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Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

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  • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

    Originally posted by SCSU Euro View Post

    St. Cloud (note there's only one "o") Sweeps...
    St, Clooud may have more offensive talent, but I'm not sure you match Union's intense strive for mediocrity. I mean, Union has just as many NCAA wins as St, Clooud, which is saying something.

    Comment


    • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

      Originally posted by Red Cloud View Post

      A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNION HOCKEY
      A RED CLOUD PRODUCTION

      Part I: The Calm Before the Suck


      A popular description of the history of hockey at Union College was once written by a Cornell fan site, which said simply, “they have no history.” While mostly accurate and humorous in and of itself, the statement only scratches the surface, a mere allusion to the short and practically entirely humiliating existence of hockey at this small liberal arts school in the city of Schenectady, a town whose claim to fame lies in the founding of General Electric in 1878 and being the company’s headquarters for almost a century before the squalor and the unbelievable smell sent the company packing for Connecticut.

      Let us first touch upon an important factor of all athletics at Union – a strange fixation on the local school located just 20 miles east on New York State Route 7, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Despite the academic inequity between the two institutions (Union is primarily a liberal arts school, while RPI has always had its focus on science and engineering), the “Dutchmen” have always focused their main attention on RPI. While the “Engineers” have traditionally paid little attention to football, Union, a traditionally a local power, took their greatest joy when defeating RPI. From 1960 to 1996, RPI was only good enough to beat Union 5 times. Yet somehow, this was considered their greatest rivalry.

      The fixation eventually traveled over into the sport they did focus on at RPI – hockey. The sport does date all the way back to 1904 at the school, but from 1904 to 1949, the team never played more than 9 games in a single season before going under ahead of the 1950s. In 1975, however, the modern incarnation of hockey at Union began with a stat that would become familiar through the years – requiring an RPI associated figure to jumpstart things. In this case, it was legendary coach Ned Harkness, who won national titles at RPI as both a hockey coach and a lacrosse coach before winning two NCAA hockey crowns at Cornell and then serving as coach and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Harkness restarted the hockey program at Union, with the team playing at the Division III level that the rest of the school competed at.

      Initially, the program under Harkness was actually very successful. Owing greatly to Harkness’ already legendary reputation developed at RPI and Cornell, the Dutchmen attracted some very good players – good enough that the first (and to date, only) Union player to go on to the NHL, goaltender Steve Baker, played in Division III under Harkness. In just their first season, the Skating Dutchmen went 19-4-0, and followed up with a 22-3-1 season in 1976-77. A glorious existence as a Division III powerhouse beckoned.

      But something was amiss in Schenectady. It was obvious that Harkness was bringing in high quality talent, but in December 1977, after starting off with a 4-1-1 record, he abruptly quit the team. News began to leak out that Harkness and the Union administration had been at odds with each other for quite some time – perhaps, it is rumored, because the team was TOO successful. It is also likely that Union’s success had come on the back of NESCAC recruiting violations. Whatever the reasoning, the entire team, including Baker, quit with Harkness, and the JV team was forced to undertake the rest of the remaining 13 games, proceeding to lose every single one of them.

      Next: Establishing the Tradition
      That's cool. You posted this on page 16 and no one responded so you figured, "****IT!!! I spent 3 HOURS on this...I MUST GET RESPONSE! IMA POST IT ON 17 TOOO!"

      All I see in your post is:

      "I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. "
      LET'S GO UNION DA DA DADADA

      Comment


      • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

        Originally posted by UnionHockeyManiac View Post
        "I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. I have no life. "
        This is the person that had to clear out to get to Albany to teach a class. At least the fixation is moving from a school not involved in this series to being the determinant of who "has a life."

        Don't worry, sweetheart, you'll be able to read the rest of it when you get home. If you want, it's not really a pretty story - but it's all true.
        Keep an open mind. Just don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out.

        Comment


        • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

          Originally posted by Red Cloud View Post
          This is the person that had to clear out to get to Albany to teach a class.
          He didn't say what kind of class though.

          *****http://i134.***********.com/albums/q109/StatMan79/pitt.jpg******
          R.I.P. NASC/MCLA Mohawks Hockey

          Comment


          • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

            Originally posted by DisplacedCornellian View Post
            St, Clooud may have more offensive talent, but I'm not sure you match Union's intense strive for mediocrity. I mean, Union has just as many NCAA wins as St, Clooud, which is saying something.
            That one's going to leave a mark.
            **NOTE: The misleading post above was brought to you by Reynold's Wrap and American Steeples, makers of Crosses.

            Originally Posted by dropthatpuck-Scooby's a lost cause.
            Originally Posted by First Time, Long Time-Always knew you were nothing but a troll.

            Comment


            • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

              Originally posted by state of hockey View Post
              Who was it that made that {PROVICED jersey? Get them on a St, Clooud one immediately


              Wait, Harvard has a tuba band?
              Beer Pong Horn, I think we have a task of you!

              "I have come up with a plan so cunning you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel. ."
              -Blackadder
              "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here. "
              -Casablanca
              "They could maybe hire another officer to catch the illegal immigrant drug dealers breast feeding at Dunkin' Donuts or whatever it is! Thank you!"
              -Somerville Speakout

              2008 POTY

              Comment


              • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been


                A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNION HOCKEY
                A RED CLOUD PRODUCTION

                Part II: Establishing the Tradition


                It took six years for the program to recover from the loss of Harkness and his recruits, but a ray of sunshine appeared in the 1983-84 season. That year, the Skating Dutchmen had their first winning season since the Harkness affair, going 19-11-1 and reaching the inaugural NCAA Division III national championship game. However, in another occurrence that would become commonplace at Union, the ray of sunshine was quickly darkened the way it was when Harkness left. The Dutchmen faced the Babson Beavers in the title game, and proceeded to get completely manhandled, losing the national championship in embarrassing fashion, 8-0. Meanwhile, their hated cross-region “rivals” would go on to claim the Division I championship the following season (though the Dutch did manage to take the Engineers’ scrubs to overtime in a game in Schenectady before losing that season).

                The Dutch did string together a good run of decent seasons in Division III after their drubbing in the ’84 title game. They would have only one losing season from 1985 to 1991. In ’91, in response to the departure of Army from the ECAC to the independent ranks, Union decided they were ready to test their “rivals” in Division I. What’s more, they were prepared to do so without offering athletic scholarships like Clarkson or St. Lawrence.

                What followed was a losing streak that only the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Pirates have anything on. The Dutchmen were 6-43-1 in their first two seasons in Division I, and finished in the single digits in the win column in 7 of their first 9 seasons. Since 1991-92, the Dutchmen have finished dead last in the ECAC on five occasions, tying them with Brown for the most seasons in last in that stretch.

                The first minor ray of hope came in 1994, when Union qualified for the ECAC playoffs for the first time. They traveled to their hated “rivals” in Troy for a best-of-three series and, to everyone’s surprise, won the first game of the series, 4-3. But once again, the light would be shut out – the Engineers snapped out of it and proceeded to pound the Dutchmen, 5-1 and 8-3 on consecutive night to end any pretense of upset.

                Those two losses began a long string of playoff futility for Union. They would be taken down at Princeton in a preliminary round game, 5-2, the following season, and were swept at RPI in 1997 in their only playoff appearance between 1996 and 1999. Their playoff re-emergence in 2000 ended in a brutal sweep at the hands of St. Lawrence, the eventual league champion. The same result took place the following season, as the Saints demolished Union 6-3 and 4-2 in Canton to run Union’s playoff losing streak to nine in a row.

                Next: Redefining Suck
                Keep an open mind. Just don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out.

                Comment


                • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

                  Posting for later....


                  Also, I went to Union Elementary School... Does that win me any prizes?
                  It's never too early to start the Pre-game festivities

                  Go Cats!!! GO BLACKHAWKS!

                  Cuck the Fubs... Let's Go WHITE SOX!!!

                  Wildcat Born, Wildcat Bred....

                  Comment


                  • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

                    Originally posted by GreatLakerMohawk View Post
                    He didn't say what kind of class though.

                    *****http://i134.***********.com/albums/q109/StatMan79/pitt.jpg******
                    I salute you, sir.
                    Keep an open mind. Just don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out.

                    Comment


                    • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

                      Originally posted by state of hockey View Post
                      Who was it that made that {PROVICED jersey? Get them on a St, Clooud one immediately


                      Wait, Harvard has a tuba band?
                      And get me one. My Halloween idea may have just changed...
                      Always a Wildcat...
                      Originally posted by Kepler
                      If you quote the derp you are spreading the derp. Please help keep the board derp-free.

                      Comment


                      • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

                        *****http://img19.imagehosting.gr/out.php/i1144488_alg-hockey.jpg******
                        the state of hockey is good

                        Comment


                        • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

                          *standing ovation*

                          "I have come up with a plan so cunning you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel. ."
                          -Blackadder
                          "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here. "
                          -Casablanca
                          "They could maybe hire another officer to catch the illegal immigrant drug dealers breast feeding at Dunkin' Donuts or whatever it is! Thank you!"
                          -Somerville Speakout

                          2008 POTY

                          Comment


                          • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

                            Originally posted by Runninwiththedogs View Post
                            I don't think there's a single WCHA fan on here that doesn't know you're from St. Francis. Did you quit blogging? I voted you blogger hottie of the year and now you quit. Ugh.
                            I'll start it up again.

                            Comment


                            • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been

                              Originally posted by Jon View Post
                              You're more worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize than Obama.
                              Who isn't?

                              Comment


                              • Re: Union at St. Cloud (10/16, 10/17) - Never Won vs. Never Been


                                A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNION HOCKEY
                                A RED CLOUD PRODUCTION

                                Part III: Redefining Suck


                                After missing the playoffs in 2002, the ECAC expanded its playoffs from 10 teams to all 12 teams in a move that was popularly referred to at the time as the “Union rule.” At the same time, they allowed that the top 8 teams in the league would each have a home-ice series during the playoffs. Thanks to a rule change, things were starting to finally look up for Union.

                                That season, the Dutchmen managed to finish sixth in the ECAC, their second highest finish ever. Under the previous rules, they still would have been on the road for the playoffs, but with the new standard, Union got to host their first ever playoff series. Their opponents? The despised “rivals,” who finished in eleventh after a miserable season. The sun was coming out. It was finally Union’s time to gain the upper hand.

                                And then the door closed again. RPI swept the series in Schenectady, running their playoff futility streak to 11. The second game of the series was especially heartbreaking for the Dutch. Up 2-1 late in the game, Union went on the power-play looking to ice the game and force Game 3. Instead, Engineers forward Ben Barr scored two short-handed goals on the same penalty (in largely the same fashion, as goaltender Kris Mayotte wandered out of his net to play a loose puck and mishandled it both times), and the Engineers went on to win, 3-2.

                                During this time period, good coaches came through Schenectady but ended up leaving under similar circumstances as Ned Harkness. Stan Moore took the reins in 1996 and immediately brought the Dutchmen a sixth place finish. He was run out of town in 1998, but he later coached Colgate to an unexpected ECAC regular season championship. Kevin Sneddon then took over and finally dragged Union kicking and screaming out of the doldrums of the league, but left for greener pastures in Vermont after getting the Dutch to their first home playoff series – before the Catamounts decided to move to Hockey East, where he’s taken them to the Frozen Four.

                                The embarrassment rolled on. Clarkson made it 13 in a row the next year, also in Schenectady, with back-to-back pastings of 8-3 and 5-2. They may have been a little upset at Union.

                                You see, that season was the advent of NCAA’s Proposition 65, which threatened to take away D-I athletic scholarships for D-III schools that “play up” in Division I, schools which included Clarkson, SLU, and RPI. When it came time for a vote on an amendment to the proposition which would grandfather schools already granting scholarships, Union voted against it, becoming the only school in the nation playing in conferences with affected schools to jealously vote to rescind their right to offer athletic scholarships.

                                The episode granted an important insight into why it was that Union had put together such a long history of misery. "Let me tell you of my idea of being competitive,” said then-President Roger Hull. “Fielding a team that has a reasonable chance of winning every time it steps on the ice… when [Union] got to 40 percent [winning percentage], I was proud, and when they reached nearly 50 percent a few years ago, I was tremendously proud of them.”

                                A fitting end result of the proposition, which passed, was to deny Union any hope in the future of changing their minds and offering D-I athletic scholarships as a D-III school.

                                Next: Demanding Respect, Failing to Receive Any
                                Keep an open mind. Just don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out.

                                Comment

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