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.

Union Finds A 3rd Goaltender: Dillon Pieri

Union's search for a third goaltender has ended. Sorry guys, it's not going to be Kyle Anderson. The man selected for the job is Dillon Pieri. This was confirmed by Chris Heisenberg.

Pieri is from Needham, Massachusetts (pretty sure) and played this past season for the Rivers School and the Boston Advantage Midget Major team. Both teams are very high level programs. Pieri is also listed around 6'2" and 180 pounds. He was born in 1992, so he will be one of the youngest guys on the team.

While I couldn't find his stats from the Rivers School (who went 12-15-1 this season), I did find his stats from the Boston Advantage (click here). In 20 games he went 6-8-5 with a 2.80 GAA and .904 save percentage. Pretty decent numbers in a very competitive league.

Pieri will definitely be the third goalie for the Dutchmen, and will serve his main purpose in practice. He seems like a good choice for this role considering he played in two very competitive leagues that produce many D-I players. But who knows what will happen. Maybe after learning from goalie coach Jason Tapp he can work his way up and get some playing time. Just look at what Michigan's Shawn Hunwick did in his career.

Either way, Pieri will be a part of something special and will be getting a great education at the same time.

For the release and some quotes from Pieri click here.