What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

rdf8585 said:
It was nice to see the freshman start off their college careers with a bang. They combined for a goal and five assists. Spencer Foo had the goal, while the assists went Tyler Hynes, Roman Ammirato, Nick DeSimone and JC Brassard (2). Though he didn't get a point, freshman Kevin Shier also impressed. Freshman Ryan Scarfo went 9-for-10 on faceoffs.

David Roy had a nice game with three assists (a career-high). He has a nice window to take advantage of some extra playing time with the three suspended.

The pre-game ceremony was fantastic. It was great to see Mat Bodie, Shayne Gostisbehere and Cole Ikkala back (and many others who I'm forgetting). I wasn't sure how the banner was going to go up, but bringing the scoreboard down and raising from underneath it was a nice touch. It was certainly a few moments none of us will soon forget.
Click to expand...

Congratulations Union Fans! See you and your banner at your house tonight! ;)
 
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

The banner raisings made it difficult for me to concentrate on watching the game, even after 6 months, it was surreal to me to see that National Championship banner lifted to the rafters. It's something I never expected to see happen yet there it is.

I think the team may have had a similar reaction and lack of concentration as the game unfolded in helter skelter fashion and really ended up a lot closer than the score. Noah Henry acknowledged that it was a tough adjustment especially for the freshmen to get the jitters out of the way. A couple of conclusions I drew from the game. First, credit to AIC for a hard fought contest. Second, we have some talented freshmen but they are at the beginning of a steep learning curve. I really like what I've seen so far particularly from Foo, Ammarato, Shier and Hynes. Let's not forget that Brassard came in a year early, straight from preps, not unlike Ghost who was also a bit raw when he came in his first year. Once they get the hang of it, I think this group is going to leave a big mark on the program. There was a lot of running around on D, too many no look and fancy passes, and not enough Union style physical play until the third period. I don't think this team will have trouble scoring, but the defense will have to tighten up and keep it simple. Look for Captain Charlie, Taylor and Gingras to steady the ship with the youngsters. I think there are going to be some rough patches, maybe starting tonight, but there will also be some very good hockey down the road once the systems are fully bought into. Let's not forget the steadying influence that the 3 MIAs will provide when they return.
 
Last edited:
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

Union will most likely move up to #2 tomorrow after the nice 2 win weekend as ND got worked Fri, Prov lost to the Buckeyes in OT and BC lost @ UMass. Great start!
 
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

Great Win .... UNH is a classy program and they wanted to win this one ... I predict UNH will do well this year ....
Kudo's to our upperclassmen ... stepping it up. Got to continue. This time Bennett, among others. :)
Champini is quietly playing outstanding defense. :)
Love the shot blocking ... UNH outshot us a lot however. :(
Kudo's to the Defense (Taylor, Vasaturo, Gingras, Henry and of course Colin Stevens) They are really stepping it up !!!! :)
The upperclassmen need to continue to step up AND provide leadership while the freshmen quickly develop. (how about very quickly :) ) :)
 
Last edited:
Dutchman said:
Great Win .... UNH is a classy program and they wanted to win this one ... I predict UNH will do well this year ....
Kudo's to our upperclassmen ... stepping it up. Got to continue. This time Bennett, among others. :)
Champini is quietly playing outstanding defense. :)
Love the shot blocking ... UNH outshot us a lot however. :(
Kudo's to the Defense (Taylor, Vasaturo, Gingras, Henry and of course Colin Stevens) They are really stepping it up !!!! :)
The upperclassmen need to continue to step up AND provide leadership while the freshmen quickly develop. (how about very quickly :) ) :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words Dutchman enjoyed being at your place. No doubt we have our work cut out for us! Good luck the rest of the way...
 
Last edited:
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

Kudo's to the NON-IVY ECAC Teams for getting the league off to a great start with the best record in D1 College Hockey, 8-3. All the non-ivy league members brought home at least one win this weekend. Competition gets tougher next week ....
Atlantic Hockey ----- 4-8-0 (.333)
Big Ten ----- 4-4-1 (.500)
ECAC ----- 8-3-0 (.727)
Hockey East ----- 3-6-1 (.350)
NCHC ----- 6-6-0 (.500)
WCHA ----- 8-6-0 (.571)
All things being equal, we help each other by winning these non-conference games.
 
Last edited:
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

Maine is going to be very very tough:
- 13-3 at home last year. Wins over BC. They are almost impossible to beat in their own barn.
- Can't draw any conclusion from Maine vs Alaskas
- Maines size (9 players 6'0" and over and 200 lbs and over) vs our speed.
- Three years ago we were a great road team, and two years ago we were a great home team. Last year it did not matter. This year? Who knows?
- Two of three MIA's possibly return to the starting lineup.
 
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

Dutchman said:
Maine is going to be very very tough:
- 13-3 at home last year. Wins over BC. They are almost impossible to beat in their own barn.
- Can't draw any conclusion from Maine vs Alaskas
- Maines size (9 players 6'0" and over and 200 lbs and over) vs our speed.
- Three years ago we were a great road team, and two years ago we were a great home team. Last year it did not matter. This year? Who knows?
- Two of three MIA's possibly return to the starting lineup.
Click to expand...

Maine's PP, from what I hear from an alumnus, is still atrocious.
 
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

So,that was a pretty wild weekend. The freshmen had generally good debuts I thought. I was particularly impressed by Foo, Shier and Hynes. It will be interesting to see how the lineup will look when the "suspenders" return. Roy, Coatta and Bennett have been a revelation. Next weekend will be another test by fire in a very tough barn, but win or lose, it's these types of challenges that allow the team to battle through adversity which bore fruit last year. FWIW, if Colin plays like he did last night, we will be in good shape. D still has some work to do but they should be fine. As RB said it's October when you make those mistakes that need to be corrected.
 
Last edited:
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

After being out of town for the weekend, I watched the AIC game on TWC. I think the consensus is (along with what others say) is this team has a juggernaut offense, a great goalie, and a defense that needs some work. Early season mistakes also need to be corrected. It will be interesting to see who sits with our veterans returning.
 
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

Last year Max, Matt and Nick combined for 58 points and more importantly, 14 GWGs, almost half of the teams 32 GWGs. Max had 8 GWGs to lead the team and that represented 25% of the teams GWGs. They will be all eligible to return when St. Cloud comes to visit. I am not sure when or which or if RB will insert any of them into the 4 lines and past performance is no guarantee of future results, but, IMO, they have the potential of greatly strengthening our 4 lines, if they return with the right attitude and come committed to help the team. :)

I love the freshmen. I can see the makings of a future Mat Bodie, a future Ghost, a future Kevin Sullivan, Matt Hatch, Daniel Carr and Cole Ikkala but we have a ways to go.
 
Last edited:
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

First of all, what a fantastic ceremony on Friday! Big props to everyone who put that together and as much as I have heard the audio replays of the goals in the NC game a few dozen times, still gives me goosebumps. As for the games, an entertaining weekend of pond hockey, particularly Saturday's no-checking affair, and obviously great to come out with 2 W's. Kudos especially to the freshmen for stepping up despite being thrown into the deep end of the pool. Really like Foo - great shot, moves his feet and has a some jam. Scarfo should be a monster too when he figures things out. Hynes & Shier are on the road to being two of my favorite players for their hustle & jam. (FWIW, Sammy Coatta is officially by new favorite player on the team since Ikky is gone)

I'm not sure exactly what these games show about the future of this team, as with all due respect, I don't think that one was one of the stronger UNH teams in recent years and AIC is usually lower rung AHA, but there was a lot of adversity this weekend with the missing players and the pace of Saturday's game was tremendous. Both games could have gone either way, but the boys found a way to win which is a good lesson this early in the season. I do have to say it was a little unnerving to have to keep checking the program to see who that Union player was wearing #9, #14, etc. and realizing that this team doesn't have the same level of "big guns" as last year, but mostly I'm bullish on the offense especially when the 3 dog-housers are back and Stevens should give the team a chance every night regardless of the problems along the blueline.

However (I know, there is always a "however" with me :rolleyes:) I have 2 big concerns going forward. First is the lack of experience and physical presence among the d-men. No matter how you cut it, there will be 4 frosh/sophs on the blueline and at times over the weekend this did not look good. Way too many d-men being turned with speed by opposing forwards, missed d-zone covereages, etc. Obviously things will tighten up as the coaches do more work, but to me looks like there is a lot of pressure on Taylor, Gingras & Charlie V to keep things together defensively. Taylor in particular has added pressure of being probably the best puck possession d-man on the team and has to figure out how "Ghost like" he can be. I think DeSimone is going to be real good and Brassard looked solid, but they are both much better with the puck on their sticks than off it and have a lot to learn on the defensive side.

My other concern is just what is between the ears of the players & coaches going forward. Last year's team played a style that was much more wide-open and really is sort of anti Rick Bennett. This weekend had a lot of free-lancing too but not always with the talent level to back it up. Getting Wilkins & Cruice back next weekend should shore up the physical play and hopefully the team & coaches can find a style that fits this team best. But have to be concerned that since winning an NC there will be a tendency to want to rely on talent & fancy plays over playing a tough d-first system. The coaches have their work cut out for them
 
Last edited:
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

How much $$ do you think it would take to get an HD, high quality stream for home games? I went to Van Diemen's in NYC for Opening Night and they were streaming the game on 4 big screen TVs. The quality was atrocious.
 
Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

UnionHockeyManiac said:
How much $$ do you think it would take to get an HD, high quality stream for home games? I went to Van Diemen's in NYC for Opening Night and they were streaming the game on 4 big screen TVs. The quality was atrocious.
Click to expand...

I'm sure if we all pitched in that would cover the cost.

Starting a communications major program like SCSU and RPITV would cost much more. Why doesn't two of the Minerva's use their $25k budget for this?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top