Dutchmen players weigh in ahead of Mayor's Cup game vs RPI

by Ryan Fay

The much-hyped inagural Mayor's Cup game between RPI and Union will be played tonight at 7:30 pm at the Times Union Center in downtown Albany. 

Though it's a non-league game, and thus doesn't count in the league standings, there is plenty at stake. Union will look for its eighth win a row against their Route 7 rivals while RPI will be looking for their first win over the Dutchmen since November 2010.

Over the past couple days, I've collected various thoughts from a few Union players ahead of the game.

Daniel Ciampini played some of his best hockey this season against RPI. In the previous two meetings this year, the sophomore had three goals and four points. He offered some thoughts on what kind of game it will be tonight:

"It's going to be a good game -- good old fashioned, hard hockey. We're both hard-nosed teams and we both like to grind it out. RPI is riding a high and we're coming off a pretty decent weekend. Both teams are in a groove and will be ready for it."

What are the keys to a Union victory? Kyle Bodie, second on the team with 25 points, weighed in:

"Sticking to our game plan and being disciplined. In these games, you're right on that line, so you have to be careful not to cross it because both teams have good specialty teams."

Barring a postseason matchup, tonight's game will be the last Union-RPI game for the seniors. I asked a couple of them about their memories of playing RPI over the years.

Said Greg Coburn: "A lot of the games stand out. But going back to freshman year, that first time I played them, I think it was at our barn... the fans were electric and it was a lot of fun to feel that experience."

Said Bodie: "My first goal was against RPI in my freshman year, so that's a good memory. So was beating them in their own tournament (same year). Last year was probably the best one when we swept them in the playoffs. Every game we play against RPI, both sides get up, and they're probably the best games of the year." 

One wildcard in tonight's game is the probable RPI goaltender, freshman Jason Kasdorf. Union only saw him in the third period in their second game against RPI in November. But Kasdorf, who has a 1.60 goals against average, is one of the biggest reasons for RPI's turnaround in the past couple months. I asked Bodie and Coburn, Union's top scoring defenseman, about facing a goaltender against whom Union has limited experience.

Said Bodie: "If he's starting as a freshman, he must be doing something right. We have to get a lot of pucks and bodies to the net. We know that if we want to get pucks by him we have to put a lot of rubber on net. That's something we've been focusing on and something we'll try to get done [tonight]."

Said Coburn: "We just have to feel him out and get a lot of shots on him. We have guys who can put the puck in the back of the net and we have to rely on that."

On most weekends, Union plays two different schools. But not so this weekend, having only tonight's Mayor's Cup game. I asked Bodie about the differences in preparation when there's one school on the weekend schedule.

Said Bodie: "As you prepare during the week, even if you're going against two teams, sometimes you're only looking at the Friday night game. But we received the scouting report a little earlier this week and guys know we only have one game this weekend. We don't have to hold anything back."

END NOTES

Kelly Zajac (Albany-AHL) scored his second goal in the AHL this year in Friday's 4-1 win over Adirondack. The former Union star has two goals and an assist in five games with Albany. He graduated last spring following a four year career that put him in second place on the program's Division I career points list (128).....  If you missed it previously, I did a Q&A with RPI head coach Seth Appert ahead of the game. You can find that here. Appert talked about the improvement of his team, Union's success against RPI, and some of his players who could be factors tonight.

Video: Union Hockey's Class of 2015 performs figure skating dance

Every year at "Skate with the Dutchmen," the freshmen class performs a choreographed figure skating dance. The performance is always entertaining. This year's wasn't that bad considering the guys basically made it up on the spot.

Edit: Thanks to our old pal, Dan Greene for taking the video.

July 2011 News

Kelly Zajac at the New Jersey Devils Prospect Camp

Hello Union Hockey fans! We're still here! It's been a very busy summer for the UHB team, but we have not forgotten about our beloved Dutchmen. We've been updating on Facebook and Twitter over the past month about all the latest exciting news about Union College Hockey and the College hockey world. 


This off-season has been the most exciting in the history of college hockey with the official announcement of the "super conference," the possibility of Minnesota-Moorhead creating a DI team, all the coaching changes, and many players leaving the NCAA for juniors. Here is a summary of some of the biggest Union and college hockey news in July (from earliest to most recent):


- Four current Dutchmen and one former Dutchman participated in NHL Prospect Camps this month. Mat Bodie and Jeremy Welsh attended the Chicago Blackhawks camp, Kelly Zajac and Keith Kinkaid attended the New Jersey Devils camp, and Josh Jooris attended the Boston Bruins camp. All did a very good job, especially Josh Jooris, who was highly praised, and Kelly Zajac who scored a bunch of goals. You can read all the links, and view pictures and videos of these guys at the camps on the UHB Twitter. [UHB Twitter]


- Former Union star Mario Valery-Trabucco signed with Augsburger Panther in Germany. [ECAC Hockey]


- Western Michigan Coach Jeff Blashill left for a job with the Detroit Red Wings. [USCHO]


- Flin Flon Bombers forward Andrew Johnston committed to Union for 12-13 season. [Flin Flon Bombers]


- Devils blog ranked Keith Kinkaid the 14th best prospect in NJ Devils system. [In Lou We Trust]

Keith Kinkaid at the New Jersey Devils Prospect Camp

- Keith Kinkaid talked about being with the Devils. [Fire & Ice]


- The face of college hockey has changed with the creation of the Big 10 conference, and the announcement this summer of the creation of the six team "super conference" called the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The WCHA and CCHA has had some major scrambling to do, and may change the situation in the east, especially with Atlantic Hockey. There have also been rumors of Notre Dame joining with Hockey East or the ECAC. [USCHO] [New York Times]


- Union goaltender recruit Julien LaPlante is ineligible after admitting to playing 20 minutes for the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks, a Canadian major junior hockey team. He could still have come to Union after sitting out one season, but Coach Bennett didn't want that. [Ken Schott]


- Kevin Sullivan took part in the "Big Assist III" in Stamford, Connecticut. It was a charity game to benefit the Obie Harrington-Howes foundation. Sullivan got the chance to play with NHL stars like Martin St. Louis and Matt Moulson. [Darien Patch]


- The Zajac brothers were featured at the Devils camp. [Fire & Ice]


- Reports said that Minnesota State - Moorhead is trying to add DI ice hockey. [MSUM Athletics]


- Union announced their incoming recruiting class (Class of 2015): forwards Mark Bennett, Sam Coatta, Daniel Ciampini, Tyson Fulton, Trevor Mingoia, and Max Novak, defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Charlie Vasaturo, and goaltenders Dillion Pieri and Colin Stevens. This was pretty much what we expected. [Union Athletics]

Josh Jooris at the Boston Bruins Prospect Camp

- Goaltender Colin Stevens, a Niskayuna native, is coming to Union one year early after the problems with Julien LaPlante. He's supposed to be an excellent goaltender. [Ken Schott]


- Sam Bowles '08 has resigned with the Columbus Cottonmouths of the SPHL. [ECAC Hockey]


- Julien LaPlante has followed former Union coach Nate Leaman to Providence, but will have to sit out the upcoming season. [Ken Schott]


- Jooris, Welsh, Bodie, and Zajac all shared their thoughts on attending the NHL prospect camps. [Official Blog of Union Hockey]


- The College Hockey Blog named Jeremy Welsh as a sleeper for the 2012 Hobey Baker Award. [The College Hockey Blog]


- Keith Kinkaid has his own Wikipedia page. Sweet. I bet the best pickup line ever is, "Hey have you seen my Wikipedia page?" I wish I had one. [Wikipedia]


- Versus is looking into a college hockey TV package. [Ken Schott]


- Instant replay has been installed at Messa Rink. [Twitpic courtesy of @UnionHockey]


- Inside College Hockey ranked Union 6th in their preseason Top 10 poll. [INCH]

Jeremy Welsh at the Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Camp

- Union has released their 2011-12 roster. Notes: Only numbers not used are 5, 13, and 24... Jean-Sebastian Bergeron is not on the roster... Cole Ikkala has changed his number from 18 to 23...  the Freshmen have received their numbers: #6 Vasaturo, #10 Bennett, #11 Coatta, #14 Gostisbehere, #17 Ciampini, #18 Novak, #25 Fulton, #29 Mingoia, #30 Stevens, #31 Pieri. [Union Athletics]


- Former Union captain Mike Wakita '10 has resigned with the Missouri Mavericks of the CHL. [ECAC Hockey]


To follow the latest college hockey news go to USCHO, INCH, or CHN.

New Recruit: Daniel Ciampini

Last week, Chris Heisenberg confirmed that Daniel Ciampini has committed to play for Union next season. Ciampini is currently playing for and is the captain of the St. Michael's Buzzers in the CCHL (the same league freshman forward Josh Jooris played in). He is listed at 6-feet tall and 183 pounds.

The Concord, Ontario native seems like a big goal scorer, which is always welcomed. Ciampini led his team in scoring last season (42 goals and 46 assists in 49 games), and is doing the same this year (22 goals and 36 assists and 37 games). For more check out his profile on the CCHL website here.
Check out a "A Foot in the Crease" podcast featuring Ciampini from May 2010 here.

Here's an interview with Ciampini from a few years ago:


Here's an on-ice interview with Ciampini earlier this month: