Ex-Union standout Mat Bodie makes case

by Ryan Fay

For some players, the National Hockey League preseason doesn't carry a whole lot of meaning. They know where they stand with their teams and their spots on the roster are secure.

Bodie congratulates teammates after a goal 
on Tuesday. 
(nhl.com)

But for others, like former Union College defenseman Mat Bodie, it's a golden chance to make an impression with the brass on the big club.

And Bodie certainly made a positive one with the New York Rangers in Tuesday's 5-3 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center, the building where he won an NCAA title with the Dutchmen in April 2014.

Bodie, who was making his preseason debut, made the most of his 21-plus minutes of ice time. He scored two goals, one on a nifty backhander that tied the score at 2-2 and the other on a rocket from the left circle that cut the Flyers lead to 5-3.

On the other end of the ice, he used his sense of awareness to take a potential tally away from the Flyers when he cleared a loose puck from the Rangers crease.

“There’s no doubt that there’s some progression on his part," Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault told the New York Daily News after the game. "He’s got a real good stick, knows how to put it defensively, and when he’s got the puck on his stick, most of the time he makes the right plays with the puck. He had a strong game tonight and that was good for us to see. He certainly played a good game and he’s gonna deserve another look.”

Bodie originally signed with the Rangers as an undrafted free-agent shortly after leading Union to the 2014 NCAA championship. He spent time in Rangers training camp last fall before playing all of last season with the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolf Pack. He led AHL rookie defensemen in assists (27) and tied for first among AHL rookie defensemen in points (32).

"I think building off my season last year in Hartford, I had some confidence down there and just feel a lot more comfortable the second time around in camp here," Bodie told the New York Daily News.

Despite his development, the undersized Bodie (he's 6-foot, 175-pounds) still faces an uphill battle to make a Rangers roster deep in defensive options. But with more performances like Tuesday's, those odds could change for the better.

For now, the 25-year-old is just focused on making the best impression he can.

“You just try and make your impression," added Bodie, who tied for the team-high in plus/minus on Tuesday with a plus-2 rating. "You hope you get a chance in a couple of these games and just go out and have fun. This is a game I’ve been playing for 21 years or so, so just go enjoy it. Not everyone gets to throw on an NHL jersey. Just make the best impression you can.”

The Rangers continue their preseason slate Thursday with a 7 p.m. contest at Boston.

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Dutchmen sweep league honors

by Ryan Fay

It was all Union in this week's ECAC Hockey men's awards.

Senior blueliner Mat Bodie was named Player of the Week, junior Colin Stevens earned Goaltender of the Week and freshman netminder Alex Sakellaropoulos captured Rookie of the Week.

Bodie garnered first star honors in Friday's 4-1 win at top-ranked St. Cloud State after recording a goal and two assists.

Stevens, a Niskayuna native, earned Goaltender of the Week honors for the second consecutive week. He registered a career-high 37 saves in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Dartmouth at Messa Rink. He was nearly as good in Saturday's 3-3 tie at St. Cloud State, collecting 35 saves.

Sakellaropoulos posted a career-high 34 saves on Friday in his first start since a 2-2 tie at UConn on October 25. He earned third star honors after Friday's contest.

#6/7 Union (12-3-3) is off until an ECAC Hockey matchup at #8/8 Quinnipiac on January 10.

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Bodie inching closer to milestone

by Ryan Fay

Senior defenseman Mat Bodie is nearing a milestone.

Bodie (Union)

With 96 career points (20 goals, 76 assists), Bodie is four away from becoming the 11th member of the Dutchmen's Division I era 100 career points club. Union moved to the D1 level beginning with the 1991-1992 season.

"The way I get my points with a lot of assists is a tribute to the talent I've played with," Bodie said when interviewed earlier this year. "It's guys like Jeremy Welsh, Wayne Simpson, Adam Presizniuk, just to name a few. They've been really good goal scorers here, so I have to credit a lot to them."

Bodie, who has 11 assists in 11 games this season, could reach the milestone as early as this weekend, when Union travels to Penn State for a two-game non-conference series Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

The 23-year-old would be the lone defenseman in the program's D1 era century club. The East St. Paul, Manitoba native became the top scoring blueliner in the program's D1 history when he surpassed Lane Caffaro's 79 career points with an assist in a 4-2 win against Yale at Messa Rink on February 15, 2013.

After Bodie, it could be awhile before the club adds another member. The next closest player on the roster is junior defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who has 60 career points (17 g, 43 a).

The 2012 Philadelphia Flyers draftee could have a chance if he returns for his senior season, but it remains to be seen if the Flyers will be able to woo him into the pro ranks a year early.

Union men's hockey Division I-era 100 career points club

Rank	Player	Years at Union	Career Points
1	Adam Presizniuk	2007-2011	131
2	Kelly Zajac	2008-2012	128
3	x- DANIEL CARR	2010-pres	121
4	Jason Walters	2006-2010	115
	Wayne Simpson	2009-2013	115
6	Mario Valery-Trabucco	2006-2010	114
	Jordan Webb	2001-2005	114
8	Chris Ford	1993-1997	104
9	Joel Beal	2001-2005	101
10	Jeremy Welsh	2009-2012	100

x- = active

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Bodie on ECAC Hockey Radio Show

by Ryan Fay

Men's hockey senior defenseman Mat Bodie was on the "Inside ECAC Hockey" weekly radio show on Thursday.

The captain discussed a variety of Dutchmen-related topics as the team heads into this weekend's two-game non-conference series against Lake Superior State at Messa Rink.

Bodie's segment can be listened to here.

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Simpson among award winners

by Ryan Fay

Senior forward Wayne Simpson, who led the Dutchmen with 36 points and seven game winning goals, was named the team MVP at the annual Union hockey awards banquet Sunday night.

Other award winners include:

Sophomore Daniel Ciampini walked away with the most improved player award. The forward scored 21 points this past season, 15 more than he did in his freshman campaign. His goal total jumped from three to 11 and his assist tally increased from three to 10.

Freshman Matt Wilkins, who led all Union freshmen with 16 points, was named the rookie of the year. The forward was especially good after the first of the year, as 12 of his 16 points came after the calendar flipped to 2013.

The coaches award went to the three captains, seniors Kyle Bodie and Greg Coburn, and junior Mat Bodie.

Sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere picked up the 7th player award, chosen annually by the fans. It is awarded to the player who fans feel, with extra effort and skill, consistently creates excitement and aggressive play, resulting in a team advantage. Gostisbehere finished second among Union defensemen with 26 points, trailing only the 28 posted by Greg Coburn.

Junior forward Cole Ikkala picked up two awards, the Charlie Morrison award for community involvement and the Scott Richardson Unsung Hero award.

Theo DiPauli, a freshman forward, was awarded the VanArden Dukehart award for team's highest GPA.

Gostisbehere named an All-American

by Ryan Fay

Sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was named a 2013 Second Team CCM Hockey All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association on Friday.

The Margate, Florida native played in 36 games this past season, finishing second among Union defenseman with 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists). He averaged 0.72 points per game, tenth best in the country among defenseman.

Gostisbehere was even better in ECAC play, leading Union defensemen and finishing third in the league with 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) on the way to picking up an All-ECAC second team honor.

The defenseman missed four non-conference games while helping Team USA win a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia. He had a goal and an assist in six tournament contests.

Gostisbehere, who turns 20 next week, was a third round draft pick (78th overall) of the Philadelphia Flyers last June. He is the second Division I era Union defenseman to be named an All-American. Mat Bodie, a second team selection last year, is the other.

Union players receive honors

by Ryan Fay

Three Union men's hockey players received distinctions on Thursday.

Sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, a 2012 Philadelphia Flyers third round pick, received second team All-ECAC honors. The native of Margate, Florida has 7 goals and 17 assists in 32 games and also earned a gold medal while playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championships at the turn of the year.

Forward Daniel Carr, who ranks third on the team with 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists), was named to the All-ECAC third team. The junior recently became the 10th Division I era Union player to reach the 100 career points milestone.

Defenseman Mat Bodie joined Carr on All-ECAC third team. With 24 points (6 g, 18 a), the junior is tied with Gostisbehere and senior Greg Coburn for the team lead in points by a defenseman. Bodie, who hails from East St. Paul, Manitoba, recently surpassed Lane Caffaro as the program's Division I era points leader among defensemen. He has 85 career points (20 g, 65 a) entering tomorrow's ECAC semifinal game against Yale.

CLOSE CALLS

Coburn (8 g, 16 a) was a finalist for the league's best defensive defenseman award, but lost to Quinnipiac senior Zach Davies.

The men's hockey program was a finalist for the Turfer Athletic award, but Dartmouth walked away with it. The award is presented annually to an individual, coach or team who best represents the core values of Turfer Athletics: tenacity, commitment and innovation.

Junior goaltender Troy Grosenick also came up short. He was a finalist for the ECAC's student-athlete award, but Clarkson's Matt Zarbo was the winner.

VIDEO: Postseason media day press conference

by Ryan Fay

Members of the Union men's hockey team met with the media during Tuesday's postseason media day.

From left to right in the video below: head coach Rick Bennett, goaltender Troy Grosenick, defenseman Greg Coburn, defenseman Mat Bodie, and forward Kyle Bodie.

Union hosts Dartmouth in best-of-three ECAC quarterfinal series beginning Friday at 7 pm.

Union 5, St. Lawrence 1 - postgame (with 2 videos)

by Ryan Fay

BOX SCORE

IN A NUTSHELL: Union jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 4:05 of the first period and never trailed en route to a commanding 5-1 win over St. Lawrence Friday night at Messa Rink.

Some thoughts:

PLAYOFF POSITIONING
At the worst, the win clinched home ice in the first round of the ECAC playoffs.

But a top four finish and a first round bye are still possible. Yale is in third place with 23 points while Union, Dartmouth, and St. Lawrence are in a three way tie for fourth with 22 points.

To get a first round bye, Union has to win tomorrow night against Clarkson and then get some help.

According to Jason Klump, if Union wins, they need one of following two things: a Yale loss/tie or a Dartmouth loss/tie.

If Union ties, Klump says, they need two of the following three things to happen: a Yale loss, a Dartmouth loss, or a St. Lawrence loss or tie.

Klump added, "I haven't gone through every iteration yet, but I'm pretty confident Union wins a two way tiebreak over St. Lawrence."

Yale, which squeaked out a 4-3 overtime win against Colgate on Friday, hosts Cornell tomorrow. Dartmouth hosts Quinnipiac after tying Princeton 2-2 on Friday. St. Lawrence travels to RPI.

EARLY DEPARTURES
Defenseman Charlie Vasaturo left the game in the first period and never returned while netminder Troy Grosenick was relieved by Colin Stevens in the third. When asked for details, head coach Rick Bennett said both Vasaturo and Grosenick are "hurt" and are "very questionable" for tomorrow's season finale against Clarkson.

QUICK START
After falling behind 3-0 in the first 10 minutes at Cornell last Saturday, it was imperative for the Dutchmen to get off to a better start Friday. And they did - Vasaturo's second goal of the season opened the scoring only 45 seconds into the game. Just over three minutes later, Matt Hatch pushed Union's lead to 2-0 and the tone was set.

"Something we worked on in practice was coming out hard. When we played them, they came out hard against us," Hatch said, referencing St. Lawrence scoring three first period goals in a 4-2 loss on Feb. 9. "We knew we needed to match or better their tempo starting [off]. Getting those two quick goals was pretty key."

The first period was night and day compared to the effort last Saturday at Cornell. The Big Red held Union to six shots and no goals in the opening frame last Saturday, but the Dutchmen fired 17 shots on Saints goaltender Matt Weninger and put two of them by him.

STRONG FINISH
The third period has been a problem for Union at several points throughout the season, but not Friday. The Dutchmen scored two third period goals and outshot St. Lawrence, 15-8, in the final 20 minutes.

BENNETT PLEASED
Bennett was mostly pleased with the effort he saw Friday.

"I'm not going to say it's the best we're going to get because hopefully there's a lot more in the tank and I believe there is," he said. "But it was a nice effort tonight and a great team effort. A lot of guys showed a lot of heart tonight."

EVEN STRENGTH
All five Union goals came on even strength, marking the most even strength goals Union has racked up in a single game since beating Harvard, 6-2, on Nov. 9.

POWER(LESS) PLAY
If there was one area of concern on Friday, it was the power play. Union's usually strong power play unit went 0-for-6 on the night.

Mat Bodie thought the unit was "maybe" a bit discombobulated.

"There were a couple turnovers in the offensive zone where we fanned on a pass or something like that," he said. "That's something we'll clear up moving forward. [The power play] is usually one of the strengths of our team, so we'll work on that in practice some more."

THREE STARS
1. Shayne Gostisbehere - The sophomore picked up three assists and finished with a +4 rating. With a goal and five assists in his last four games, Gostisbehere is playing his best hockey from a statistical standpoint since returning from the World Junior Championships in early January.

2. Mat Bodie - The junior defenseman "sealed the deal" when his fifth goal of the year put Union up 4-1 at 13:01 of the third. The goal came just under four minutes after Chris Martin put the Saints on the board to make a 3-1 game.

"I thought it was a big goal," Bodie said of his tally. "There were around six or seven minutes left in the game and that's when you're going to get a late push by a team, especially when they're down by two. Shayne made a great play and I just saw [St. Lawrence goaltender Wenninger] was leaving that side a little bit open and luckily it went in."

3. Wayne Simpson - The senior responded to his one game benching and scored the game's final goal at 18:13 of the third period.

“He played better than he has recently,” Bennett said of Simpson. “That’s what we’re looking for.”

UP NEXT
Union closes out the regular season Saturday night at 7 pm against Clarkson, which lost 5-0, at RPI on Friday night. According to the RPI blog Without A Peer, the last time RPI blanked Clarkson was 1954.

The Golden Knights previously beat Union, 2-1, in Potsdam on Feb. 8.

Senior night ceremonies will be held after the game for Kyle Bodie, Ryan Forgaard, Wayne Simpson, Shawn Stuart, and Greg Coburn.

Time Warner Cable Sports will carry the game live.

POSTGAME VIDEOS

Union players (Gostisbehere, Hatch, M.Bodie)



Union head coach Bennett

VIDEO: Mayor's Cup Ceremony at City Hall

by Ryan Fay

A ceremony was held at Schenectady City Hall earlier today in honor of Union winning the inaugural Mayor's Cup.

Union beat RPI, 3-2, on Jan. 26 to capture the cup.

Members of the Union community presented the cup to Schenectady mayor Gary McCarthy. Men's hockey players Kyle Bodie, Greg Coburn, and Mat Bodie were in attendance. Additionally, head coach Rick Bennett and Union College president Stephen Ainlay were also present.

Dutchmen skate by #9/10 Yale, 4-2 (with 3 videos)

Postgame videos below - Union head coach Rick Bennett, Union players Max Novak, Matt Hatch, and Mat Bodie, plus Yale head coach Keith Allain.

==========

by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- Union snapped a three game winless streak after skating past #9/10 Yale, 4-2, Friday night at Messa Rink.

Yale (13-8-3, 9-7-1) struck first when Tommy Fallen scored an unassisted power play goal at 17:36 of the opening frame. Fallen picked off a clearing attempt by Matt Hatch and beat Troy Grosenick.

“I was calling for the puck there because Coburn had a lot of pressure,” Hatch said. “He gave me a soft chip. I just flubbed it. I had one guy pressuring me, but I didn’t see the other guy. I gave it right to [Fallen]. I couldn’t get out to block it. Just a little misfire in the corner there.”

The Dutchmen (14-10-5, 7-6-4) came to life after and never trailed again.

With Shayne Gostisbehere in the box for indirect contact to the head-elbowing, sophomore Max Novak evened the game with an unassisted shorthanded goal at 8:25 of the second period. Novak's backhander bounced off the right pad of Yale goaltender Nick Maricic and scooted through the five hole.

"I thought Novak's goal was one of the biggest of the year," Union head coach Rick Bennett said. "It got us going, but it's what we've been preaching. Drive wide, put pucks on the net, and good things are going to happen."

Added Novak, "I had a little bit of room on the penalty kill. I skated up and heard guys yelling drive wide, so I took it hard to the net. Luckily, it went in."

With assists from Kevin Sullivan and Josh Jooris, Hatch's improbable angle shot made it a 2-1 Union lead at 16:00 of the middle period. The junior fired from below the goal line and his shot bounced off Maricic and into the net.

“Our line had a good forecheck going,” Hatch said. “Sullivan passed the puck to Jooris. I was putting it on net, just trying to hit [Maricic’s] stick and get some guys crashing the net. He put it in himself. It was a pretty lucky goal. I was pretty shocked, but it was a good-time goal and our line deserved the goal.”

After allowing two soft goals, Yale head coach Keith Allain yanked Maricic and inserted Connor Wilson.

Changing goaltenders didn't help the Bulldogs. Wayne Simpson's power play goal, his team-best 13th goal of the season, pushed Union's lead to 3-1 just 31 seconds into the third period. Kyle Bodie fired a shot that Wilson stopped, but Simpson cashed in on the rebound.

"We just happened to be at the right place at the right time, which was nice for once," Bennett said.

Junior defenseman Mat Bodie picked up an assist on Simpson's goal. The point was the 80th of his Union career, breaking Lane Caffaro's record for points by a defenseman in the program's Division I era.

"I haven't thought too much about it," Bodie said of the record. "It's an achievement, but maybe something I'll appreciate more in the future. It's a testament to the guys I've played with. I've had some real good goal scorers that I give the puck to and they can do a lot with it."

Jooris picked up his second assist of the night on Daniel Carr's goal at 9:00 of the third. Carr's one-timer beat Wilson and increased Union's lead to 4-1.

After Simpson went off for interference at 9:40, Yale cut the lead to 4-2 when Andrew Miller scored on the man advantage at 11:09. The Bulldogs, who were outshot 42-39, never made it closer.

Grosenick, who was pulled in both losses last weekend, rebounded with a 37 save effort.

"I thought he played like he practiced and he practiced extremely well," Bennett said. "He came prepared all week and worked really hard. He was rewarded for that."

The Dutchmen played with fire by taking eight penalties, including four in the first period alone. The penalty kill stopped Yale on six of the eight chances, but Bennett wasn't displeased with the repeated trips to the box.

"I don't have a problem with hitting too hard," Bennett said. "I don't know what those calls were, but we're going to keep using our shoulder pads. I'm not complaining about the officiating, but we're not stopping."

The coach was just as pleased to see the team follow through on pregame benchmarks.

"They were given a couple staples to follow through for each period. Outside of the first period with shots, they met them all tonight," Bennett said. "It was great to see guys blocking shots and sacrificing themselves. That's what you need -- that ice bag mentality."

With the win, the Dutchmen moved into a tie for fourth place with St. Lawrence. The Saints handed Quinnipiac its first league loss of the season Friday night, 2-1. With Union's victory over Yale, the Bobcats managed to clinch the Cleary Cup despite the loss.

The Dutchmen return to Messa Rink tonight to host Brown (9-10-5, 5-7-5) at 7 pm. The Bears were routed by RPI, 5-1, Friday evening in Troy.

ETC... Defenseman Shawn Stuart, who suffered a lower-body injury in last Friday's loss at Clarkson, is considered "doubtful" for tonight's game, according to Bennett.... The Dutchwomen fell, 2-1, at Brown on Friday. Their playoff chances are out the door.

POSTGAME VIDEOS








Hockey Game Box Score (Final)
#9 Yale Bulldogs vs Union Dutchmen (Feb 15, 2013 at Schenectady, N.Y.)

Yale Bulldogs (13-8-3, 9-7-1 ECAC) vs. Union Dutchmen (14-10-5, 7-6-4 ECAC) Date: Feb 15, 2013 Location: Schenectady, N.Y. Arena: Messa Rink Attendance:2085 Start time:7:07 pm End time:9:29 pm Total time:2:22  Goals by Period 1st 2nd 3rd Total Yale Bulldogs 1 0 1 2 Union Dutchmen 0 2 2 4 Scoring Summary # Prd Time Team Type Scored by Assists Visitor on ice Home on ice 1. 1st 17:36 YALE PP Fallen, Tommy/9 - 22,18,11,7,20 20,15,14,12 2. 2nd 08:25 UNION SH Novak, Max/5 - 18,6,7,22,20 18,3,9,20 3. 2nd 16:00 UNION EVEN Hatch, Matt/7 Sullivan, Kevin/3 28,18,21,14,17 15,6,22,19,7 Jooris, Josh/12 4. 3rd 00:31 UNION PP Simpson, Wayne/13 Bodie, Kyle/21 17,22,21 21,12,22,14,9 Bodie, Mat/15 5. 3rd 09:00 UNION EVEN Carr, Daniel/11 Jooris, Josh/13 21,20,11,26,22 9,7,6,22,19 Vasaturo, Charlie/2 6. 3rd 11:09 YALE PP Miller, Andrew/11 Agostino, Kenny/16 17,18,22,7,6 18,22,6,9 Wilson, Stu/4

#9/10 Yale at Union pregame notes

by Ryan Fay

Union hosts #9/10 Yale tomorrow night at 7 pm at Messa Rink.

Yale (13-7-6, 9-6-1 ECAC) is looking to solidify its hold on second place while sixth-place Union (13-10-5, 6-6-4) is looking to get back in the top four with eyes on a first round bye.

In advance of the game, parties from both sides weighed in on a few story lines that could impact the game.

SCORING STRUGGLES

Union enters the game struggling on offense. The Dutchmen have scored more than three goals in a game just once since the calendar flipped to 2013 (four vs last place Harvard on Jan. 22). In that span, the Dutchmen are 4-6-1.

"Sometimes we just sit back too much," senior Wayne Simpson said when describing the offensive woes. "We're playing in our zone too much and it's hard to create chances doing that."

At least the forward had solutions.

Allain (Yale)

"We have to keep it simple so we can get pucks deep," he said. "Forcing turnovers from our forecheck is important as is getting pucks to the net. We've done it at times and we've seen how it works. But we have to do it more often."

Yale can sympathize with an offensive slump. The Bulldogs have lost three of its past four games and failed to score more than two goals in any of the three losses. The Bulldogs were shutout 1-0 on Tuesday despite firing 44 shots at Brown's Anthony Borelli.

"We have to score more goals," Yale head coach Keith Allain said via a phone interview. "We scored two goals in the previous game we lost and we scored zero goals on Tuesday. You can't win hockey games at any level when you're averaging one goal a game. We have to get our lines going and produce more offense."

GETTING KILLED BY THE KILL 

Union has spent most of the season as one of the toughest penalty killing teams in the country.

But the unit has become leaky of late, operating at a 6-for-13 clip in the past three games. St. Lawrence scored three power play goals against Union last Saturday, the most Union had given up in nearly a calendar year.

"It's just a matter of getting some bounces," said junior defenseman Mat Bodie. "A couple bounces against St. Lawrence last Saturday were generous for them.

"Other than that, it's a matter of bearing down. We've been letting a couple shots get through from the point. We haven't been tying up sticks in front. It's the little things that add up. We've been successful in the past and I'm sure we can get back on track."

Union's penalty kill went 8-for-8 during a 3-3 draw at Yale on Dec. 8th.

LAGANIERE ONE TO WATCH

When Union skated to that tie at Yale in early December, no Bulldog stood out more than senior Antoine Laganiere.

"He's very big, skates and controls the puck extremely well, and Union simply didn't have an answer for him," Union play by play man Matt DuBrey told me in a December interview.

The 6-foot-4 forward picked up an assist in the tie against Union and his 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) are tied with Andrew Miller for second most on the club.

"He's a young man who came in here with a little bit of offensive skill," Allain said of Laganiere. "It's gratifying to see a guy who has gotten better each and every year. He has gotten stronger, faster, and more confident. When he came here, he was 6-foot-4, 170-something pounds. Now he's 6-foot-4, 220-something pounds. He has added elements to his offensive game. He's a testament to what a kid can accomplish with dedication and hard work."

SAINT NICK

When starting lineups are announced, Yale's goaltender probably won't be Jeff Malcolm.

Allain said on Wednesday that there's "no" timetable for Malcolm's return. The senior, who has a 2.48 goals against average and a .918 save percentage, has not played since suffering an injury early in a 4-2 win against Princeton on Feb. 1.

Nick Maricic, another senior, has picked up the slack between the pipes.

"I think Nick has played well," Allain said. "I thought he played well when he came in relief against Princeton. I thought he struggled a bit against Quinnipiac. But he was solid on Tuesday against Brown."

ETC

With 79 career points, Bodie is one away from setting the program record for points by a defenseman.... the junior is tied with Lane Caffaro.... if you can't make it to the game, it will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports... the program is holding a "bookraiser" by Project: Cameron's Story at both games this weekend... for more information, click here.

Defenseman Bodie nears school record

by Ryan Fay

This weekend's road trip to Clarkson and St. Lawrence could be a record-breaking one for Mat Bodie.

With 77 career points, including 16 this season, the junior defenseman is three points away from ousting Lane Caffaro as the highest scoring defenseman in the program's Division I era.

"That's not something I've put a lot of thought into," Bodie recently admitted. "The way I get my points with a lot of assists is a tribute to the talent I've played with. It's guys like Jeremy Welsh, Wayne Simpson, Adam Presizniuk, just to name a few. They've been really good goal scorers here, so I have to credit a lot to them."

Mat Bodie (Times Union)

Second-year head coach Rick Bennett isn't surprised that Bodie is nearing the record.

"Some people have the ability to put up points and him and his brother [Kyle] have that ability," Bennett said. "It's a God given talent because not a lot of people can say that. It's basically his hard work and pride in the game that has given him a chance to break the record."

Bennett was an assistant coach under Nate Leaman when the younger Bodie was being recruited and the process is still fresh on his mind.

"Mat stuck out on a visit and our staff really liked him. It was a slam dunk in that all three coaches -- Leaman, Ben Barr, and myself -- liked him," Bennett said. "It was a matter of trying to get him away from the North Dakota's of the world. But with his brother here, that helped out a lot. Mat's a pretty independent thinker and he kept us at bay for awhile. It was a touch and go process, but we won out."

While some players need time to adjust to the rigors of college hockey, that wasn't the case with Bodie. The native of East St. Paul, Manitoba played in all 40 games during his freshman season and his 32 points broke Mike Schreiber's single season school record for points by a defenseman. Those totals placed him second among all ECAC defenseman and earned him a spot on the league's all-rookie team.

"Part of it was having my brother here," Bodie said of his quick transition to the college game. "He helped me get adjusted to living in the dorms and living away from home."

"I also have to thank Brock Matheson quite a bit," he added. "He was the captain of the team at the time and my partner on defense. I had a couple tough games, but he really showed me the ropes. Third would be the coaching staff. They knew I was a freshman and I would make mistakes. But they created confidence in me and it started off from that."

The 18th-ranked Dutchmen (13-8-5, 6-4-4) face off at Clarkson (6-13-7, 5-6-3) tomorrow at 7 pm ahead of a matchup with St. Lawrence (12-10-4, 5-5-4) the next night.

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

Dutchmen Meet the Media

by Ryan Fay

The 18th-ranked Union Dutchmen host the 16th-ranked Dartmouth Big Green tomorrow at 7:30 pm on the NBC Sports Network.

Before Thursday's practice, defenseman Mat Bodie, head coach Rick Bennett, goaltender Troy Grosenick, and forward Daniel Carr met with the local media. To see what they had to say about the game (and more), watch the videos below.

If you can't see the embedded players, click here to watch.

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