Six Dutchmen Honored On All-ECAC Teams

Sorry about posting this so late. I just got home for Spring Break.

Anyways, six Union players have been named to All-ECAC teams. Congrats to Keith Kinkaid, Kelly Zajac, Brock Matheson, Jeremy Welsh, Daniel Carr, and Mat Bodie.

FIRST TEAM
Forward - Chase Polacek, RPI
Forward - Brian O'Neill, Yale
Forward - Andrew Miller, Yale
Defense - Nick Bailen, RPI
Defense - Taylor Fedun, Princeton
Goaltender - Keith Kinkaid, Union

SECOND TEAM
Forward - Jack Maclellan, Brown
Forward - Joe Devin, Cornell
Forward - Kelly Zajac, Union
Defense - Brock Matheson, Union
Defense - Danny Biega, Harvard
Goaltender - James Mello, Dartmouth

THIRD TEAM
Forward - Andrew Calof, Princeton
Forward  - Chris Cahill, Yale
Forward - Jeremy Welsh, Union
Defense - Mike Devin, Cornell
Defense - Joel Stejskal, Dartmouth
Goaltender - Allen York, Rensselaer  

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Forward - Andrew Calof, Princeton
Forward - Greg Carey, St. Lawrence
Forward - Daniel Carr, Union
Defense - Mat Bodie, Union
Defense - Dennis Robertson, Brown
Goaltender - Andy Iles, Cornell

For the official release click here.

I think the selection committee (or whoever picks these teams) did a really good job. I really have no complaints. I guess the only person I thought would be on a team but isn't is (I hate to say it but) Harry Zolnierczyk from Brown. All of the Dutchmen that were honored are well deserving. These guys are the best six players on the team (not including Adam Presizniuk, who was hurt for a good a few games this season which is probably why he wasn't named to any team). Also, congrats to the other student-athletes who were honored.

ECAC Quarterfinals vs. Colgate Preview

Finally, the playoffs have arrived in Schenectady! This weekend the Dutchmen host the Colgate Raiders for a best-of-three series after the Raiders upset fifth-seed RPI in Troy last weekend. Union had a bye last week and used the time to recover from injuries and get ahead (or maybe catch up) on their schoolwork.

While the Raiders have been hot of late (6-3-1 in last 10 games) and are probably the best last-place team in the country, the Dutchmen are absolutely on fire. They haven't lost in 11 games (10-0-1), which is tied for the nation's longest unbeaten streak with Holy Cross, and are 14-1-1 in the winter term. Union has also been almost unbeatable at home this season going 15-1-2.

I think the Dutchmen saw what Colgate is made of this past weekend at RPI and won't let them succeed in the Capital Region for the second weekend in a row. It will definitely be a tough series, but Union is great at home so I have confidence that they won't lose twice in one weekend at Messa Rink.

So Union students, put down your study guides, leave the lab, and take a break from your thesis and come see the best team in Union Hockey history in their final weekend at Messa Rink this season. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!!! Remember, the first 300 students get in free.

Here are some players to watch:

Colgate
Eric Mihalik: the freshman goaltender was outstanding in net last weekend at RPI where he made a combined 92 saves, including 40 saves in Game 3. He was named INCH's Player of the Week for his efforts. After going winless in his first 10 career starts, he's gone 6-3-1 in his last 10 starts. He was in goal for both losses to Union this year.

Francois Brisebois: the senior forward leads the team in scoring with 15 goals and 31 points, as well as power-play goals (6). He scored twice in Game 2 last weekend in Troy.
Austin Smith: led the Raiders with four points (1 goal, 3 assists) last weekend and has 10 career points in post-season play (6 goals, 4 assists). Smith it tied for the team lead with 20 assists and is second with 29 points. He currently has a four game point streak.
Robbie Bourdon: the sophomore is the only forward on the team besides Brisebois with double-digit goals (10). He scored the game-winning goal in double overtime in Game 3 last weekend, and has tallied a point in five of his past six games.

Union
Adam Presizniuk: in the playoffs your best player needs to play his best. Prezie is Union's best player and will be a major reason why Union advances or falls.
Keith Kinkaid: the same can be said about goaltending, which is arguably the most important thing in the playoffs. A hot goaltender can bring a team to a championship. Kinkaid is one of the best netminders in the country and if he catches fire who knows how far Union will go.
Daniel Carr: special teams is also extremely important in the playoffs. Carr is tied for the nation's lead in power-play goals, so he will be the go-to guy on Union's PP.

Andrew Buote & Justin Pallos: on the same note, penalty killing will be very important throughout the playoffs. Personally, Buote and Pallos are the two best penalty killers on the team and their leadership will be very important during the playoff run.
Mat Bodie: the younger Bodie is just one point away from breaking Mike Schreiber's '10 record for most points in a season by a defenseman (29).
Kelly Zajac: Zaj leads Union in scoring with 38 points, and has picked up 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in his past eight games. He will be featured in the game program this weekend (I wrote the feature story).

For more check out:
Union Athletics
Go Colgate Raiders.com
Daily Gazette - Ken Schott
Times Union - Sean Martin
Inside College Hockey

Thursday Links

Union has been popping up all over the internet today (probably due to the Media Day on Tuesday). So, instead of clogging up your Facebook and Twitter feeds I figured I'd just put all the links in one place.

So here you go:

Pete Iorizzo (Times Union): Hop Aboard Union Bandwagon

USCHO's Bracketology has Union in the Midwestern Regional

Ed Weaver (Troy Record): Union's Rise To The Top Has Been Gradual

Ken Schott (Daily Gazette): Freshman Carr Playing Beyond Expectations

Tim Wharnsby (CBC Sports): Keith Kinkaid is one "of the top dozen skaters and two goalies that will be sure to be locked up [by the NHL] in the next six weeks or so."

"Official" Blog of Union Hockey: Behind the Bench with Coach Barr - Preparing for a Best-of-Three series

Dutchmen Gear Up For ECAC Quarterfinals

Today at Messa Rink, the Dutchmen held a press conference to talk about their upcoming ECAC Quarterfinals matchup with Colgate.

Coach Leaman spoke first, and was followed by Keith Kinkaid, Brock Matheson, Adam Presizniuk, Kelly Zajac, and Daniel Carr. I caught up with Zajac after it was all done to talk about being a finalist for ECAC's Best Defensive Forward Award and playoff beards (if you haven't seen, my beard is in full playoff mode).

Videos From Senior Night

Here are some videos I took on Senior Night:

Union Wins The Cleary Cup on Senior Night

Last night was such a great feeling. The emotions of when the final buzzer sounded, all the way to the post-game celebration was perfect. I am so proud of the guys for everything they accomplished, and everything the seniors have done in their four years. The reception the seniors received from the fans was awesome and well deserved. I was also honored and shocked when Andrew Buote gave me a shout out during his speech. I really appreciated it and am just honored to be a very small part of this amazing senior class and Union Hockey.

It was also great to see Luke Cain and Stephane Boileau score goals on Senior Night. They both don't dress every game, so it was awesome to see them capitalize. You could tell how excited they were to score, especially Boileau (check the highlights). John Simpson also added an empty netter.

Union's power-play once again did a great job last night as they scored twice with the man advantage. They lead the nation with a 30.97% conversion rate. Union went 3-for-4 last night and 4-for-6 on the weekend. Daniel Carr netted a PP goal and added an even strength goal later. He is now tied with New Hampshire's Paul Thompson and Colorado College's Tyler Johnson for the nation's lead with 12 power-play goals. Thompson and Johnson are both seniors, while Carr is a freshman. His two first period goals gave Union an 3-0 first period lead. Three has been the magic number this season as the Dutchmen are 21-1-2 in games where they've scored at least three goals.

Keith Kinkaid had another great weekend once again. He made 35 saves (including 17 in the second period) last night to pick up his third shutout of the season. Kinkaid leads the nation with a 1.93 GAA and 24 wins.

Well, now it's on to the playoffs. Union gets the weekend off with the first round bye. Here are the first round matchups:
(5) RPI vs. (12) Colgate
(6) Princeton vs. (11) St. Lawrence
(7) Clarkson vs. (10) Harvard
(8) Quinnipiac vs. (9) Brown

For more on the game check out:
USCHO
Union Athletics
Ken Schott's Blog
Times Union (Sean Martin)
Times Union (Mark McGuire)

I also want to make a special shout out to former Union College president Roger Hull. In January 2004 he said:

"Let me tell you of my idea of being competitive: fielding a team that has a reasonable chance of winning every time it steps on the ice... And when they got to 40 percent [winning percentage], I was proud, and when they reached nearly 50 percent a few years ago, I was tremendously proud of them."

I wonder if he's super-tremendously-ridiculously-doing hand stands proud of this team.

Tonight's Lineups vs. Cornell (2/11/11)

Daniel Carr

Union
Carr - Welsh - Jooris
Presizniuk - Zajac - Hatch
Sullivan - J. Simpson - W. Simpson
Buote - Pallos - Boileau

Forgaard - Julseth-White
Coburn - Stuart
M. Bodie - Matheson

Kinkaid
Milan
Grosenick

Joe Devin

Cornell
Esposito - Kary - Kennedy
Roeszler - Miller - J. Devin
Craig - Collins - Nicholls
Jillson - Axell - Mowrey

Birch - M. Devin
Gotovets - Ross
D'Agostino - Brisson

Iles
Garman

NHL Draft Picks: Collins (Columbus '08 7th round), Birch (Chicago '08 6th round), Gotovets (Tampa Bay '09 7th round), D'Agostino (Pittsburgh '08 7th round)

Tonight's Lineups vs. Yale

Daniel Carr

Union
Carr - Welsh - Jooris
Presizniuk - Zajac - Hatch
Sullivan - J. Simpson - W. Simpson
Buote - Pallos - K. Bodie

Forgaard - Julseth-White
Coburn - Stuart
M. Bodie - Matheson

Kinkaid
Milan
Grosenick

Broc Little

Yale
Agostino - Root - Balch
Cahill - Miller - O'Neill
Ziegler - Mason - Brockett
Kearney - Limbert - Little

Trentowski - Jaskowiak
Dueck - Peel
Matczak - Martin (C)

Rondeau
Maricic

Tonight's Officals:
Referee - Robert St. Lawrence
Referee - Peter Feola
Linesman - Richard Patry
Linesman - Glen Cooke

Videos from Opening Night 2010

What a way to start the 2010-11 campaign! It was a blowout from the beginning, but it was still fun especially since Sacred Heart beat Union last season. It just seemed that every scoring chance Union had they put in, and every chance Sacred Heart had Keith Kinkaid stepped up.

Oh, and who is Mario Valery-Trabucco and Jason Walters again? I only know of Josh Jooris and Daniel Carr... haha I'm just kidding. But seriously, way to make your mark in your first collegiate game! At first I doubted the Jooris-Welsh-Carr line since I felt Welsh would be better suited to play with Zajac and/or Presizniuk, but right now I'm definitely wrong. Let's all hope that these guys can keep it up. We all have to remember how John Simpson and Brian Yanovitch got off to very hot starts last season, but after that they both produced very little.

And on a personal funny side note, let's hope Jooris doesn't suffer from "Dan Greene Syndrome." What is DGS you ask? Well, in my first travel hockey game as a Mite I scored a hat trick in a 9-2 romp over the Montclair Blues... and after that game I never scored hat trick ever again. EVER AGAIN! After Mites I moved to defense and the rest is history (plus I never was and aren't much of a scorer haha).

Now, back to real hockey. Everybody from top to bottom looked good last night and all the lines looked like they had good chemistry. I know it's only the first game, but hey it's better than not playing well.

On another note, the student section looked to be pretty packed! Even Will Friedman (aka UnionHockeyManiac) made the trek from NYC to watch the game. But, the local fans did not show as their side of the rink was pretty empty. Maybe it was because of high school football? Whatever the case though they missed out on a fun game.

For more on last night's game check out my article on USCHO, Ken Schott's Blog, Union Athletics.com, and Times Union.com.

By the way, I will not be attending tonight's game because I'll be working the Albany Devils home opener with our old friend Kevin Zalaznik. So make sure you follow Ken Schott's blog or the Extra Frame Blog for twitter updates.

Here are some videos from Opening Night 2010:

Dutchmen announce Class of 2014

Union Head Coach Nate Leaman announced that he will be adding eight student-athletes to his roster next season. There will be five forwards, two defensemen, and a goaltender joining the Dutchmen for their 2010-11 campaign. Five of the players are from the States, while the other three a hail from Canada. These guys have some big shoes to fill after the likes of Mario Valery-Trabucco, Jason Walters, and Mike Schreiber have all graduated.

The five forwards are Daniel Carr, Matt Hatch, Cole Ikkala, Josh Jooris, and Kevin Sullivan. The two defensemen are Mat Bodie and Mike Ingoldsby. Troy Grosenick is the lone goaltender.

I am very excited to see all of these guys take the ice in Union uniforms, but I am most interested to see Mat Bodie, the younger brother of Kyle Bodie. From what I have read the younger Bodie is a tremendous offensive defenseman and will make an immediate impact. There is a very high chance that he will be starting lineup once the opening of the season comes around. Ingoldsby sounds like a great blueliner as well and should compete for playing time in his first season. Grosenick sounds like a solid goalie, but will probably have to wait for his senior year to see any real playing time as it seems Keith Kinkaid's position in between the pipes is pretty solidified.

Offensively, it sounds like Leaman has recruited a diverse bunch of players. I think all could make an impact in their first season in Schenectady, but it should be interesting how true freshman like Carr and Sullivan adapt to the college game. And I'm going to call it right now... I think Cole Ikkala will be a fan favorite in his four years. With a last name like that and a gritty style of play he should draw some praise from the Union faithful.

For more on the Class of 2014 check out Union Athletics.com and Ken Schott's Blog.

Daniel Carr Update

Union recruit Daniel Carr has been getting some print recently as he was a unanimous selection to the AJHL All-Star team, and then was traded to Powell River of the BCHL shortly after. He will join Mat Bodie, another Dutchman recruit, in Powell River. In 30 games in the AJHL this year Carr registered 24 goals and 30 assists, which was good for sixth in the league.

Can't Wait for the 2009-10 season to start? How about the 2010-11 season?

Even though the 2009-2010 season hasn't even started yet it's always fun and exciting to look at next season. So, lets get a preview of the four players that have already committed to Union for next season (according to Chris Heisenberg's list: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rZN-GJH1Q0NQeXIJG47g-ug&gid=1).

Kevin Sullivan (Left Wing): committed 1/29/09... 6' 180 lbs, born 1-25-91... from Darien, CT... played last season with Berkshire Prep where he had 17 goals and 24 assists in 33 games (1.24 points per game), along with 48 penalty minutes.

Matt Hatch (Center): committed 4/6/2009... 6'1"180 lbs, born 5-22-90... from New York public school hockey powerhouse Massena... in 2008-09 he played at the Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire where he was the second leading scorer on the team with 19 goals and 52 assists in 35 games... this season he is playing for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL where he has already accumulated a goal and two assists in five games... Bulldgos Head Coach Nolan Graham says Hatch "is a very strong skater who sees the ice very well. His speed is going to make him an offensive threat, but it will also prove to be valuable in penalty killing situations... Matt's puck moving, and playmaking abilities will make him a valuable offensive player."

Mat Bodie (Defense): committed 9/3/2009... 6' 160-170 lbs, born 3-7-90... from East St. Paul, Manitoba... played for the Winnipeg Thrashers (Midget AAA) where he was named MVP and Top Defenseman at the 2008 Telus Cup... was teammates with Nolan Zajac, the younger brother of Union sophomore forward Kelly Zajac, in Winnipeg... was named Rookie of the Year in BCHL last season where he posted a goal and 41 assists with the Powell River Kings... Heisenberg has Bodie rated as the #2 defenseman in the BCHL... is the younger brother of Union freshman forward Kyle Bodie

Daniel Carr (Left Wing): committed 9/18/2009... 6' 185 lbs, born 11-1-91... from Leduc, Alberta... in the 2008-09 season with the St. Albert Steel (AJHL) he tallied 27 goals (14 on he powerplay) and 28 assists in 59 games, along with 81 penalty minutes... in seven games this season with St. Albert he has already amassed five goals and eight assists... Carr is Heisenberg's top recruit from Alberta... known for his speed

It seems like Leaman is already doing a great job in replacing the Class of 2010. The Dutchmen will be losing top forwards Jason Walters and Mario Valery-Trabucco, along with offensive-minded defenseman Mike Schreiber. Maybe the next Union core will be Hatch, Carr, and the younger Bodie. Bodie will have to put on some weight though in order to survive defensively on the NCAA level.