Union Loses Mariucci Classic Championship Game

Matt Read scored twice for the Beavers

After Friday night's big win against Minnesota, the Dutchmen followed it up with a disappointing 3-1 loss against the Bemidji State Beavers in the tournament championship game. This is a pretty disappointing way to end the out of conference schedule and head into the winter term.

Here is what Union has done in OOC games this season:
vs. Sacred Heart - W, 9-0
vs. Sacred Heart - W, 7-3
at. Alaska-Fairbanks - L, 1-2 (Brice Alaska Goal Rush)
at Alaska-Anchorage - W, 4-3 (Brice Alaska Goal Rush)
vs. Niagara - W, 6-1
vs. RIT - W, 7-2
vs. UConn - T, 3-3
vs. RPI - T, 3-3 (Lake Placid - Halloween Faceoff)
vs. AIC - W, 8-1
vs. Army - W, 6-2
at Western Michigan - L, 1-2
at Western Michigan - L, 1-3
at Minnesota - W, 3-2 (OT) (Mariucci Classic)
at Bemidji - L, 1-3 (Mariucci Classic)

So Union went 8-4-2 in non-ECAC play, which looks pretty good but when you analyze it they really didn't do so great. Against Atlantic Hockey opponents (some of the weakest teams in NCAA Division I hockey) the Dutchmen went 6-0-1, outscoring their opponents 46-12. This means they went 2-4-1 against stronger OOC opponents where they were outscored 11-15 (I am not counting the RPI game since they are in the ECAC). So, this shows that Union has trouble competing against some of the tougher teams in college hockey, while they beat up on weaker opponents. One should also realize that these "tougher" OOC opponents are not ranked higher than the Dutchmen in the USCHO national rankings. Besides the win over Minnesota, Union has not proven that they are a legitimate contender for a national tournament berth.

Presizniuk is just one point away from breaking Union's
all-time points record. He currently tied with Jason Walters
at 115 points.

The problem behind this struggle against these tougher teams is the lack of offense. In the seven games against these "tough" teams the Dutchmen averaged just 1.57 goals per game. That is not a formula for success. Maybe the absence of Adam Presizniuk is a reason to why this has happened. The defense on the other hand has done their part as they have only allowed 2.14 goals per game in these seven games.

To be brutally honest, I really think that at this moment Union is very overrated. They have not proven to be the #12 team in the country. Beating up on the cellar dwellers is nice, but if you can't pull out wins against tough opponents on the road you will not be making the national tournament. Hopefully, they can step their game up in ECAC play, climb the standings, and make a run in the league playoffs. There are plenty of big games against good opponents in the ECAC to play (Yale, Clarkson, Princeton, Dartmouth), so Union still has the chance to prove that they are a legitimate Top 16 team. As of this moment Union is tied for 14th in the PWR, which is good for a NCAA tournament berth.

I will be back on campus tomorrow as classes start up for the winter term on Monday.

Here are some links about the game against Bemidji:
Union Athletics.com
USCHO
CHN
BSU Beavers.com

Union Goes Gopher And Beaver Hunting

Bucky the Beaver (left) and Goldy the Gopher (right)
I wonder if Dutchy the Dutchman will be there... haha

This weekend the Dutchmen will play the #19 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (Friday) and Bemidji State Beavers (Saturday) in the Mariucci Classic in Minnesota.
Both of these games are extremely important out of conference (OOC) games that will make a big difference in where Union finishes in the PairWise Rankings (PWR). The Dutchmen are 1-3-1 in OOC road games this season with their only win coming against Alaska-Anchorage and the tie coming against RPI in Lake Placid. They need to find a way to beat good teams on the road, but haven't done so in the games against Alaska-Fairbanks and Western Michigan.

This is Union's last chance to prove to the nation that they can beat tough OOC opponents and deserve to be in the national tournament. Personally, if Union cannot win a game in this tournament I really don't see them making the national tournament unless they make a run in the ECAC playoffs. Two wins would be so huge and would give the team a lot of momentum heading into the bulk of the league schedule.

Hopefully Union living legend Adam Presizniuk can return to the lineup this weekend. The Dutchmen have scored a combined two goals in their past three road games without Prez, and could really use his help to get the offense back on track and take some focus off of Jeremy Welsh and Daniel Carr. Prezie is the "go-to guy" on the team, and every successful team has a "go-to guy." Without a good and healthy Prezie, I cannot see this team going very far. According to Ken Schott, Coach Leaman said Presizniuk's status will be a game-time decision.

On a personal note, I have seen both Minnesota and Bemidji in the Frozen Four. I saw the Gophers win the national championship in 2002 in St. Paul, Minnesota in one of the most exciting championship games I've seen, and caught Beaver Fever in 2009 when Bemidji made their Cinderella run to the Frozen Four in Washington D.C.

Here are game notes from:
Union Athletics.com
Go Gopher Sports.com
BSU Beavers.com

Here are two videos about the Gophers and two about the Beavers. Enjoy!

Notes about Union's 2010-2011 schedule

After surfing the web and the message boards I have come across some games that should pop-up on Union's schedule once it is released (which should be pretty soon).

According to Gopher Puck Live.com the Dutchmen will be playing in the Dodge Holiday Classic hosted by the University of Minnesota. The teams taking part in the tournament along with Union will be the Gophers, Bemidji State, and Ferris State. This will be a great opportunity for the Dutchmen to prove themselves against national powerhouses that have contended for the national championship in the past decade (Minnesota and Bemidji). I'm not sure who Union is playing, but if I had to guess I'd say the Gophers since they are the host and Union is the only team not from Minnesota. The tournament will take place during New Years Eve and New Years Day.

Also, word on the RIT message boards (Post #106) is that the Tigers will be visiting Union along with RPI early in the season. This makes sense since RIT is on the rise as they made the Frozen Four this past season. There is also the possibility that RIT could move to the ECAC since they are by far the best team in Atlantic Hockey. Another sign of their moving to the ECAC is that they are moving to the Liberty League. The Liberty League is a Division III conference that has many ECAC Hockey teams in it (Union, RPI, St. Lawrence, Clarkson). RIT is similar to Union in that they cannot offer athletic scholarships.

This is basically all I got for now. I will post any other things I find. Hopefully the schedule comes out soon.