Dutchmen Ex-Files - 12/23/13

by Ryan Fay

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

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

Simpson

Simpson keeps on rolling for the Stingrays.

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

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

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

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

In other news:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Union Hockey ex-files - 12/1/13

by Ryan Fay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ex Union player Mingoia to Providence

by Ryan Fay

Former Union player Trevor Mingoia is giving Division I hockey another shot.

The forward, who left Union in October, has announced a commitment to Providence for next season. He'll get to play for former Dutchmen head coach Nate Leaman, who recruited Mingoia to Union prior to taking the lead gig at Providence after the 2010-2011 season.

Mingoia, 21, had three goals and three assists in 18 games as a freshman a year ago, but an injury reportedly kept him out of action prior to his departure last fall.

He latched on with the Tri-City Storm of the U.S Hockey League and currently ranks fifth on the team with 35 points (9 g, 26 a) in 39 games.

"[Mingoia] is a great skater and he plays fast," Storm head coach Josh Hauge recently told me. "I think he's learning to play a little tougher and a little harder than he did in college hockey. He'll be more successful the second time."

Mingoia has three years of eligibility remaining.

Q&A with Tri-City Storm head coach / GM Josh Hauge

by Ryan Fay

Josh Hauge, the head coach and general manager of the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League, has an interesting connection to the Union men's hockey team.

Not only is he coaching a player set to come next season, Michael Vecchione, he's also coaching a player who recently left the program, Trevor Mingoia.

Vecchione, who had a power play goal and two assists in last night's 5-2 win over Sioux City, has 14 goals and 23 assists in 40 games this season.

Since departing Union, Mingoia has two goals and 20 assists in 29 contests, including an assist on Vecchione's goal last night.

On Wednesday, I conducted a phone interview with Hauge and asked him about both players and more.

UNION HOCKEY NEWS (UHN): For those who may not know, how good is the talent level in the USHL?

JOSH HAUGE (JH): It's the best 16-to-20 year olds in the country who aren't in college hockey. It's the top tier in United States junior hockey and a great league.

UHN: What are the benefits of playing in the USHL prior to college hockey?

JH: A player gets to be bigger, stronger, and faster. A player can really develop and mature. He finds out what it takes to manage his time and live away from home.

UHN: What kind of player has Vecchione been for you the past couple years?

Hauge (Tri-City Storm)

JH: The thing the fans notice is just how good of a skater he is. He's extremely fast, plays at a fast pace, and has a natural ability to score goals.

UHN: Vecchione has eight more points in nine fewer games than he did last year. What's behind the improvement?

JH: He's really developed as a player. He has a confidence now that he can score at this level. Statistically, he's improved a lot but his overall game has also improved by a lot... areas like his defensive play, his ability to block shots, play tough, and do the little things.

UHN: What's the biggest thing Vecchione will need to improve on at the college level?

JH: He needs to get that confidence right away that he can score at the collegiate level. It's a big adjustment for any player. But if he goes in there and plays confident, he'll be able to make a difference right away.

UHN: When Mingoia left Union, how did he end up in Tri-City?

JH: There were rumors that he was leaving school and we called some different people. I called the coaching staff at Union and they said they were talking but hadn't heard anything officially. The Union coaching staff was great through the whole process in helping us get Mingoia here. Even though [Union] didn't work out for him, I respect the way they took care of their player.

UHN: What have been your impressions of Mingoia since he joined your club?

JH: He's a great skater and he plays fast. I think he's learning to play a little tougher and a little harder than he did in college hockey. He'll be more successful the second time wherever he ends up next year.