Interview with Will Friedman: Union's #1 Fan

During ECAC Championship weekend I promised Union's #1 Hockey Fan Will Friedman that I would get him an interview on my blog. Well, about three months later I have remembered.

I will first introduce Will. Will is from Scarsdale, New York and just graduated from Union in June. Some would describe Will as insane, intense, and obsessive... I think he's dedicated. I just met Will this school year when I started the blog. He was the only guy who commented on any of my posts, and I was like who is this guy? I knew Will was a big Union Hockey fan and helped out with some Garnet Blades stuff like selling the 7th Player t-shirts. He also helped promote home games on Facebook. You could always spot Will at the top of the student section at Messa Rink yelling his heart out, looking like was going to have a heart attack.

I finally met Will in the middle of this past hockey season(probably at one of his DKE parties). We talked about Union hockey and the Mets among other stuff. Once the conversation was over I thought to myself "Is this guy nuts?" I've never met anybody as intense about his team in my entire life. I thought I was intense about my teams, but Will just took it to a whole new level. I remember he once missed the majority of one of his DKE formals to go to Messa Rink, and made a video to try to sway Lebron James to come play for his beloved Knicks, which you can check out here. He even went on the Price Is Right game show and proudly wore his Union "U Gotta Believe" shirt, which you can check out here. He is no doubt the most dedicated sports fan I've ever met.

Will was the heart and soul of the student section and will truly be missed. So, finally here is the long awaited interview with Will "UnionHockeyManiac" Friedman:

DG: Did you play hockey in high school?

WF: Nope. In high school I was on the basketball and tennis teams.

DG: How long have you been a hockey fan?

WF: September 5th, 2006 - My first day at Union. I actually wasn't a big hockey fan until I came to Union.

DG: What is your favorite Union Hockey moment?

WF: Too hard to pick between beating #7 in the country Clarkson in OT my freshman year, beating RPI this season at home and moving up to #7 in the PWR, Senior Night this season vs. Quinnipiac, coming back to win the next 2 games vs. Quinnipiac after losing the 5OT game - the longest in college hockey history - to go to the ECAC Final 4 in Albany for the first time ever, and beating St. Lawrence at the Albany Times Union center to advance to the ECAC Championship.

DG: Who is your favorite Union Hockey player?

WF: Tough to say, but I'll go with (assistant captain Mike) Schreiber since I have known him the longest. To quote the Canadians on the team, they are all "beauties" though.

DG: Where is your favorite place to take in a college hockey game?

WF: Easy question. Messa Rink. The atmosphere there can be awesome when it's packed.

DG: Which college hockey team do you hate the most?

WF: RPI, for obvious reasons.

DG: Which team do you hate the most besides RPI?

WF: Cornell. I have traveled to Cornell twice to see Union play and their fans, although loud and impressive, are complete a-holes. I also don't like Cornell because they stopped us from reaching the National Tournament in my senior year.

DG: How far will the Dutchmen go in the 2010-11 season?

WF: National Tournament. They were one game away last season so the goal should be to get over that hump.

DG: What is your favorite team to root for besides Union Hockey?

WF: New York Knicks and New York Mets. I've been a die-hard fan for my whole life and I'm still looking for that first championship in my lifetime. I just missed the Mets in 1986 and the Knicks haven't won since 1973. Hopefully this is the year where things start to turn around with the Mets (they have one of the best records in baseball) and the Knicks. Hopefully they can get a few free agents to turn the team around.

DG: What else did you do on campus besides being the #1 hockey fan?

WF: I was President of Speakers Forum. My job was to pick interesting speakers to come to campus. During my three years as president, we brought in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Mike Huckabee, Howard Dean, Maya Angelou, Bob Saget, Mayor Cory Booker, Kal Penn, Richie Roberts and Frank Lucas (real guys from "American Gangster" played by Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington, respectively), Manute Bol (who just recently passed away), and a few others. I also was President of Philanthropy of my fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon.

DG: Congrats on graduating by the way. What do you plan on doing now?

WF: Good question. I'm on the job hunt now, looking at possible positions with the New York Knicks, New York Mets, and some Speaking Agencies in New York City. For now though, just enjoying my free time, catching up with old friends, going to lots of Mets games, and following the NBA Free Agency very carefully.

DG: Will you come back to Schenectady to watch Union games often?

WF: Absolutely. I will try to make it up for as many home weekends as possible. Hopefully they'll still let me stand in the student section.

DG: What are you going to miss the most about Union?

WF: Everything. The people, the hockey games, the atmosphere, the parties, etc. It was the best four years of my life and I'm sad to be leaving.

DG: Will you be handing down your title of #1 fan to another Union student?

WF: Ha Ha, not in an official ceremony but I truly hope that the Union students realize how lucky we are to have one of the best college hockey teams in Division I at such a small school like Union. I hope that people took notice of how good the team was last year and that will hopefully increase the attendance for the upcoming season. The student section needs to be loud! LET'S GO UNION DA DA DADADA!!!

DG: Do you have any nicknames?

WF: Will the Thrill, One Dollah Bill, Bill, Billy, Liam, friedmaw@, and a few others I'd rather not share on here. Online, I'm known as UnionHockeyManiac, KnicksManiac, and MetsManiac. I prefer Will.

DG: Where will Lebron James be playing next season?

WF: My heart says the Knicks, but my head says the Bulls. If he doesn't come to the Knicks, I'd almost want him to stay in Cleveland rather than going anywhere else. Praying of LBJ in NYC though.

Union Hockey notes: 6/24/10

Former Union forward T.J. Fox has signed a contract with the Hannover Indians (Germany). He will be joining Mike Schreiber who recently signed with the Indians after a stellar senior year in Schenectady. Fox was a star in his short stint in Schenectady, but left after signing a pro contract. Since then he has been pretty disappointing and is possibly regretting his decision to leave Union early. For more on Fox go to ECAC Hockey.com.

Also, Union goaltender Keith Kinkaid has been invited to the New York Rangers Prospect Camp. According to the Rangers website Keith is the only goaltender that was invited to attend the camp. For more on the camp click here. Kinkaid was also invited to the Vancouver Canucks Prospect Camp.

Schreiber, Wakita, and Sillery also sign pro contracts

According to Union Athletics.com, senior captain Mike Wakita, senior goaltender Rich Sillery, and senior assistant captain Mike Schreiber have signed pro contracts. Wakita has will be staying in the states while playing for Missouri in the Central Hockey League, while Schreiber will be heading out to Hannover, Germany in the 2nd Bundesliga League. Both players were intregal parts to the Dutchmen defensive corps over their four seasons. While Schreiber was the quarterback of Union's offense, Wakita was a bone-crushing defensive defenseman. Sillery has signed a contract with 1,000 Islands of the Federal Hockey League after playing a limited role in his four years in Schenectady. The trio joins Jason Walters as Dutchmen to sign pro contracts this week.

Awards handed out at Annual Banquet

This past evening, the Union men's hockey team celebrated the best season in their history at Glens Sanders Mansion. At the banquet the annual awards were given out. Here is who won each award:

MVP: Mario Valery-Trabucco

Rookie of the Year: Keith Kinkaid

Unsung Hero: Andrew Buote

Most Improved: Luke Cain

Coaches' Award: Mike Schreiber

7th Player Award: Mario Valery-Trabucco

Charles N. Morrison Award: Mike Wakita

Thomas VanArden Dukehart Award: Stephane Boileau

No surprises here for the most part. I thought Brock Matheson would get an award over Buote because Buote has won awards in the past, but there are no complaints here on any decisions.

For more on the awards and the banquet go to Union Athletics.com

Message From Coach Leaman

All Union College Students were sent this message from Coach Leaman this morning:

Dear Union College Students,

The Game 2 win last night at Messa Rink was a crucial one for our team and I want to thank everyone who has helped to fill our student section and supported us through these past two games and over the course of the entire season.

The cheering, chanting and the packed section of students wearing Union College gear have created a home ice advantage for our team. As I told reporters after the game last night, I think our fans have done a terrific job picking us up in the this series. It was by far the best job of our fans at Union. We have to use that energy that our building creates to our advantage and make sure that we're coming out with our A-game.

We ask for your support again tonight, as we face Quinnipiac at 7pm for the third and deciding game of this quarterfinal series. Instead of just letting the first 200 students in for free, we will be letting in ALL students arriving before the puck drops at 7PM. If we win tonight, we will advance to the ECAC Championship at the Times Union Center in Albany next weekend for the first time in school history. This would be a huge advance for our program, and we will need all of your support to make this historic step.

Once again thank you for your support and we hope to see you at Messa Rink tonight.

Go U!

-Nate Leaman
Union Men's Hockey Head Coach

All students should show up to the game. Everyone has finals, but being a part of something special and creating school spirit is important as well. This is the biggest game in the history of Union College Division I Men's Ice Hockey to date. If the team wins tonight and manages to make a run to the national tournament, not only would it be great for the players but it would be great for the school. Success in sports can help get a school's name out into the public, which could lead to greater popularity and recognition (ex. Doug Flutie and Boston College Football... might be a stretch but you know what I'm getting at). I have two massive research papers due in the next two days and I will be there even if I'm not writing tonight.

Also, if you're a senior you better show up. No matter what this will be the last game at Messa Rink for the Class of 2010. These guys are arguably the greatest class in the history of the program. Mario Valery-Trabucco and Jason Walters are possibly the most dynamic forwards Messa Rink has ever seen, while Mike Schreiber is one of the best two-way defenseman in Union history. This might as well be the biggest night of their lives as their whole Union career comes down to tonight. They were brought here to bring Union College Hockey to the next step, and that next step is going to the ECAC Final Four. Tonight's game will be a battle of the seniors as the best players for each team are seniors, and they don't want their season to end tonight. A lot of you seniors have just finished your thesis projects, so you probably have nothing else that important to do. So, come to Messa Rink and support your classmates!

Things We Missed

• Yale's Sean Backman out due to some unnecessary horseplay by the pool. Doesn't everyone read the sign about running by the pool?


• Mike Schreiber (defenseman of the year), Keith Kinkaid (goaltender of the year), and Head Coach Nate Leaman (coach of the year) were all nominated for ECAC awards.


• Mario Valery-Trabucco received the most votes in the first round of Hobey Baker fan voting.


• RPI lost to Brown in first round of ECAC playoffs.


• Jason Walters and Mario were selected as alternates for the Frozen Four Skills Challenge.

Well, that's all I can remember for now. If I think of anything else I'll post it.

Three Dutchmen selected to All-ECAC teams

The All-ECAC teams were announced today and three Union players were selected. Senior defenseman Mike Schreiber was named to the First Team, senior forward Mario Valery-Trabucco was selected to the Second Team, and freshman goaltender Keith Kinkaid was named to the Third Team and All-Rookie team. For more on Schreiber, 'Super' Mario, and Kinkaid check out Union Athletics.com.

First off, congratulations to all three players on being named to All-ECAC teams. Here is my analysis on each of the selections:

Schreiber was an obvious choice for First Team. He leads all ECAC defensemen with 28 points, is second with eight goals, first with 20 assists, first with a +23 rating, fourth with a .129 shooting percentage, and is towards the bottom of the list when it comes to penalty minutes (18). He is the top defenseman in the league and is one of the best in the nation.

Being named to the Second Team is a great honor, but I feel MVT definitely deserved to make the First Team. He has been Union's best player all season and has carried them on his back for many stretches this season, including of late (seven goals in past eight games, nine points in past 10 games). You can also make a legitimate case saying that he is also the MVP of the ECAC. Don't get me wrong, Chase Polacek, Broc Little, and Sean Backman are all great players (as I said earlier this week) and are all well deserving of the honor. But, I feel MVT should have made the First Team over Backman. While Backman had a very good season (21g, 14a, 35pts in 29 games) for the league's top team, Mario is statistically better (21g, 21a, 42 points - second in ECAC) and more important to his team. MVT has more assists and points than Backman, has a better plus/minus, more points per game, and has a higher shooting percentage.

Also, Mario (19g, 13a, 32pts - second in ECAC) has been better than Backman (16g, 9a, 25pts) in league games which are the most important games of the season and when a team needs their best player the most. MVT also has the upper hand in points per game in ECAC games, and all six of his power-play goals have come in ECAC games while only six of Backman's nine power-play goals have come in ECAC contests. There is a huge disparity in each players plus/minus in league games as Mario is +13 and Backman is +8. The only statistic where Backman has the upper hand over Mario in ECAC games is game-winning goals: Backman has two while Mario has one. Personally, league stats should be the only one's taken into consideration when it comes to picking all-league teams as many teams play weaker teams where big time players can pad their stats. By just looking at ECAC stats it is obvious that MVT should be on the First Team instead of Backman. It's also interesting to note that Backman is third on his team in points overall and in ECAC games. Sophomore forward Brian O'Neill has one more point than Backman and did not make any of the All-ECAC teams. Whoever chose Backman over 'Super' Mario has some explaining to do.

Keith Kinkaid has done a very solid job in goal for the Dutchmen this season and is definitely the top rookie goaltender in the ECAC, but is he really the third best goaltender in the league? I have seen almost every goalie in the ECAC this season and I never really thought Kinkaid was a Top 3 goaltender. Harvard' Ryan Carroll and Dartmouth's James Mello each stole games where they made 40+ saves, which is something Keith has not done all season. If I had to pick the third best goalie in the ECAC I would have to go with St. Lawrence's Kain Tisi or Quinnipiac's Dan Clarke. Tisi was on fire for the majority of the season as he sported a goals-against average under two. But, Tisi ended the season on a five game win-less streak where he let up 21 goals in five games. This poor end of the season is probably the reason why he did not make an all-league team. In the same amount of games (22) and about the same time played (Kinkaid has played four more minutes) as Kinkaid, Tisi has a better GAA and save percentage, and has made more saves and let up less goals. Tisi also has better stats than Kinkaid in ECAC games. The same is to be said about Clarke, but Clarke has played in more games and has played behind an awful defense. I know I've been bashing Keith a little of late, but he needs to step up in the playoffs to prove me wrong... and I really hope he does.

A major surprise was the lack of Jason Walters on any of the All-ECAC teams. Wally (16g, 22a 38pts) has had an amazing season, which is one of the best ever by a Dutchman. It just happened to be that Mario is having an epic season that is slightly overshadowing Wally's accomplishments. He is tied with Yale's Broc Little (1st team) and Colgate's David McIntyre (2nd team) for fifth in the ECAC with 38 points, and is tied for the top plus/minus (+23) with Mike Schreiber in the league. Walters is also in the top tier in the league in goals and assists. I am shocked that Brown's Aaron Volpatti was picked for the Third Team over Walters. Volpatti has only amassed 11 goals and 10 assists this season for 21 points, while leading the league in penalty minutes by far (91, the second closest is 75) and sporting a +1 plus/minus. For comparison Walters has more assists than Volpatti has points ,and has a plus/minus rating +22 better than Volpatti. The only case you have for Volpatti is that he scored more goals in ECAC games than Walters and that he has played on a weaker team. Volpatti has been a very good forward for Brown this year and has come up big for them, but it is not fair to say that he is a better player than Jason Walters.

The picks for ECAC Player of the Year, Goaltender of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Forward of the Year, Defensive Defenseman of the Year, and Coach of the Year should be out some time in the next few weeks. Here are my predictions:

Player of the Year: Chase Polacek, RPI

Goaltender of the Year: Ben Scrivens, Cornell

Rookie of the Year: Louis Leblanc, Harvard

Defensive Forward of the Year: Blake Gallagher, Cornell

Defensive Defenseman of the Year: Mike Schreiber, Union

Coach of the Year: Nate Leaman, Union

Coburn to miss time with injury

According to Ken Schott, freshman defenseman Greg Coburn got hurt in today's practice and will miss a significant amount of time (possibly the rest of the regular season and playoffs). He suffered a lower-body injury after being tangled up with senior forward Jason Shaffer in today's practice. This is a huge blow for the Dutchmen as Coburn has been a very solid defenseman this season and has also helped on the offensive side of the puck. Coburn has tallied two goals and 14 assists this season. His 14 assists and 16 points is second most for Union defenseman this season (Mike Schreiber has eight goals, 18 assists, and 26 points). Defensemen like sophomore Nolan Julseth-White and freshman Ryan Forgaard will now have to step up and produce every game.

UPDATE: Ken Schott reports that Coburn has not torn anything in his hip and has just dislocated it. He will be out for the remainder of the regular season, and could return for the playoffs.

Also, RPI goaltender Allen York is doubtful for this weekend.

Union stages epic comeback against Dartmouth

Going down four goals on the road 7:20 into a game is not the way you want to start out, but scoring five unanswered goals... that's character, and last night's game proves that this team has a ton of character. This is the type of game that the Dutchmen will look back on in the playoffs, and say that they can do anything. Granted they were playing an 11th placed team, but a four goal deficit at any level of hockey, no matter who you are playing, is a difficult one to make up.

The really great thing about last night's victory is how the freshmen skaters stepped up when their team needed them. Each Jeremy Welsh, Shawn Stuart, and Kyle Bodie scored a goal, and Wayne Simpson had two assists. It's also important that Union's big players showed up when they need them. The Mario-Wally-Prez line connected for a huge power-play goal in the second period, and Prez and Mike Schreiber picked up assists in the third period. You also can't forget Andrew Buote, who picked up two assists on the night. He is one of the hardest working players on the ice for the Dutchmen every game. And last, but definitely not least, Luke Cain scored the game-tying goal late in the third as he tipped a shot past the Dartmouth goaltender. He has scored a goal in five of Union's last six weekends. Cain is another hard-working player, and it was nice to see him make a huge impact in his return to Thomspon Arena after his horrific injury two years ago. The offense has been clicking lately as they have scored 20 goals in the past three games.

Keith Kinkaid had a very rough night last night, but luckily Corey Milan was able to come in and hold down the fort. Maybe Keith is suffering from some fatigue, so don't be surprised to see Milan in the net tonight against Harvard.

The Dutchmen need to take advantage of the Cornell- Yale matchup tonight as one of these teams has to lose, or they can tie so neither team could pick up two points. There is a very good chance that after tonight there will no longer be a three way tie for first place.

For more on last night's game check out Union Athletics.com, Dartmouth Sports.com, Daily Gazette.com, Times Union.com, and Ken Schott's Blog.

Three third period goals lifts Union over SLU

On Thursday night I said: "Things haven't been going well for our Dutchmen... The main cause of this problem has been the lack of scoring... meaning that their top scorers need to start scoring... Mario along with is linemates, Jason Walters and Adam Presizniuk, need to put the offense on their backs and carry it. They are one of the most dynamic and lethal lines in the ECAC and need to play like it every game."

Well, I doubt Mario, Wally, and Prez read this but maybe they heard what I said through the grapevine haha. These guys were the reason why the Dutchmen were able to put up 15 goals this weekend. Mario registered four goals and three assists, Wally put up a goal and four assists, and Prez had two goals and five assists on the weekend. So, if you do the math this line scored seven of Union's 15 goals this weekend and had a combined 12 assists. Also, the line had their hand in nine of the 15 goals this weekend. In the six previous games the Dutchmen put up only 12 goals. It was also nice to see leaders such as Mike Schreiber and Brock Matheson and freshman such as Kyle Bodie and Wayne Simpson help with the offense this weekend.

The defense also had a good weekend as they only let up four goals. Last night's game marked the third game in a row that they let up just two goals.

It was great to see the team come back in the third period, especially after the short-handed goal just a few seconds before the second period ended. The ability to come back in the third period is a sign of a great and gritty team, which will be huge in the playoffs.

This weekend was a great way to halt the winless skid and now the Dutchmen have to keep it rolling into next weekend when they hit the road to take on Dartmouth and Harvard, both of whom came into Messa Rink and beat the Dutchmen a few weeks ago. Also, the Dutchmen are now in a three way tie for first place in the ECAC with Cornell and Yale and are ahead of fourth place St. Lawrence by three points.

Also note that Mario is now tied for 11th in the nation in points (35), Union is fifth in the nation in goals per game (3.64), tied for 14th in goals against per game (2.50), and 10th in the nation in power-play percentage (20.6%). It will be interesting to see where they end up in the National Rankings on Monday. I personally feel that they will move up a few spots. My guess is to #18.

To read more about the game check out USCHO.com, Union Athletics.com, Daily Gazette.com, Times Union.com, and Ken Schott's Blog.

Hobey Baker voting update; Mario in 6th

As of 5:30pm today there have been 35,035 votes tallied on HobeyBaker.com, and Union's Mario Valery-Trabucco is in sixth place with 2,122 votes. The player in first place is RPI's Chase Polacek who has 3,749 votes so far. Mario is about 500 votes out of fifth place.

To read more about Mario, Mike Schreiber, and the Hobey Baker voting you can check Union Athletics.com.

Schreiber and Valery-Trabucco nominated for Hobey Baker Award

A few days ago senior defenseman Mike Schreiber and senior forward Mario Valery-Trabucco were nominated for the Hobey Baker award: the hockey equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. This is a tremendous honor and both are well deserving. Schreiber is the anchor of the Dutchmen defense and is one of the top defensemen in the ECAC. The senior assistant captain is currently tied for third on the team with 18 points (5g, 13a) and leads all ECAC defensemen in points, assists, and leads all ECAC players in plus/minus (+19). He is only one of 13 defensemen nominated for the Hobey Baker award. Mario has been one of the most prolific scorers in the ECAC this season as he has registered 26 points in 20 games. He is second in the ECAC in points, tied for second in goals (12), and leads all forwards with a +15 rating.

To vote for them go to the Hobey Baker Website. They will need tons of support to make it to the next round of fan voting. Oh and just for your information, RPI's Chase Polacek is currently second in the voting with over 1000 votes. Last season BU's Matt Gilroy, who is now with the New York Rangers, won the award.

INCH ECAC Midseason Report

In this report it is questioned if Union can make a run to the ECAC Championship, and Mike Schreiber is named all-ECAC for the first half.
http://insidecollegehockey.com/inch/category/ecachockey/

Seniors lead Union over RPI in epic come from behind victory

Another Union-RPI game, another incredible and exciting game. I am so glad that I saw this in person! It was definitely worth the 2+ hour drive each way to see it. To be honest I was not confident heading into the game. If felt that this was the definition of a trap game for Union considering they were flying high off over their hot weekend and national ranking. It would be easy enough to overlook a struggling RPI team in a week night game during winter break. I was still on pins and needles throughout the entire game until the final horn blew, and I was so relieved to be proven wrong.

Union went up 1-0 about six minutes into the game when 'Super' Mario Valery-Trabucco scored a power-play on a five-on-three advantage, but RPI struck back with their own power-play goal a little less than three minutes later. From the time between Mario's first and second goals, the Dutchmen played absolutely awful. It was probably the worst 40 minutes of hockey Union has played all season.

Going into the third period the Engineers were up 2-1 and then extended their lead two minutes into the period on a soft goal by RPI's top scorer and the ECAC's top scorer Chase Polacek. At this point I looked over to my Dad and told him that the game was over. Down by two goals on the road and playing terribly I felt that the game was lost and it would take something "super" to get the Dutchmen back into the game. Then two minutes after Polacek's goal "super" struck twice within 1:56 in the form of 'Super' Mario as he scored two goals from the same spot. Each time he streaked down the right boards and fired a laser form the right face-off circle over the shoulder of RPI goaltender Allen York into the upper left corner of the net. This was the first time since Oliver Bouchard in February 2006 that a Dutchmen player scored a hat trick.

After the second goal my confidence rose, but not completely as the Dutchmen have been prone to taking a penalty late in the game that ends up costing them the game, just as it did when Stephane Boileau took a late penalty late in the first meeting in RPI that set up the game-tying goal. So guess what happened? Yep, Jon Lareau took a penalty with about eight minutes left, where Chase Polacek took advantage and put his team up by one with another soft goal let up by Keith Kinkaid.

This lowered my confidence, but when RPI Head Coach Seth Appert called a timeout in his defensive zone to rest his players for the final few minutes I saw this as an opening for the Dutchmen. I was actually somewhat contemplating whether or not Coach Leaman should call a timeout to rest his players and create a game plan for the final push. But Appert's surprise timeout allowed Leaman to rest his top line (Wally, Mario, and Prez) and put them on the ice for that face-off instead of the Simpsons and Andrew Buote. I personally thought this was the turning point of the game as from this point on the Dutchmen completely dominated the Engineers.

With Kinkaid pulled in favor of an extra attacker Jason Walters was able to tie the game up when he scored on a shot off of a rebound with 51 seconds left. I jumped up and down screaming after the goal, but I was honestly still unconvinced. Even after Mike Schreiber's go-ahead blast with 19 seconds left I was still unsure about victory, especially when with six seconds left Walters was called for tripping. Watch Union's two goals in the last minute here.

Now, this brings me back to my turning point as this would have been a perfect time for Appert to use his timeout. I understand that hindsight is always 20-20 but the reason why you save your timeouts in a close game is for events like this. So, with York pulled and a face-off in the Dutchmen zone the Engineers did not have the opportunity to use their timeout to create a play. Even after realizing this I was still holding my breath. But once the final horn sounded I was able to breathe again after witnessing one of the most exciting hockey games I have ever seen. In recent memory I'd rank it second behind last year's national championship game where BU came back to tie Miami in the final moments and then eventually won the championship in overtime. It was such a great feeling watching all of the RPI fans walk out of the Houston Field House with their heads down!

Points to take away from the game:

• Union is still hot! The team is riding a nine game unbeaten streak and is still the only team in the ECAC without a league loss. They are now tied with Colgate with 11 points, but the Dutchmen beat the Raiders in their only meeting this season.


• RPI is falling and falling fast. This is the Engineers fourth straight loss and sixth out of their last seven. This is a loss that is hard for a team to recover from. They had a one-goal lead three times throughout the game, but were unable to hold it and couldn't even get to overtime. Things won't get easier for RPI as they playing defending national champion Boston University on friday in Boston, then they head to the Great Lakes Invitational where they will play Michigan and then either Michigan State or Michigan Tech. After the tournament they head back east to resume ECAC play with first-place Quinnipiac and then take on Princeton. Then it's back to Schenectady for their fourth meeting with the Dutchmen this year. This game could be the end of the season for RPI.


• 'Super' Mario is super. Mario single handely brought the Dutchmen back to life with his two rockets early in the third period. The senior is leaving his mark on his final season as he's been on the score sheet all season. He is first on the team with 21 points, 10 goals, and is tied for first with 11 assists. He has scored at least one goal in six of his last seven games played, and has registered a point in nine of his last 11 games. This also includes the game where he scored the game-winning goal in the shootout against Lake Superior State, which doesn't count as an official goal. Mario was also last week's ECAC Hockey Player of the Week, and with his performance tonight he might be able to repeat.


• Keith Kinkaid did not play well. This was the first time I've seen Kinkiad during his unbeaten streak, and he was not impressive. Kinkiad, last week's ECAC Rookie of the Week did play well positionally, but he seemed a little slow laterally. Each of Chase Polacek's goals seemed to be soft. In two games against RPI at the Houston Field House Kinkaid has let up four goals each time. The question now is if Corey Milan will get a chance to play again since Kinkaid had a weak game.


• Allen York is not a good goaltender. I have never been impressed by York and I personally rank him as one of the worst goalies in the ECAC. It's been noticeable lately that he is pretty decent down low, but if you shoot up high he can easily be beaten. Mario and Schreiber each noticed that for sure. There has been some injury concern with York, but if he is going to play like the way he played tonight Coach Appert should look into giving someone else a start.


• Union has owned RPI lately. The Dutchmen are 5-1-1 (the tie came in the 2008 Governor's Cup where Union won in a shootout) in their past seven games against the Engineers, and are 6-0-1 in their past seven games in Troy. But, this year's games have all been one goal games, and two of them have gone to overtime.


• Presizniuk and Yanovitch are still on scoring droughts. Even though Prez registered three assists tonight he still hasn't been as noticible on the ice as he was last year. Maybe teams are paying closer attention this year or maybe he has just fallen into a junior jinx. Prez, last year's leading scorer, has tallied an assist in five of his last eight games but hasn't scored since October 24th against Sacred Heart. This could be the product of Mario and Wally doing all of the scoring, or just a lapse in his game. Yanovitch got off to a hot start as he scored a goal in the first three weekends of the season, but has only scored one since. Yano has also gone pointless in his last five games. Late in tonight's game Yano did not come onto the ice when the Simpson brothers did as he was sat in favor of Jeremy Welsh or Andrew Buote. Personally, I feel that these droughts are the product of Coach Leaman's lineup shift earlier in the season. Before the change each Prez and Yano were off to good starts, but after the change to new lines they cooled off. So, Leaman changed them back (Prez with Wally and Mario, and Yano with the Simpsons) hoping they would revert to their early season form, but as of now this has not happened. It looks like they have been unable to form chemistry with their linemates this season.


• Coach Leaman is one win away from 100 career wins. Tonight's victory over RPI was Leaman's 99th of his career. I don't think a victory over the U.S. Under-18 team would count as number 100 since it is an exhibition game, so Leaman's next chance will be in the UConn Tournament against nationally ranked UMass.

The Dutchmen will take on the U.S. Under-18 team on Friday in an exhibition game at Messa Rink. This game will be a part of "Shots for Tots" hosted by Union and the U.S. Marine Corps. To read more about this event click here.

To read more about the game read Ken Schott's thoughts on the game here. You can also take a look at the box score here. Game recaps can be read on RPIAthleics.com and UnionAthletics.com. Watch the post - game interviews here courtesy of Ken Schott. There is plenty of literature about the game. Read articles by Mark McGuire of the Times Union here, Tim Wilkin of the Times Union here, and Ed Weaver of The Record here.

Wakita named captain, 5 others to rotate as assistants

Today at the team's Media Day Coach Nate Leaman announced that senior defenseman Mike Wakita has been elected captain by his teammates and will be wearing the "C" this season. He also announced that there will be a rotation of five players as alternate captains this season. These five are senior forward Jason Walters, senior defenseman Mike Schreiber, junior forward Andrew Buote, junior defenseman Brock Matheson, and junior forward Adam Presizniuk.

I feel that Wakita is a great choice for captain. He brings so much heart and determination on and off the ice. Even though his presence isn't felt on the score sheet (eight points over three years), he is definitely noticed through out the game with his great defensive presence and bone crushing hits. He is definitely a fan favorite, and now it is obvious that he is a locker room favorite as well.

Schreiber and Walters are also great choices. Both are four-year letter-winners and they have made huge impacts on the offensive side of the puck. Walters has helped pace the Union offense over his years having scored 26 goals and posting 49 assists in 105 games, while Schreiber has helped the offense from the blueline having posted nine goals and 40 assists in 108 games. Both are also major presences on the power play.

Presizniuk is a pretty obvious choice in my eyes. He is one of the greatest forwards this program has seen and last year's stats prove that. He set the school for points in a season with 38, and has been the leading scorer on the team for the past two years. Usually just out of respect the best player is given at least an "A."

The opposite is to be said about Buote and Matheson as they are not big time point getters. Buote has five goals and two assists in 69 games, while Matheson one goal and six assists in 62 games. These guys are barely recognized for their actions on the ice, but they both play crucial roles for the Dutchmen. Buote is an excellent penalty killer and has a knack for scoring big goals, while Matheson is a great stay-at-home defenseman who has bailed out the defense numerous amount of times. Now with "A"'s on their chests they will be noticed more and appreciated for their dirty work.

See Ken Schott's video discussing the new captains with Coach Leaman, Wakita, and Presizniuk:
http://www.dailygazette.com/videos/2009/oct/05/267/

Fan Poll: Who do you think should be the captains this season?

As of right now the captains have not been announced, but they should be within a few days. There are many to choose from as there are eight seniors and seven juniors.
This is going to be a really hard decision for the team, but if I had to pick I think I would go with some combination of Wakita, Schreiber, Mario, Boileau, and Presizniuk.

2009-2010 Men's Hockey Poster

Here's a picture of this year's poster: http://twitpic.com/izgdu . Obvious fan favorite Mike Wakita joins fellow seniors Jason Walters, Mario Valery-Trabucco, and Mike Schreiber.