The Ghost gets Gold! USA beats Sweden 3-1 in the 2013 World Junior Championships, and Gostisbehere is +2 on the night. After a tremendous tournament, the American team captured the IIHF U20 championship after knocking off heavily favored Canada 5-1 to advance to the gold medal game--against the defending champions. Gostisbehere was a part of a very deep defensive corps, including probable 1st overall pick Seth Jones. Three ECAC players won gold in Ufa: Gostisbehere, Harvard rookie Jimmy Vesey, and Cornell Sophomore Cole Bardreau.
A great day for USA Hockey, a great day for Shayne Gostisbehere, a great day for Union College, and for all young players everywhere.
Ghost and Teammates with the Cup!
Update: 12:25 PM: Per the inimitable Eric Hornick, Union grad and Islanders statistician:
5 Americans: Mccabe (+9) Biggs (+6), Bardreau/Pietila (+5), Gostisbehere (+4)- were +4 or greater and not on ice for single opponent ES goal
— Eric Hornick (@ehornick) January 5, 2013
Not a bad statistic. Indeed, much of Team USA's success can be traced to its ability to stay out of the box, which is doubly important in the IIHF, which likes to call penalties (and hand out suspensions) as if they're going out of style. Of note: two ECACers (Bardreau, Ghost) are big winners in plus/minus. And oh yeah, let's not forget the outstanding play of John Gibson of the Kitchener Rangers. His stellar GAA of .955(!) beat out Al Montoya's previous WJC record of .944. Montoya, the former Michigan standout, won gold in the 2004 tournament.
No. 7/8 Union (5-1-1) will be facing off against No. 13/14 Harvard (2-1) at the Bright Hockey Center in Allston, MA tonight at 7pm. Harvard is a tough team and this game will without a doubt be hard fought. Of the 3 times they met up last year, the Dutchmen were undefeated, going 2-0-1.
Arguably the most flexible team in the league
Tonight's Lines
D. Ciampini/K. Bodie/W. Simpson
D. Carr/J. Jooris/N. Cruice
C. Ikkala/D. Roy/K. Sullivan
M. Wilkins/M. Novak/M. Hatch
G. Coburn/S. Stuart
S. Gostisbehere/T. Boyle
C. Vasaturo/S. Gingras
T. Grosenick
C. Stevens
Bits and Points
The only difference from last week in the forward corps. is the flipping of the 3rd and 4th line. I wouldn't read too much into that.
After last week's game, I would have expected to not see J. Jooris in the line up after he stuck up for C. Vasaturo, who was on the receiving end of a gratuitously dirty hit, by wailing away at perpetrator. Glad to see him back. One should not be punished for such heroism.
The D pairings are jumbled up a bit from last week. S. Stuart will be on the right of G. Coburn on the top D pairing as opposed to S. Gingras, who will be with C. Vasaturo on the bottom D pairing. Ghost has been moved up on pairing as well.
The Dutchmen will be without Mat Bodie, as expected, who is nursing a broken arm. Word on the street is that it was a clean break and is expected to heal stronger than ever.
Good to see that both C. Vasaturo and Ghost are healthy, Ghost as expected, but Vasaturo seemed questionable after the dirty hit.
The PP is up to 36% and the PK is up to 89%. Eh, not bad.
For those of you who are not going to physically be at the game, follow UnionHockey for livetweets, listen to the free audio stream, or if you're feeling saucy, pay $10 and watch it online!
After a 6 Goal Second Period, Union Defeats RPI 7-3 at Home
This game was by far the most intense, exhilarating, over the top hockey games I've ever been to. The rivalry is well and alive and after this game, I expect things to get more wild in future match-ups. Bottom line, the Dutchmen stuck to their game and to quote RPI's head coach Seth Appert after Friday's loss, the Engineers played with a complete lack of maturity.
1st Period
The game's pace to begin the first period was fast and mean. RPI defensemen Dolan was called for interference about a minute and a half into the game and before two minutes in the period had passed, Carr put one in past RPI goalie Bryce Merriam. 1-0 Union. The speed of the period continued after the goal--this was extremely evident when (Cole) Ikkala/Roy/Sullivan line was out. Cole-train is a force to be reckon with. The intensity got the better of Sullivan and he was called with roughing, however, nothing came of this PP for RPI. Troy Grosenick made several key saves during this PP to keep RPI scoreless. The Dutchmen and the Engineers traded sustained pressure for the bulk of the middle of the period. At 12:50, an offensive zone faceoff win for RPI resulted in Jacob Laliberte feeding Ryan Haggerty, who made no mistakes about putting the puck top shelf on a one-timer. 1-1 Tie. The rest of the period consisted of a pitiful Union PP and an overall drop in the speed of the game.
(The) 2nd Period
Not to give anything away, but this is 20 minutes of hockey I plan to tell my kids about. More after the jump:
Today's motto: why wait until the middle of a cold, dark night?
The Dutchwomen defeated the Syracuse Orange today by a score of 4-2 at Messa Rink. The afternoon matinee gave Union a split over Syracuse, as the Dutchwomen improved to (3-5-0) on the season. 'Cuse fell to (5-5-0). After a hard-fought game yesterday that saw Syracuse win 2-1 (and take 23 minutes worth of penalties), the Dutchwomen exacted some revenge today. Union got offensive production from various sources today; while Kathryn Tomaselli potted her second of the year yesterday, Stefanie Thomson decided to match her teammate, scoring two of her own today.
Shenae Lundberg started her second straight game and was outstanding again, stopping 30 of 31 shots. Lundberg now has two of Union's three wins to her credit. Camille Corbin's first tally of the year put the Dutchwomen up 1-0, while Rhianna Kurio also added her first of the season on a power play to increase their lead to 2-0. By the end of the second, the Stefanie Thomson show was underway. Netting the first of two goals on the day, the decisive blow came in the waning moments of the second period. Nicole Bartlett notched her second assist of the game. Thomson decided she wasn't done; at 4:21 of the third, she ripped home a shot to make it 4-1. Kaminsky, yesterday's goal scorer, also wasn't satisfied without her name on the scoresheet. She and Courtney Turner added assists on Thomson's second goal.
While Syracuse would narrow the deficit to two with a goal late in the third frame, the Thomson tornado that swept through Messa Rink had already sealed Union's fate.
Union (4-1-1) concludes a home-and-home tonight at Messa Rink after defeating the Engineers (1-2-2) 4-2 last night. Highlights here. Union's win in enemy territory came at a price, however: Mat Bodie was a casualty to what the team is labeling an "upper body injury."He played only one shift before leaving the game and not returning. Update: Ken Schott reports that Bodie has sustained a broken wrist. This is a worst-case scenario for the Dutchmen. Feasibly, Bodie could return as soon as the second week of December, although it is far too early to know.
Union hopes their defense can be as imposing as they look.
The team will need to fill a large void left by the dynamic, puck-moving defenseman. Charlie Vasaturo will step in tonight on the blueline, while it appears he and Ryan Forgaard will receive more playing time. A major component to the sustained success of the program has been its depth: Forgaard, Vasaturo as well as rookies Tim Boyle and Sebastien Gingras appear to be poised to fill in for the captain, who has been afforded a 6-8 week recovery time.
Here's to a speedy recovery to the captain of the Dutchmen!
Union
17 Daniel Ciampini - 12 Kyle Bodie (A) - 21 Wayne Simpson
9 Daniel Carr - 7 Josh Jooris (A) - 8 Nick Cruice
19 Matt Wilkins - 18 Max Novak - 15 Matt Hatch
23 Cole Ikkala - 26 David Roy - 16 Kevin Sullivan
20 Greg Coburn (A) - 24 Sebastien Gingras
28 Shawn Stuart - 4 Tim Boyle
14 Shayne Gostisbehere - 6 Charlie Vasaturo
1 Troy Grosenick
30 Colin Stevens
31 Dillon Pieri
RPI
9 Matt Neal - 15 Jacob Laliberte - 39 Ryan Haggerty
28 Matt Tinordi - 23 Brock Higgs- 22 CJ Lee
7 Zach Schroeder - 21 Mark McGowan - 17 Milos Bubela
2 Johnny Rogic - 26 Mark Miller - 14 Greg Burgdoerfer
3 Guy Leboeuf - 29 Nick Bailen
10 Curtis Leonard - 24 Chris Bradley
5 Luke Curadi - 11 Bo Dolan
32 Bryce Merriam
34 Scott Diebold
33 Jason Kasdorf
Notes:
Bryce Merriam, (0-1-1) in 2 games this season, gets the start between the pipes for the Engineers after Scott Diebold started last night. Merriam has a .903 SV% and a 2.86 GAA in limited duty. He appeared in 31 games last year for the Engineers, and appears to be fighting for the starting job with Diebold.
RPI also does some major line-juggling tonight: Neal, Laliberte, and Haggerty stay together as the Engineers' most potent line, but Coach Appert has shuffled some players around, especially from right-to-left. We'll see how new line combinations play in conjunction with the out-of-zone changes at Messa Rink.
As much as things change for RPI, they stay the same for Union, except for the notable absence of captain Mat Bodie, who left last night's game early with a potentially devastating injury. The "energy line" of perpetual body-banger Cole Ikkala, David Roy, and Kevin Sullivan give the Dutchmen a very good line (not just a 4th line), while Daniel Ciampini, goal scorer from last night, sticks on the first line with Kyle Bodie and Wayne Simpson. I wonder if Kyle and Wayne ever bonded about having older brothers on the team...
Charlie Vasaturo steps in for Bodie, and the imposing d-man will be paired with Shayne Gostisbehere. It appears that Coach Bennett prefers a balance on the blue line: wheeler-and-dealer with stay-at-home rock. Case in point: Coburn with Gingras, as well as Stuart and Boyle.
As we noted last night, RPI went BFBS. And not the British Forces Broadcasting Service. RPI blog Without a Peer took a picture. Not bad for BFBS, but kinda looks like a big home plate. They're back to their traditional road-reds, Union in home whites. Edit: Union in Garnet Aways tonight:
Union Defeats RPI on the Road to Start Conference Play
What a great way to begin the meat of the season. I would not categorize this game as dominant, however, by the fourth goal in the second, I almost felt bad as super-fan Connor Owen was waving the flag in section 17. Almost.
1st Period
The game started with Union running it's first line, which was centered by Kyle Bodie again this game. The first noteworthy point after K. Bodie was called 36 seconds in with an iffy tripping call was seeing Mat Bodie go off the ice for repairs, or so it seemed. I did not see what happened exactly but Ken Schott tweeted it was an upper body injury. In Union's post-game, coach Bennett confirmed M. Bodie is to be out of the line up for an extended period of time. The loss of Union's captain seemed to not rattle the bench much. After RPI's PP, in which they took two defensive zone face offs, was killed off, Daniel Ciampini scored his first of the year. The goal came off a shot from Greg Coburn, who was fed by Kyle Bodie. Champer deflected the goal and with that, Union was up 1-0 early.
The Dutchmen forwards did a great job of protecting Grosenick and the net after the whistle. As all games against the Engineers are, this game was rife with hits after the whistle--no haymakers, but certainly some jabs by each side. There were a couple of times Dutchmen defensemen either lost it behind or in front Gros, which lead to turnovers that could have easily resulted in goals for RPI. Luckily, we've got some guy who met someone named Hobey or something? I didn't really pay attention to all that "national awards" stuff. The Dutchmen had three pp opportunities in the first period alone but were unable to convert.
The Dutchwomen take on the Syracuse Orange tonight at Messa Rink at 7 PM. Like the Dutchmen, who are playing two games against RPI, the Dutchwomen host the Orange for a double dip on Friday and Saturday nights at home. Fans should pack the 'ol barn at Messa Rink this weekend to support their Dutchwomen. The Orange, a CCHA team, are (4-4-0) overall, and (2-2-0) in conference play. The Dutchwomen dropped to (2-4-0) overall and (0-2-0) in conference play after a tough-fought North Country trip that saw them fall to #4 Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
Lines
We will post lines as they come available, but in the mean time, check out Union's live statistics page, which will hopefully come through with line combinations as game time draws nearer.
Here's what we do know: Shenae Lundberg starts between the pipes for the Dutchwomen. In a limited sample size, Shenae is 2-2 with a 4.00 GAA and .882 SV%. She is one of three goaltenders to suit up for the Dutchwomen. (Dahl and Marcinko are the others).
For the Orange, Kallie Billadeau starts. Via Syracuse's game preview:
She has recorded three shutouts so far this season and has a GAA of
0.76 and a save percentage of .964. She has only allowed three goals in
four games.
Billadeau was also named CHA goalie of the month.
Did we mention Shenae's Sweet Helmet? No? It's Awesome.
@unionwhockey good luck today ladies. Play hard. Have fun. And do it together! #GAMEDAY home vs Syracuse at 7pm
— Julie Chu (@juliechu13) November 2, 2012
#9/#10 Union (3-1-1) begins its annual battle for the Capital Skates Trophy tonight in Troy at the Houston Field House at 7:00 against RPI (1-1-2). The home-and-home battle concludes tomorrow at Messa Rink. Tonight will be both team's first ECAC conference game.
Speaking of Troy, Union's Lines will be backstopped by Hobey Baker finalist and Wisconsin native...
17 Daniel Ciampini - 12 Kyle Bodie (A) - 21 Wayne Simpson
9 Daniel Carr - 7 Josh Jooris - 8 Nick Cruice
Josh Jooris: Progeny of an RPI-er
19 Matt Wilkins - 18 Max Novak - 15 Matt Hatch
23 Cole Ikkala - 26 David Roy - 11 Sam Coatta
22 Mat Bodie (C) - 28 Shawn Stuart
14 Shayne Gostisbehere - 20 Greg Coburn
24 Sebastien Gingras - 3 Ryan Forgaard
... 1 Troy Grosenick!
30 Colin Stevens
RPI's Lines:
22 CJ Lee - 21 Mark McGowan - 7 Zach Schroeder
19 Mike Zalewski- 23 Brock Higgs - 28 Matt Tinordi
9 Matt Neal - 15 Jacob Laliberte - 39 Ryan Haggerty
17 Milos Bubela - 26 Mark Miller - 14 Greg Burgdoerfer
3 Guy Leboeuf - 29 Nick Bailen
5 Luke Curadi - 10 Curtis Leonard
24 Chris Bradley - 11 Bo Dolan
34 Scott Diebold
32 Bryce Merriam
33 Jason Kasdorf
RPI dresses in black tonight for its annual "black Friday" game. What Paul Lukas of Uni Watch calls BFBS (black for black's sake), the Engineers will roll out a new incarnation of their BFBSweaters. (Like that?) A fun compendium of their jerseys here, even for the most vehement Engineer haters. They are surprisingly successful in their black digs: 6-0-1, including thisinfuriating thrilling 4-3 OT win against the Dutchmen. Long story short, the Dutchmen will be uncharacteristically clad in white on the road.
My favorite BFBS RPI sweater? The 2009-2010 version. But don't despair, Union fans: these threads were the far-and-away favorite of last year's iteration of Union sweaters as voted on by fans on this site. /end aesthetic obsession.
Kyle Bodie, ECAC player of the week, looks to keep pace with his previous success. So far on the young season, the assistant captain leads the team with 8 points in 5 games (3G, 5A). Wayne Simpson, his linemate, isn't far behind, with 3 goals and 4 assists.
This will be Nick Cruice's 4th game, Matt Wilkins's 6th game, Sebastien Gingras's 6th, and David Roy's 4th. Coach Bennett's mixing-and-matching will continue, but he may have found some flow: Gingras has looked outstanding from the blue line, while Cruice and Wilkins may be poised to play an even bigger role.
The biggest, and most encouraging news from the Union front: Gostisbehere is back in the lineup. Good for Shayne, and good for the Dutchmen.
And most importantly, for those affected by Hurricane Sandy, all of us here at UHB hope you are safe, sound, and warm. If you can, give blood, volunteer, or give.
A succinct recap of what happened last weekend, what has gone on this week, and what is to come in the weekend ahead.
Mid-week Bits and Points
The Dutchmen's 8-0 victory over AIC included a 4 point night from Kyle Bodie (2g, 2a), and a 25 save shutout from Colin Stevens.
Goals from: Matt Hatch, Nick Cruice, Wayne Simpson, Kyle Bodie(2), Josh Jooris, Sam Coatta, and Max Novak
Assists from: Kyle Bodie(2), Matt Wilkins(2), Josh Jooris(2), Wayne Simpson(2), Greg Coburn, Shayne Goshisbehere, Cole Ikkala, Kevin Sullivan, Sebastien Gingras
The Dutchmen's 2-2 tie with UConn was, from what I heard, not a let down given the team's play. Wayne Simpson and Greg Coburn both scored. This was The Dutchmen's 4th straight game with a pp conversion.
Shayne Goshisbehere received a lower body injury as he attempted to go coast to coast from behind the net. Those AHA teams may not have the silkiest dangles but they'll hit the snot out of you. No word yet on his return.
The Dutchwomen lost to both Clarkson and St. Lawrence, conceding 6 goals each night. Courtney Turner scored her third on the year against St. Lawrence, her 3rd in 3 games.
Monday practice was canceled on Monday afternoon given the weather.
The special teams are looking solid with 8 PPGs in the past 4 games and 2 goals allowed on the PP this year.
The Dutchmen have scored 3 shorties in 5 games this season, Kyle Bodie tallying 2 of them.
Kyle Bodie received ECAC Player of the Week honors. He's leading or tied in every scoring category on the team (3/5/8). +A
The Union Dutchmen dropped in the polls from 8/8 to 9/10. I imagine it's because the final score of the AIC game wasn't 16-0.
The Dutchwomen (2-2-0, 0-2-0 ECAC) will be at home to host a weekend series against Syracuse (4-4-0, 2-0-0 CHA). Puck drop on Friday is 7pm and puck drop on Saturday is at 2pm.
The Dutchmen (3-1-1, 0-0-0 ECAC) will face off against @RPI (1-1-2, 0-0-0 ECAC) on Friday to begin conference play. If you're interested in attending, follow this link for more info. Let's pack this place and discourage RPI's fans enough to potentially have them reconsider their allegiance. There is going to be a whole lotta hate on the ice come Friday. I hope they have a zamboni that can handle that.
Though Union's mens team did not participate in any games this weekend doesn't mean there is nothing to talk about. (cue theme song music for...)
Monday Bits and Points
The Dutchmen rank in at no. 8 in both national polls, falling one place from last week in USA Today/Hockey Magazine. They even corralled a #1 vote!
The Dutchwomen played a stellar game at RPI this past Saturday, scoring a program first 3 ppg in one game. Freshman forward Courtney Turner scored her first two goals of her career and had an assist to boot. Sophomore goaltender Shenae Lundberg kept the Dutchwomen in the game when things got rough, even flipping a girl over her back. That's what you like to see out of a goalie. Oh, and a whole bunch of great saves, I guess. Whatever. She's got it. (edit 10/26) In addition to all that, Shenae received ECAC goaltender of the week honors.
The ECAC generally had a great week (-RPI, and I'm sure none of you are going to cry about that) with Harvard stomping McGill, St. Lawrence scoring 10 goals while only surrendering 1 goal in back to back games at Maine, Quinnipiac grabbing a tie and a win against Ohio State, and Dartmouth winning against McGill and Norwich. What this does for the ECAC is show the rest of the country that we're a tough division. Top to bottom, we're certainly the tightest.
Union will be on the road this weekend against AIC on Friday and UConn on Saturday. Union is 14-0-3 in its last 17 games against Atlantic Hockey competition, dating back to 2009-10.
