But as a Dutchmen fan you can't be disappointed in the result.

You can read game summaries on UnionAthletics.com and GoArmySports.com. Also read an article about the game from the Times Union.

Things to note:

• Junior Brock Matheson was wearing the captain's "C" tonight. I don't know if this is a new thing, but it's the first time I saw/heard about it. I remember two seasons ago when Coach Leaman gave Lane Caffaro, who was a junior at the time, the captain's "C" in the middle of the season so maybe he's doing something like this again.


• Kyle Bodie, Luke Cain, and Justin Pallos all played tonight while Brian Yanovitch, Jon Lareau, and Jason Shaffer sat tonight. I guess the sitting of Yanovitch is a surprise since he has played in almost every game. But, looking at his stats it does make some sense. In his first four games of the year Yanovitch was on a tear as he netted three goals and two assists, but he's only registered one goal and two assists since. His last goal and point were in mid-November when the Dutchmen traveled to St. Lawrence and Clarkson.


• The same is also to be said about Yanovitch's linemates John and Wayne Simpson, who both have three goals and eight assists on the season. It looked early on that John was going to have a breakout season after making the scoresheet in seven of his first eight games this season (2g, 7a). But, in his past 11 games he has only tallied one goal and one assist. There was a long gap between his second and third goals as his second goal of the season came on October 10th against Maine and his third one came in the UConn Toyota Classic against UConn on December 30th. After tallying three goals and five assists in his first eight games, Wayne has only put three assists on the scoresheet in his past 11 games. The Simpson brothers along with Yanovitch need to get things together because the Dutchmen will need another line to produce offensively besides the Mario-Wally-Prez line. Luckily, the Welsh-Boileau-Zajac line has stepped up a bit.
• I was also very impressed with Army's Owen Meyer. He was Army's top scorer last season, but has fallen off a bit this year. With his good size and good skating ability it was obvious that he could be a dominant player in the Atlantic Hockey conference. Army defenseman Marcel Alvarez is also a pretty good player.

The Dutchmen now head back to Schenectady to begin the Winter Term on Monday, but will not stay there long as they restart league play at Princeton (10th in ECAC) and Quinnipiac (1st in ECAC) next weekend. Hopefully they can continue their unbeaten streak in the ECAC and reach the top of the standings soon.

Union opens 2010 at Army

After demolishing UConn 7-0 a few days ago the Dutchmen will head to Tate Rink in West Point, NY to take on Army (7-8-2) of the Atlantic Hockey conference. Army is 6th in the conference with a 6-5-1 record against league opponents, and are currently riding a four-game winning streak. Last season Kelly Zajac's goal with .2 seconds left in the game gave Union a 5-4 victory over Army at Messa Rink.

The Black Knights are led offensively by Cody Omilusik (12g, 9a), Eric Sefchik (4g, 11a), and Mike Hull (4g, 10a). Omilusik is second in AH in goals (10th in nation) and fourth in points (24th in nation). Also be aware of Owen Meyer (5g,7a) who seems to have fallen off a little from last season performance of 19 goals and 14 assists but should still be a threat. On the Army power-play look out for Marcel Alvares considering all four of his goals have been scored on the power-play and is tied for tops on the team with Omilusik.

In goal Jay Clark has been solid with a 2.78 GAA (5th in AH) and .916 save percentage (2nd in AH). Around this time last year Clark made 56 saves to upset #2 Miami. You can read about the Black Knights on GOArmySports.com.

For Union, Jason Walters has been on fire and you can read all about is on UnionAthletics.com.

There are 5 other ECAC games being played today and you can follow them on ECACHockey.com