Dutchmen Ex-Files - 12/29/13

by Ryan Fay

The latest round-up in former Dutchmen news for the week ending December 29:

Ex-Union Player of the Week
G Keith Kinkaid (Albany, AHL)

Kinkaid won his 50th game at the AHL level and recorded his league-high fourth shutout of the season with 19 saves in a 2-0 blanking of Adirondack on Friday. The shutout, the ninth of his career, also tied an Albany franchise record for shutouts in a season - and it's only December.

Things have been pointing in the right
direction for Kinkaid this season

Kinkaid extended his shutout streak to 95 minutes and 46 seconds before allowing a second period goal in Saturday's 4-1 win over Portland. He finished the night with a season-high 38 stops.

The sterling performances helped Kinkaid gain the league lead in goals against average at 1.92. He's also in the top five in wins (13, 5th) and save percentage (.927, 5th).

“He’s a good goalie and the team plays well in front of him,” Adirondack head coach Terry Murray told the Troy Record following Friday's contest.

With another organization, those kind of numbers might put him in line for a look with the parent club, but the need just isn't there with New Jersey, which has a formidable duo in net with Cory Schneider and future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur.

Albany will be glad to have Kinkaid in the meantime.

In other former Dutchmen news:

D Greg Coburn (Las Vegas, ECHL)
Coburn registered an assist in Las Vegas' 5-2 defeat to Idaho on Friday. Coburn, who took a career-high six shots on goal, has three goals and three assists in 24 contests.

G Troy Grosenick (Worcester, AHL)
Grosenick didn't have his strongest week, though apparently he didn't receive a lot of help. He tied his career-high with four goals allowed in a 4-0 loss to Portland on Thursday. On Friday, he surrendered a goal on three shots in relief duty during a 5-2 win against St. John's. He sits at 6-4-0 on the year with a 2.27 GAA (8th in the league) and a .916 save mark.

F Josh Jooris (Abbotsford, AHL)
Jooris had one of his better games as a pro in Friday's 5-1 victory over Oklahoma City. He notched a goal and an assist and finished the night with a career-high plus-3 rating.

Jooris has come on of late, picking up seven points (2 g, 5 a) in his last 12 games after being held off the scoresheet in the 12 games before that. He has a 3-9--12 line in 31 games this season.

F Wayne Simpson (South Carolina, ECHL)
Simpson assisted on what proved to be the game-winning goal in South Carolina's 3-2 win over Greenville on Friday. He's up to 15 points (8 g, 7 a) in 23 games this season. The 24-year-old still hasn't taken a single penalty this season.

D Shawn Stuart (Drakkars de Caen, French Elite League)
Stuart chipped in an assist in Drakkars' 5-3 loss to Angers on Sunday. He's the club's top scoring blueliner with six points (g, 5 a) in 16 games.
Recent feature: Catching Up With... Shawn Stuart

D Nolan Julseth-White (Las Vegas, ECHL)
Julseth-White scored his second goal of the season in Thursday's 4-3 setback to Bakersfield. The 25-year-old also has three assists in 27 games.

F Kelly Zajac (Albany, AHL)
Zajac collected an assist in Albany's win over Portland on Saturday, raising his season totals to 2-13--15 in 24 games.

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Dutchmen Ex-Files - 12/23/13

by Ryan Fay

The latest look at what various former Dutchmen have been doing on the ice over the past week:

Ex-Union Player of the Week
F Wayne Simpson (South Carolina, ECHL)

Simpson

Simpson keeps on rolling for the Stingrays.

He recorded his first multi-goal game at the professional level with a pair of tallies against former Clarkson netminder Paul Karpowich in a 4-2 win at Gwinnett on Friday.

The 24-year-old then scored his first game-winning goal as a pro with a second period tally in Saturday's 3-2 victory over the same team.

He has 11 points (7 goals, 4 assists) in his last 10 games. At that rate, it's only a matter of time before he's up in the AHL.

On the season, Simpson has an 8-6--14 line in 20 games.

In other news:

F Kyle Bodie (South Carolina, ECHL)
Bodie picked up an assist in Friday's win at Gwinnett, giving him four points (one goal, three assists) in five games since being acquired from San Francisco earlier this month. Between stops in South Carolina, San Francisco, and Cincinnati, Bodie has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 21 games.

F T.J Fox (Denver, CHL)
Fox collected two assists in a 6-5 loss to Rapid City on Saturday, raising his season point total to 13 (four goals, nine assists) in 26 games.

G Troy Grosenick (Worcester, AHL)
Grosenick is adjusting to the AHL just fine. He took over the league-lead in goals against average after stopping 29-of-31 shots in a 3-2 win at Hershey on Saturday. The Brookfield, Wisconsin native has a 2.01 GAA in 10 games this season to go with a 6-3-0 record and a .924 save percentage.

F Josh Jooris (Abbotsford, AHL)
Jooris assisted on the game-tying goal at 4:47 of the third period before Abbotsford topped Hamilton, 3-2, in a shootout on Sunday. Jooris has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 26 games.

G Keith Kinkaid (Albany, AHL)
Kinkaid isn't far behind Grosenick on the league GAA leaderboard. He's tied for second at 2.09. Kinkaid most recently played on Saturday, brushing aside 26-of-29 shots in a 3-2 overtime setback at Binghamton. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Kinkaid, who fell to 11-4-1 on the year.

F Trevor Mingoia (Providence, Hockey East)
Mingoia has made a quick impact at Providence for former Union head coach Nate Leaman. Mingoia, who left Union in October 2012, has a point in each of his first four games with the fifth-ranked Friars. His first goal with Providence came in Friday's 4-1 win over Army.

F Kelly Zajac (Albany, AHL)
Zajac chipped in a helper in Saturday's loss at Binghamton, pushing his season line to 2-12--14 in 22 contests.

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Union Hockey ex-files - 12/1/13

by Ryan Fay

A round-up of a busy Saturday in Union men's hockey alumni news...

F Kyle Bodie (San Francisco, ECHL) scored a power play goal in San Francisco's 5-2 loss at Utah. It was his first goal since being acquired from Cincinnati on November 13. Between the two stops, he has two goals and an assist in 16 games.

F T.J Fox (Denver, CHL) had a goal and an assist in Denver's 6-2 loss at Rapid City. Fox has two goals and seven assists in 19 games.

F Josh Jooris (Abbotsford, AHL) registered a goal, but Abbotsford fell to Utica, 4-3, in overtime. He led Abbotsford with seven shots on goal. Jooris, who hadn't scored a goal since the season-opener, has two goals and five assists in 22 games.
Video: Jooris postgame (11/30)

F Trevor Mingoia (Providence, Hockey East) added an assist in Providence's 3-2 win over Brown. He assisted on a Drew Brown goal; Brown originally committed to Union before following Nate Leaman to Providence in 2011. Mingoia has assists in both games since gaining eligibility for the Friars.

F Wayne Simpson (South Carolina, ECHL) chipped in an assist in South Carolina's 3-2 shootout win at Kalamazoo. Simpson has two goals and two assists in his last three games. Overall, he has three goals and four assists in 13 games.

F Kelly Zajac (Albany, AHL) picked up two assists in Albany's 8-6 loss to Bridgeport. Zajac has a goal and six assists in his last five contests. Overall, he has two goals and seven assists in 15 games.

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Grosenick, Jooris to compete in Young Stars Classic

by Ryan Fay

Ex-Union standouts Troy Grosenick and Josh Jooris could be facing off against each other in the upcoming Young Stars Classic.

The round-robin tournament will showcase prospects from the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets. It will be held September 5-9 in Penticton, British Columbia.

Grosenick, who signed with San Jose in April, and Jooris, who agreed to terms with Calgary in July, are included on the tournament rosters for their respective organizations. The Sharks prospects take on the Flames prospects on September 8 at 8:30 pm (ET).

Grosenick posted a 39-16-9 record over three seasons with Union, setting program records in career goals against average (1.89) and save percentage (.930).

Joors appeared in 117 games in three seasons with the Dutchmen. He scored 29 goals and added 59 assists.

UPDATED: Jooris forgoes senior year, signs with Calgary

by Ryan Fay

The Dutchmen suffered a major loss on Tuesday.

Star forward Josh Jooris gave up his senior year of eligibility to sign with the Calgary Flames, just weeks after impressing in their development camp.

Jooris inked a two-year, two-way entry-level deal that is worth $832,500 per year in the NHL and $70,000 in the AHL, with a signing bonus of $92,500 each season. The average annual value is $925,000.

"Josh is a right shot center with size and skill,” Flames general manager Jay Feaster said in a release. “During our recent development camp he played an aggressive, up-tempo style and displayed good grit and a high compete level. Our staff felt strongly that we should attempt to get him signed, and we are pleased to welcome him to the organization."

The decision to leave Union a year early wasn't an easy one for Jooris, who is expected to compete in Flames main camp later this year.

Jooris (Union)

"My time at Union has truly been the best of my life,” Jooris said in a release. “The people involved with my three years at school is what made this decision extremely difficult. I fully intend on completing my degree in the near future. Union has always upheld the importance of being a student first and an athlete second, and I truly value my education."

Union head coach Rick Bennett said Jooris called him on Monday night to break the news. The deal had already been done.

"He's living his dream now," Bennett said when reached by phone on Tuesday. "You wish him all the best. He was a great guy for us, a great person, and we always appreciated his time with us."

Jooris, 23, made the most of that time. He piled up 88 points (29 goals, 59 assists) in 117 games over three seasons with the Dutchmen, and finished fourth on the team this past year with 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists). He was Union’s active career leader in playoff scoring with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists), including a pair of goals in Union's 5-1 win over Boston College in the NCAA East Regional semifinal on March 30.

Losing a key offensive player so late in the summer wasn't the best timing for the program, which had already lost its top two scorers, Wayne Simpson and Kyle Bodie, to graduation.

"The timing absolutely stinks," Bennett said. "I wish I could sugarcoat it, but it stinks. It's awful tough to replace a player at this time, never mind one of your best players."

Jooris is the fourth Union player to leave early to go pro in the past three years, but the other three signed contracts within weeks of the season ending. Goaltender Keith Kinkaid signed with New Jersey following the 2010-2011 season, forward Jeremy Welsh signed with Carolina after the 2011-2012 season, and netminder Troy Grosenick agreed to terms with San Jose in April.

Kinkaid and Welsh have already had cups of coffee in the NHL. Bennett thinks Jooris could see that level as well.

"My thoughts are that he's probably going to be in the American Hockey League this year and he may get a call-up to the National Hockey League," Bennett said. "I hope he does, I really do. It would be great for him and his family."

Follow @unionhockeynews

Dutchmen in NHL Prospect Camps

by Ryan Fay

A list of current Dutchmen participating in NHL prospect camps this summer:

D TIM BOYLE
Ottawa Senators prospect camp... was Ottawa's fourth round draft pick last year... also participated in Senators prospect camp last summer. Ottawa's camp began today and runs through July 9th.

D SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE
Philadelphia Flyers prospect camp .... was Philadelphia's third round draft pick last year .... also participated in Flyers prospect camp last summer.... Philadelphia's camp begins July 8th.

F JOSH JOORIS
Calgary Flames prospect camp.... participated in Vancouver Canucks camp last summer. Flames camp begins July 9th.

Union sweeps away Dartmouth, 5-2 (with 3 videos)

BOX SCORE

by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- Union completed an ECAC Quarterfinals sweep of Dartmouth with a 5-2 win in front of 1,835 fans Saturday night at Messa Rink.

The win advances the defending Whitelaw Cup winners from Schenectady to the league semifinals on Friday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Union's opponent will be determined following the completion of the quarterfinal round on Sunday.

“It was nice,” Union head coach Rick Bennett said of advancing. “I was thinking about it today, the fact that we wanted just to tell those seniors that they were the first team [here] to get to our league [final] four in back-to-back seasons. That’s something they should be proud of.

“There’s been some ups and downs. But I tell you what, it seems like every article that comes out always starts out that Union is having an up-and-down season. But we still have 19 wins. To me, that’s a heck of a season.”

Junior forward Matt Hatch made a heck of a pass to Kevin Sullivan, who one-timed it past Dartmouth goaltender Charles Grant to give Union a 1-0 lead at the 1:32 mark of the first period.

“The first goal was all Hatch,” Sullivan said. “It was a great forecheck by him. I got a good a piece of it on the one-timer. It was a great feed by him.”

Kyle Bodie's ninth goal of the season pushed the lead to 2-0 when his blocked shot rebounded back to him and he sent it past Grant at 2:37 of the middle period.

“Quite honestly, I don’t even know how the puck ended up in the slot there,” Bodie said. “Yeah, that first one got blocked. It landed flat. I just got it on net. There was probably two or three of our guys alone in front of the net. It kind of had eyes, and found its way through.”

19th-ranked Union quickly increased its lead to 3-0 just over two minutes later when defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere launched a rocket into the back of the net.

“The goal that 14 [Gostisbehere] scored, I don’t think any goalie has that puck, not at the college level,” said Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet.  “It’s a great play. When they wheel around, they are a very good team.”

Gostisbehere's goal chased Grant from the game, and Gaudet turned to Cab Morris the rest of the way. Grant stopped 12-of-15 shots before being relieved.

"[Grant] did a real good job for us," Gaudet said. "It was one of those nights where they shot it where he wasn't."

Dartmouth (15-14-5) got on the board, 3-1, at 9:20 of the second period when Eric Neiley scored a shorthanded goal following a hooking penalty to Rick Pinkston. Neiley pickpocted Josh Jooris, capitalized on a two-on-one, and beat Troy Grosenick low.

Jooris redeemed himself when he upped Union's lead to 4-1 after he beat Morris high at the 11:15 mark of the third period.

A Gostisbehere turnover led to Dustin Walsh giving Dartmouth a little hope when he lit the lamp at 15:02 to make it a 4-2 game. But Sullivan's second goal of the night with a minute to play iced the series for the Dutchmen, who didn't trail at any point over the weekend.

“[Daniel] Carr took a one-timer, and I think his stick broke,” Sull­ivan said of his second goal. “He whiffed on it, which is pretty rare. I just got a lucky tip.”

PAIRWISE UPDATE
When the smoke cleared Saturday, Union (19-12-5) remained 15th in the Pairwise.

MR. CLUTCH
Sullivan, who scored two goals in Saturday's quarterfinal clinching game, also scored two goals in last year's quarterfinal clinching win over RPI.

ON THE ROAD
Union is offering ticket and transportation packages to Atlantic City. For more information, click here.

THREE STARS

1. Sullivan, Union - Scored two goals and added an assist.

2. Grosenick, Union - Backstopped Dutchmen to Atlantic City with 28 saves.

3. Hatch, Union - Great feed lead to Union's first goal.

POSTGAME VIDEOS

Union 4, Clarkson 0 - postgame blog (with 2 videos)

by Ryan Fay

BOX SCORE

IN A NUTSHELL
Union blanks Clarkson, 4-0, in the regular season finale in front of 2,371 fans at Messa Rink.

BYE, BYE, BYE
With the win, Dartmouth's 4-1 loss to Quinnipiac, and RPI's 4-1 victory over St. Lawrence, the Dutchmen clinched a first round bye and enter the league playoffs as the fourth seed behind Quinnipiac, RPI, and Yale. Union returns to Messa Rink to face a yet to be determined opponent during the weekend of Mar. 15-17.

"It's one of those where anyone would take it," head coach Rick Bennett said of picking up the bye. "It means we can get some players back healthy. Everybody has played so much this year, so it's refreshing to have it. We have to make the best use of it. I thought we did last year, but we have to continue to do what has worked for us this year. Last year is last year, so we have to worry about this year."

RISING TO THE OCCASION
With Troy Grosenick on the sidelines following an injury sustained in Friday's 5-1 win over St. Lawrence, sophomore Colin Stevens stepped in and stopped all 24 shots that came his way. It was Stevens' third shutout of the season and first since blanking Penn State, 2-0, on Nov. 24.

Grosenick was listed first on the line chart released earlier Saturday, which usually indicates a start, but Bennett said Stevens was the guy all along.

"I had a pretty good idea that I was going to be playing after what happened [to Grosenick] last night," Stevens said. "I went about it like any other game. Preparation is huge and I'm glad we got the two points."

Grosenick's status for the playoffs is to be determined.

LIGHTING THE LAMP
With five goals Friday and four more Saturday, Union scored nine goals over the weekend. It marked the best offensive output for a single weekend since scoring 11 goals in a sweep of RPI Nov. 2-3.

"Overall balance on the lines," Bennett said when asked about the increased offensive production. "It was really nice to get three lines going and the fourth line put up some productive shifts. [Fourth liner] David Roy is going to be a heckuva player for us. Once he gains a step here and there, it's really going to help us for the future. [Fourth liners] Sam [Coatta] and Cole [Ikkala] did a tremendous job."

100 POINT CLUB
With an assist on Josh Jooris' third period goal, junior Daniel Carr became the 10th player in the program's Division I era to reach the 100 career points milestone. Senior Wayne Simpson joined the exclusive club earlier this season.

SENIOR NIGHT
Postgame ceremonies were held for the five seniors on the roster. Greg Coburn, Wayne Simpson, Kyle Bodie, Ryan Forgaard, and Shawn Stuart will be graduating this spring. With two more wins, the group will go down as the winningest class in program history.

"Since I've been here, it seems like senior night has been a great night all around," Bennett said. "It's nice that our guys played so tremendously hard for our seniors. That's what we ask as a coaching staff -- to play as hard as you can for them. Not that you're playing any different, but there's always something extra you like to give seniors... a nice going away present, per se."

WEEK TO WEEK
Sophomore defenseman Charlie Vasaturo was injured in the first period of Friday's win and is considered to be "week to week." The blueliner has two goals and two assists in 20 games this season.

PLAYOFF TICKETS
Information on playoff tickets can be found here.

THREE STARS
1. Stevens - The Niskayuna native came through in a pinch and helped Union clinch a first round bye in the ECAC playoffs.

"He had a great game tonight and I'm really happy for him," Bennett said.

2. Kevin Sullivan - The junior scored two goals for his first multigoal game of the season. Sullivan played his best hockey as the regular season drew to a close with three goals and three assists over the final nine contests.

"The first [goal] was basically all Hatch using his speed coming in," Sullivan said. "Just threw it in front and luckily it went on my stick. I took a couple whacks and it went in."

As for the second goal, "Carr and Jooris were working it pretty well up top," Sullivan added. "I just got a lucky bounce on my stick."

When asked for a reason behind the late season scoring surge, the forward said "bigger games, I guess."

3. Carr - The forward had two assists, both in the third period. The second helper was the 100th point of his Union career.

POSTGAME

Union, Dartmouth skate to 2-2 tie (with 2 videos)

For postgame press conference videos, scroll down or click here. There's two from tonight. One combined video from the Union side with Rick Bennett, Mat Bodie, and Kevin Sullivan. The other is Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet.

=========

by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- Considering #18 Union and #16 Dartmouth (11-7-3, 7-5-2) entered play tied with 15 points in the ECAC standings, it was only fitting that the two teams skated to a 2-2 tie on Friday in front of 2,271 fans at Messa Rink.

But Union (13-8-5, 6-4-4) was minutes away from coming away with two points instead of one. 

With Union protecting a 2-1 lead, Daniel Ciampini took a tripping penalty at 14:41 of the third period. Dartmouth's Rick Pinkston quickly tied the game at two 24 seconds into the power play when his shot hit the post, bounced off Troy Grosenick, and into the net.

"I wouldn't say it was the hardest working penalty," said Union head coach Rick Bennett. "We've gotten away with some lucky ones with too many men and haven't gotten punished for it. But maybe this is like a justification. Yeah, it was lazy. We've got to curb it."

The game-tying tally was the second power play goal allowed by Union's usually unbreakable penalty kill (89.3%), which allowed more than one power play goal in a game for the first time this season.

Dartmouth's Eric Neiley tied the game at one on the power play at the 9:25 mark of the middle period. Neiley's one-timer from the left faceoff dot came mere seconds into a power play chance generated by a tripping penalty on Kyle Bodie.

Union's country-best power play, which finished 1-for-5, had a golden opportunity in overtime when Eric Robinson went off for elbowing 20 seconds into the extra frame. But outside of a jam attempt by Josh Jooris, the Dutchmen manufactured little on the man advantage.

"Our specialty teams let us down tonight. That's the bottom line," Bennett said. "We had some passengers in the top six forwards. At this time of the year, you can't have that. You just can't. All those guys have been given a great opportunity."

Added defenseman Mat Bodie, "special teams has been a huge part of our team identity so far this year. Tonight, we just didn't get it done. With regards to the power play, we were trying to force some plays. We didn't keep it simple and that's what cost us getting the win."

Following a busy-but-scoreless first period, Kevin Sullivan opened the scoring with his first goal of the year at the 3:25 mark of the second period. Matt Hatch sped down the left wing, went behind the net, and found Sullivan in front.

"I didn't have to do much there," Sullivan said in reference to his goal. "Hatch made a great play. He drove wide and Jooris went to the net. I was just lucky to be driving the net in that spot."

Mat Bodie's power play goal broke a 1-1 tie at 13:25 of the second period when he fired a pass from Matt Wilkins that went over the shoulder of Dartmouth goaltender Cab Morris and into the back of the net.

"Wilkins made a great pass to me and I believe him and Novak were in front of the goalie screening," Bodie said. "Assistant coach Jason Tapp said high on (Morris) from the point, so I shot high. It had eyes."

Since the calendar flipped to 2013, the Dutchmen have scored three or fewer goals in eight of their nine games. Bennett knows what has to change.

"I wish we would have that pack of wolves mentality around the net a bit more," he said. "That's why we're scoring two, three goals. It hasn't been four or five."

Union, which outshot Dartmouth, 39-26, resumes play on February 8th at Clarkson. The Golden Knights tied Colgate, 4-4, on Friday.

POSTGAME VIDEOS





Hockey Game Box Score (Final)
2012-13 Union College Men's Hockey
#16 DART vs #18 Union (Feb 01, 2013 at Schenectady, NY)

DART (11-7-3 (7-5-2 ECACH)) vs. Union (13-8-5 (6-4-4 ECACH)) Date: Feb 01, 2013 Location: Schenectady, NY Arena: Messa Rink Attendance:2271 Start time:7:40 pm End time:10:10 pm Total time:2:30  Goals by Period  1st  2nd  3rd  OT  Total  DART   0  1  1  0  2  Union   0  2  0  0  2  Scoring Summary #  Prd  Time  Team  Type  Scored by  Assists  Visitor on ice  Home on ice  1.  2nd  03:25  UNION   EVEN  Sullivan, Kevin/1  Hatch, Matt/2  14,25,5,4,12  16,15,6,7,3                    Coburn, Greg/13        2.  2nd  09:25  DART   PP  NEILEY, Eric/5  BULLOCK, Ryan/4  11,23,16,9,25  18,9,22,28                    SIKURA, Tyler/17        3.  2nd  13:01  UNION   PP  Bodie, Mat/3  Wilkins, Matt/6  5,4,8,29  22,9,7,18,19                    Carr, Daniel/11        4.  3rd  15:05  DART   PP  PINKSTON, Rick/3  KEENAN, Mike/9  19,7,27,22,21  18,9,16,22                    WALSH, Dustin/7

Jooris returns tonight vs RPI

After missing one game with an upper-body injury, junior forward Josh Jooris returns to the lineup for tonight's Mayor's Cup game against RPI. Jooris will be centering a line with Matt Hatch on the left and Kevin Sullivan on the right.

Daniel Carr moves from the Kyle Bodie and Wayne Simpson line to the Matt Wilkins and Max Novak line. Daniel Ciampni will be with Bodie and Simpson instead of Wilkins and Novak.

Troy Grosenick starts in goal and defenseman Shawn Stuart remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. It will be Stuart's fourth consecutive game missed.

RPI has also released their lines, but without a designated starting goaltender.

AUDIO: Rick Bennett pre-practice 1/24/13

by Ryan Fay

Prior to Thursday's practice, Union men's hockey head coach Rick Bennett spoke with the media.

The second-year head coach talked about Saturday's game with RPI and offered health updates on Shawn Stuart and Josh Jooris.

Stuart has missed the past three games with an upper-body injury. Jooris, who got on the ice today, sat out Tuesday's game against Harvard after taking a stick to the facemask in last Saturday's win over Colgate.

To listen, click here or listen via the player below.

Hosted by Kiwi6 file hosting. Download mp3 - Free Music Hosting.

Union uses late surge to beat Harvard, 4-1

For postgame videos, scroll down or click here. There's four: Harvard coach Ted Donato, Union coach Rick Bennett, Union player Wayne Simpson, and Union players Mat Bodie and Matt Wilkins.

==========

by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- Forget about collapsing in the third period.

On Tuesday night, Union saved its best for last.

The Dutchmen scored three goals in the final period to roll to a 4-1 win over Harvard at Messa Rink. Union, which won its second game in a row, had gone six games without even one third period goal.

Before Union broke out in the third, their powerplay opened the scoring late in the second. Harvard's Luke McGregor was called for holding at 16:19 and Max Novak cashed in at 17:27 to make a 1-0 game.

"Novak was real patient and made a great play with that spinaround shot," said Union defenseman Mat Bodie, who picked up his first of three assists on the goal. "It was Matt Wilkins in front and I don't think their goalie saw it."

The Union powerplay, which ranks first in the country at 26.4%, hit paydirt again on Union's first goal of the third. Union had a 5-on-3 opportunity at 7:36 when Luke Greiner was whistled for high sticking on a delayed hooking penalty on Mitchell Everson.

Wayne Simpson capitalized and made the Crimson pay, putting Union ahead, 2-0, at the 8:12 mark. It was his team-leading twelfth goal of the season and eventually proved to be the game winner.

"Not many players can make the play Mat Bodie did to get it to me," Simpson said of his teammate. "He drew some of the guys out, so it was pretty much me. I was looking for the pass initially, but I found a spot to put in, and luckily it just snuck in the corner."

Jimmy Vesey, Harvard's star freshman, made it a 2-1 game with just over nine minutes left in regulation.

"There was a little life on the bench when we scored," Harvard head coach Ted Donato said.

But Union's lead quickly grew back to two, 3-1, when Wilkins provided some breathing room with his second goal of the month at the 13:35 mark.

"Like my first goal, it was kind of weight off the shoulder," the freshman said after the game. "It's not as if I've been lacking opportunities, but they haven't been going in. Hopefully this one will get me going."

Said Bodie of the goal, "it was huge for us. I think that was the one where we felt 'alright, I think we have this one under control.'"

Bodie, who is four points from setting the school record for points by a defenseman, drew praise from Union head coach Rick Bennett.

"He's been doing the little things that the coaching staff has been showing and that tells what type of leader he is," Bennett said. "His defensive play the past two games has been dynamite. And his offense tonight was the benefit of that."

What wasn't praiseworthy was Union drawing a penalty for too many men on the ice for the third straight game.

"One of our guys had a foot over," Bennett said. "He was coming back hard, but our guy jumped forward. It's going to be a tough skate on Thursday -- for the coaching staff as well. It's a team penalty and the coaching staff is going to be held accountable just as much as the players are."

Daniel Carr's empty net goal with 19 seconds left in the game made it a 4-1 lead for Union, which outshot Harvard, 38-23, on the night. Troy Grosenick added 22 saves in the winning effort.

The Dutchmen resume play on Saturday night in a non-league contest against rival RPI at the Times Union Center.

JOORIS UPDATE

Don't expect injured forward Josh Jooris to play in Saturday's game.

"It doesn't look great," Bennett said after the game.

Jooris was banged up in the third period of Saturday's win over Colgate and missed his first game of the year on Tuesday.

"It's upper-middle body. Could be lower-body for all I know. It's somewhere in the body. That's all I know at this time," Bennett coyly added.


Hockey Game Box Score (Final)
Harvard vs #19 Union (Jan 22, 2013 at Schenectady, NY)

Harvard (5-11-1 (3-9-0 ECACH)) vs. Union (12-8-4 (6-4-3 ECACH)) Date: Jan 22, 2013 Location: Schenectady, NY Arena: Messa Rink Attendance:1624 Start time:7:00 pm End time:9:04 pm Total time:2:04  Goals by Period 1st 2nd 3rd Total Harvard 0 0 1 1 Union 0 1 3 4 Scoring Summary # Prd Time Team Type Scored by Assists Visitor on ice Home on ice 1. 2nd 17:37 UNION PP Novak, Max/4 Bodie, Mat/10 63,38,9,5 18,22,24,9,19 Gingras, Sebastien/3 2. 3rd 08:12 UNION PP Simpson, Wayne/12 Bodie, Mat/11 63,5,9 21,22,14,12,9 Gostisbehere, Shayne/11 3. 3rd 10:54 HARV EVEN Vesey, Jimmy/7 Blackwell, Colin/4 9,63,19,39,5 16,15,14,20,10 4. 3rd 13:35 UNION EVEN Wilkins, Matt/2 Bodie, Mat/12 7,5,20,38,13 19,22,9,10,3 Carr, Daniel/10 5. 3rd 19:41 UNION EN Carr, Daniel/9 Bodie, Kyle/19 39,5,63,9,26,19 9,21,14,20,12 Simpson, Wayne/14

POSTGAME VIDEOS

Jooris out of the lineup

by Ryan Fay

Josh Jooris (6 g, 9 a, 23 gm) is out of the lineup for tonight's game vs Harvard. He will be replaced by sophomore Mark Bennett, set to see his first action since December 1st against Princeton.

Jooris had played in all 23 games this season.

The junior was hit in the facemask in the third period of Saturday's win over Colgate, but he returned prior to the conclusion of the game. Apparently there are some lingering effects.

The rest of the lineup remains the same.