The men's hockey team will “Skate Against Cancer” on Monday, February 12 at 5 p.m. at Achilles Rink. Two years ago the Skating Dutchmen raised $3,500 for the fight against Cancer and are hoping to hit $5,000 this year. Anyone wishing to sponsor a player should contact the box office at 518-388-6134 (press 0). The public is invited to join the team.
Read MoreSkating Dutchmen Snap Eight-Game ECAC Losing Streak
The men's hockey team got back on the winning track against its ECAC rivals when it swept Vermont, 3-1, and Dartmouth, 4-3, at Achilles Rink. The win over Vermont not only prevented the Catamount coach Mike Gilligan from earning his 300th career win, it snapped the Dutchmen's eight-game league losing streak. Union had not won an ECAC game since defeating Colgate, 4-2, on November 11.
In fact, last weekend's ECAC sweep was the first for Union since they beat Cornell, 2-0, and Colgate on November 10 and 11. The win also gave the Garnet sole possession of 10th place in the league (the final play-off spot), one game a head of Colgate.
Two of the players responsible for getting Union back on track were the Goodjohn brothers, sophomore forward Kris and freshman defenseman Kurt. Kris had an assist each night while Kurt provided the Dutchmen with some solid play at the blue line.
Kris, who scored four goals and 12 points in 33 games last year, has six goals and 16 points in 24 games this season. He has also been one of the Dutchmen's top face-off men the last two years, winning a team-high 286 last year and has a team-leading 288 this season.
Kurt, who scored his only collegiate point (an assist) on January 10 in a non-league game against UMass-Lowell, has played in 17 games this season. He is currently 8th on the 24-man roster in plus/minus.
The Goodjohns are from from Calgary, Alberta.
Senior Ryan Murray to be Honored
Senior guard Ryan Murray (Slingerlands, NY/CBA) will be honored before the Dutchmen's final home game against Williams next Tuesday. Co-captain of this year's team, Murray has played three years in a Garnet uniform and has 709 points, 190 rebounds, 135 assists, 52 steals and 79 three-point field goals entering this weekend's action.
Read MoreMusella Will Join the 1,000-Point Club
Junior guard Dave Musella (Loudonville, NY/Bishop Maginn) comes into this weekend's action with 944 career points and looks to become the 14th member of the Dutchmen's 1,000-point club. Musella, who missed the last 12 games of last year after injuring his knee, will join classmate Aaron Galletta (Hyde Park, NY/F.D. Roosevelt) as the only teammates on the list. Galletta, who knocked down 30 points in the win over Skidmore, has 1,179 points and is in ninth place, 20 points behind Rob Groelz, Class of '99. Junior forward C.J. Rodgers (Chicago, IL/St. Rita's) has 849 career points and should join the club next season.
Read MoreDutchmen Cagers Battling for Home Berth in UCAA Quarterfinals
The men's basketball squad is battling for the home court advantage in the February 20th UCAA quarterfinals. With Tuesday's (Feb. 6) 91-72 win over Skidmore, Union improved held onto fourth place with its 6-4 league record. The Dutchmen are trying to hold off fifth place Rensselaer, which has a 4-5 circuit record.
Four of the Dutchmen's five regular-season games will be against UCAA opponents and all four of those games will be on the road. Only next Tuesday's non-league game (Feb. 13) against Williams will be in Memorial Field House. This weekend the Garnet plays at Clarkson and St. Lawrence before traveling to Rensselaer and Vassar next Friday and Saturday (Feb. 16 & 17).
Ryan Freundlich
Besides looking to secure the home court advantage, the Dutchmen are looking to keep a very positive streak in tact. Head coach Bob Montana has guided his squad to more victories than the season before in each of his first five seasons. His rookie year of 1996-97 saw the Dutchmen finish with a 7-18 overall record. The 97-98 campaign saw them end at 11-14 before the 98-99 squad ended at 15-11 for the team's first winning season in five years. Not only did last year's Dutchmen finish at 17-12, they posted the first back-to-back winning seasons since the 1974-75 / 1975-76 campaigns.
The last time Union had three winning seasons in a row was in 1980-81 (14-12), 1982-82 (13-11) and 1982-83 (21-5). The '82-83 team is the only one in the long history of Union basketball to be invited to the NCAA tournament.