Union Hockey Notebook - 3/8/13

by Ryan Fay

When Keith Kinkaid made his NHL debut for New Jersey on Tuesday, Union men's hockey head coach Rick Bennett couldn't have been happier for his former goaltender.

"It was really fun to watch him play," Bennett said. "To see his dream become a reality was really special."

Bennett, an assistant when Kinkaid was being recruited, said the goalie landed on Union's radar after a strong showing one year in the Chowder Cup, a summer tournament. Reeling Kinkaid in was a "team effort," according to Bennett, who also credited former head coach Nate Leaman and ex-assistant Ben Barr.

Bennett said Kinkaid began flashing pro potential during the 2008-2009 season when he posted a 1.78 goals against average for the St. Louis Bandits of the North American Hockey League.

Kinkaid (Devils)

"He was starting to really open up some people's eyes," Bennett recalled, noting one NHL team nearly drafted Kinkaid in the seventh round that year. "Then he had a really good freshman year here and we knew we had him one, maybe two, more years."

It turned out that Kinkaid would only do one more year at Union as the Farmingville, New York native signed with the New Jersey Devils organization in the weeks following his sophomore campaign and has since played extensively for their top minor league affiliate in Albany.

Despite stopping 12 of 13 shots in his NHL debut, Kinkaid was sent back to Albany on Wednesday for more seasoning.

RECRUITING ADVANTAGE?

Kinkaid isn't the only other recent Union player to have gone on to the pro ranks. Forward Kelly Zajac and defenseman Nolan Julseth-White are currently on American Hockey League rosters (Albany and Providence, respectively) while forward Jeremy Welsh is with Carolina in the National Hockey League.

That has to look impressive to potential recruits, right?

"I'd like to think it does help, but we've heard a lot of 'no' through our recruiting battles this year," Bennett said. "To say it has pushed over the edge in recruiting, I can't say that it has."

LONG LINE

From Steve Baker to Trevor Koenig to Kris Mayotte to Kinkaid to Troy Grosenick, Union has a rich history between the pipes.

"If you want to be a goaltender and you want to be in the spotlight, there's not a better program than Union College," Bennett said. "It seems like people gravitate towards the goaltender. That happens a lot of places, but more so here. It's such a high profiled position and people want to know you. It's really important that we recruit high character guys.

"If you're a good goalie, you're going to have a lot of the spotlight. Through that spotlight, you have to carry yourself in the right way. All these guys that have come through the program have done that."

GROSENICK UPDATE

Grosenick missed Saturday's 4-0 win over Clarkson after sustaining an injury the previous night, but returned to practice this week and has "looked good," according to Bennett.

Backup Colin Stevens turned in a terrific performance in relief of Grosenick, stopping all 24 shots he faced en route to picking up his third shutout of the year.

"It will be a nice, healthy competition," Bennett said of his goaltending situation. "That's what you want going into the playoffs."

PICK ME! 

The ECAC men's hockey playoffs get underway this weekend, but Union is off on account of having a first round bye. The Dutchmen host the highest remaining five through nine seed next weekend.

If Bennett is right, fifth-seeded Dartmouth will be coming to Messa Rink. The coach picked them to eliminate 12th-seeded Harvard this weekend.

In other action, sixth-seeded St. Lawrence hosts 11th-seeded Colgate and Bennett favors Colgate.

"It's tough for me to count Colgate out when they always seem to get there," he said.

The third first round matchup pits eighth-seeded Princeton against ninth-seeded Cornell and Bennett likes Cornell.

"Cornell is one of those teams, too," he said. "They find a way and have a ton of experience."

The final first round series is seventh-seeded Brown against 10th-seeded Clarkson.

"I'm going to have to go with Brown at this point, but if Allan McPherson is healthy it's going to be a tossup," Bennett said, referencing Clarkson's fourth-leading scorer who was banged up Saturday's 4-0 loss to Union.

Union Hockey Notebook (2/28/13)

by Ryan Fay

The Dutchmen wrap up the regular season this weekend. St. Lawrence comes in on Friday while Clarkson closes out the regular season on Saturday.

Some news and notes from around Union hockey entering the weekend -

CARR NEARING MILESTONE

With two points this weekend, junior Daniel Carr will become only the tenth player in the program's Division I era to get to 100 career points.

Carr (Union)

"He's had a very nice career here," said head coach Rick Bennett. "If you ask Dan, he'd probably tell you he wants to score more. He has been consistent and he's a very smart hockey player. After his senior season, I'm sure he'll get some looks."

When asked about nearing the milestone, Carr said "it's one of those personal things. I don't think it means too much."

Instead, he was quick to deflect attention to the team.

"The more important thing going into the weekend is for our team to get four points and try to improve our situation going into the playoffs," Carr said.

The Dutchmen currently sit in sixth place and need two points to clinch home ice for the first round. They'll need some help to get a first round bye being one point behind Yale and Dartmouth, who are tied for fourth place.

Some players need a prolonged adjustment period to the college game, but that wasn't the case with Carr. As an 18-year-old freshman, he paced Union in goals with 20 and finished third on the team with 35 points.

The junior attributed his quick transition to the leadership the team had earlier in his career, namely Jeremy Welsh, Brock Matheson, Adam Presiznuik, Kelly Zajac and Nolan Julseth-White.

"Those guys really helped a lot of us out with what it takes to play college hockey and the little things," Carr said.

Bennett, an assistant when Carr was being recruited, still recalls trying to reel the Alberta native in.

"It wasn't the easiest process in the world," Bennett said. "He had a few other things going on with some ivies and some other programs. But at the end of the day, we gave him the best possible chance to come in when he wanted to come in."

Assuming he reaches the milestone, the junior will be the second player to reach the plateau this year. Senior Wayne Simpson did so on Jan. 12 at Quinnipiac.

With a healthy senior season, Carr has a good chance to eclipse Presizniuk's record of 131 career points.

NO CHANGES

St. Lawrence will be without star forward Kyle Flanagan for the next seven to ten days following an emergency appendectomy on Tuesday.

The senior leads the league in assists with 27 and ranks second in points with 41. But don't expect his absence to have much impact on Union's gameplan going into tomorrow.

"Not one bit," Bennett said. "We are prepared like he's in the lineup."

SIMPSON MOTIVATED

When Bennett filled out his lineup for last Saturday's game at Cornell, there was one shocking omission.

Simpson, who is tied with Kyle Bodie for the team lead in points with 29, was a healthy scratch. It marked the first time he wasn't in the lineup in his Union career, snapping a streak of 151 consecutive games played.

After Saturday's 4-2 loss, Bennett remarked that Simpson hadn't scored a five-on-five goal since the Penn State series in late November.

Simpson (Union)

"It was pretty tough," Simpson said of sitting. "You want to be out there and it was an important game. Unfortunately, we didn't get the win, but we have to put it all behind us."

When Simpson registers a point, the Dutchmen are 14-2-3. The team has a 1-10-2 record in contests where Simpson fails to crack the scoresheet.

"I know that I need to be at my best for us to start manufacturing chances," he said. "I have to bring the effort -- sixty minutes, every night."

It's easy to think that getting benched would motivate a player, but Simpson wasn't lacking in that department even prior to sitting.

"There's already a ton of motivation," he said. "My career here at Union is winding down and there are only a couple more games. We're all in it together and we're real committed to these last couple weekends."

Bennett said the senior has responded very well in practice this week, but wasn't ready to promise a spot in tomorrow's lineup.

"Most likely, but it's not guaranteed."

ADJUSTMENTS

Union's trip to the North Country earlier this month wasn't a good one.

The Dutchmen lost, 2-1, at Clarkson on Feb. 8 and gave up three first period goals en route to a 4-2 loss at St. Lawrence the next night.

Simpson knows what the team needs to do for better luck in the latest shot at the two schools.

"There were things we didn't do," he said. "We weren't very physical and they created chances off the transition because they were getting deep. We gave them lanes to the net and they were getting rebounds. We weren't doing the same, so we have to do that. We have to stay out of the box and win the special teams battle."

Union allowed a combined four power play goals in the two losses at Clarkson and St. Lawrence. It set a team high for a single weekend this year.

NEW TEAMMATE

The Dutchmen have a new teammate.

Her name is Kristen Shinebarger, daughter of Shelly Shinebarger, the Director of Student Support Services at Union College. Kristen joins the Dutchmen via Team IMPACT, a not for profit organization which aims to enhance the quality of life for children dealing with serious illnesses.

In November 2010, Kristen was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer most common in children and young adults. Kristen had her right leg amputated, but is now adjusting to the use of a prosthetic leg.

Earlier this week, a ceremony was held in the Dutchmen locker room to officially draft Kristen onto the team. Junior forward Cole Ikkala acted as an ambassador for Team IMPACT and assisted in organizing the proceedings. The 10-year-old was given her own locker stall, which she'll share with her brother, Eric.

The women's hockey team recently dedicated their annual Pink at the Rink day to Shinebarger and over $2,000 was collected via admissions, raffles, and gifts. Funds went to the Shinebarger family to help fight Ewings Sarcoma.

For more on Kristen's Kause, go here.

REMEMBER ME?

Earlier this week, I interviewed I chatted with St. Lawrence assistant coach Kris Mayotte, a goaltender at Union from 2002-2006.

Mayotte discusses his budding coaching career, his time at Union, St. Lawrence star Greg Carey, Friday's tilt, and more.

You can listen here.

Union Hockey Notebook - 1/21/13

by Ryan Fay

The 19th-ranked Dutchmen return to action tomorrow night when Harvard comes to Messa Rink for a 7 pm faceoff. It will be the third home game in five days -- Union lost to Cornell, 3-2, on Friday and beat Colgate, 2-1, on Saturday.

All this following 48 day stretch with no home games.

DUTCHMEN VS HARVARD: THE BIG GAME THAT ISN'T

Before the season, tomorrow's game looked like a much bigger game. Union was fresh off an appearance in the Frozen Four while Harvard looked like a team on the precipice of bigger things following a 3-1 loss to Union in the ECAC Championship game. Both were picked to finish in the top three in preseason league polls - Union first, Harvard third.

This year hasn't gone quite as well for either school. What looked like a potential key late midseason league game between two schools figuring to be chasing a Cleary Cup has instead turned into a tilt between two teams looking to regain momentum.

After a strong start to the season, which included a 6-2 win at Harvard on November 9th, Union has struggled in the past two months. The Dutchmen are 3-6-3 since November 30th and had a stretch in that period with one win in eight games. In six games since the calendar flipped to 2013, Union has scored more than two goals in a game just once (3 vs Princeton). Despite the slump, the Dutchmen remain well in contention for a first-round bye in the ECAC playoffs, but thoughts of a third straight Cleary Cup are a thing of the past.

Harvard, which was ranked as high as #13 in the USCHO poll earlier this season, has suffered a similar fate. After picking up wins in four of their first six games, the Crimson have only one win since mid-November, a 6-5 overtime win in non-conference play against Boston University on January 9th. The Crimson have dropped six straight league games and currently sit in the ECAC basement with six points.

Playing shorthanded hasn't helped Harvard. Three defenseman (Max Everson, Patrick McNally, and Mark Luzar) were removed from the roster in early December. Harvard never provided a reason for their removal, but it's widely believed it was in connection with an academic cheating scandal that rocked the campus.

The loss of the three defenseman (two of whom are NHL draft picks) has left Harvard with just six defenseman on the roster. McNally, a fourth round selection by Vancouver in 2010, had 28 points in 34 games last year and three in seven contests this season. Everson, who played in Harvard's first seven games this year, was selected in the seventh round by Toronto in 2011. Luzar had yet to play this year.

(ecachockey.com)

Playing shorthanded on defense has showed. Harvard has allowed at least five goals in five of its last eight games going back to early December. In that eight game stretch, the fewest goals allowed in a game was three.

A fourth player, backup goaltender Steve Michalek, left the program in November but later admitted his departure was due to the cheating scandal. A sixth round draft choice of Minnesota in 2011, Michalek had yet to see ice time this season prior to his exit.

Even short-term losses have hurt the Crimson. Star freshman Jimmy Vesey missed three games (all losses) while he was playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championships earlier this month. The forward, who leads Harvard with six goals, went 66th overall to Nashville in last year's draft. Union can sympathize, as they lost a standout of their own to the WJC. Shayne Gostisbehere missed four games and the Dutchmen lost three of them.

Union enters tomorrow's tilt as the favorite. With Harvard's recent penchant for allowing goals, it's a game you'd like to see Union get the offense going and get four or five goals on the board. That's possible, and I'm going to say Union comes away with a 4-1 win. What's your prediction?

DUTCHWOMEN ALMOST DID IT

The Dutchwomen nearly made headlines on Saturday, but came up just short.

Playing at #2/3 Harvard, the Dutchwomen lost, but it was only a 1-0 game. Had they won, it would have easily been the biggest win program history as well as Harvard's first loss in league play this year.

Despite the loss, there was plenty to be optimistic about. It was a significantly better showing than the 9-0 thrashing Harvard delivered at Messa Rink earlier this month. The one goal Harvard had on Saturday tied their lowest single game goal output this season. The Crimson rank fifth in Division I women's hockey at 4.06 goals a game, so a lot of credit is due to the Dutchwomen defense and goaltender Shenae Lundberg (34 saves).

The Dutchwomen remain in search of their first league win this season, but they have seven wins in non-league play, their best single season win total at the Division I level. And with near upsets like the one this weekend, it's a program slowly moving in the right direction.

The biggest improvement going forward has to come on offense. The team generated just seven shots in the loss to Harvard and rank last in Division I women's hockey at 1.33 goals a game.

The team resumes play Friday night at Messa Rink against RPI, a team they beat in a non-league game (3-2) back in October. Gametime is 7 pm.

POLLS RELEASED

After splitting the weekend, Union fell two spots to #19 in this week's USCHO poll. Other ECAC teams in the poll were Quinnipiac (2nd with two first place votes), Yale (8th), Dartmouth (12th) and Cornell (18th). Colgate fell out of top 20 but received six votes.

Union remains unranked in the latest USA Today / USA Hockey magazine poll. The team received 7 votes, but that wasn't nearly enough to crack the top 15. Quinnipiac (second with three first place votes), Yale (7th) and Dartmouth (13th) were the ECAC teams ranked. Cornell was in consideration with 14 votes.