2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

[Dutchman]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

This says it all:

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Providence became the latest in an ever-lengthening string of teams to wonder, “What just happened?”

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/2014/03/29/anot...#ixzz2xOzrTEH4

[The Zlax45]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

Any tips by anyone about logistics for the Wells Fargo Center in Philidelphia? It's on 3601 South Broad Street. I bought my tickets on line. Will it be a sellout? Looks like a lot of the hotels nearby are booked solid. The first game is Thursday, the 10th and I think at 5:00pm and the final is Saturday, the 12th. This is the home of the Philidelphia Flyers. Are they going to let Ghost leave after Union finishes?

I was just down there for the Lax Championship weekend at the football stadium next door. You could easily stay outside of the city and drive to the games on the days of the games to save some money with hotels. There is NOTHING really around the sports complex to stay at.

[Dutchman]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

I wrote this after Union was 1-2-2 to start the year. None of knew how this team was going to end up given the loss of some great talent through graduation and matriculation to the pros. People were guessing around 4th in the ECAC. No one really knew. I was hoping for .500. Starting the year we were awash with injuries. It felt like half our starters were out and then Colin got wacked by that Lake Superior thug. In looking at those first few games, even though we were losing, you could see that there was something very special about this team. It was their expectations of themselves .... folks like me may have written them off .... but fortunately, they never wrote themselves off. I wrote:

"This is going to be a wild and exciting UNION College hockey season. This team has more offensive firepower than any UNION team I can remember. Explosive !!! The coaches are going to fix the defense. I don't know how, but they are going to fix it. Bennett is a great coach and that last press conference proved it again. I really like this team. I get a sense of a lot of leadership on this team. Players demanding a lot from themselves and from other players. There is an "acid in the gut" feel to this team. They know their lineage and have great expectations for themselves. The NCAA playoffs three years in a row. I really like the Captain, Bodie, and the other team Captains. It is a team effort. There are a lot of "intangibles" that seem right about this team. We all know where we would be right now without the injuries and combined with this explosive offense, but **** happens. I do not have a crystal ball and don't know how things will end up this year but I just have a really good feeling. I keep thinking of the term "Guts". I am proud of this team already. These last three years have been a wild ride and this season will be no different"

There is another story about this team. It is what an incredible group of young men they are. They are still fighting and clawing and refusing to quit. These are "student athletes" in the truest sense of the word. At Union the Director of Athletics reports to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, a Ph.d Economics Professor. The team has a higher GPA than the student body. We do not have an academic index, like the IVY + NESCAC + Patriot League but our kids are plenty smart and many are majoring in science and engineering and some have come from high academic prep schools.

Two years ago in Atlantic City the Coach from Harvard was very gracious after losing to Union and said that he felt Union would do a good job in representing the ECAC in the NCAA tournament going forward. He was right, as we made it to the final 4. We have a senior laden team that remembers that trip.

[Dutchman]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

I was just down there for the Lax Championship weekend at the football stadium next door. You could easily stay outside of the city and drive to the games on the days of the games to save some money with hotels. There is NOTHING really around the sports complex to stay at.

Thanks, I am getting that sense as well.

[hockeyplayer1015]

Thanks, I am getting that sense as well.

I am staying over in Mt. Laurel, NJ. Yes, that means bridge fares, but there were several hotels there, and very reasonably priced. It is only 15 miles I think, mostly interstate.

[The Zlax45]

Thanks, I am getting that sense as well.

I stayed at a hotel near the Philly airport and it was a ten minute or less drive to the stadium (rink is next door).

I hope the Phillies aren't home as their park us right there too...if so you could catch a baseball game

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

I hope the Phillies aren't home as their park us right there too...if so you could catch a baseball game

The Phillies are hosting the Brewers on the 10th and the Marlins on the 11th and 12th, all 7:05 starts.

[hockeyplayer1015]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

Or, for those who want to see real baseball, like me, you can head to the Bronx on that Friday and watch Yankees/Red Sox at 7pm. .

[Dutchman]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

Just a side note:

After todays matchups are complete, in the NCAA tournament, the following stats will exist:

ECAC is 2-2 with one Frozen 4 (Started with three teams)
HE will be 4-4 with one Frozen 4 (Started with five teams)

For the season HE vs. ECAC 23-22-8

Also, there has been a lot wriiten about the great goalies in HE. Connor Hellebuyck is a "hell of a good" goalie. No question Gilles is another great goalie. So where does Colin Stevens fit going forward for the next round?

Goalies: Overall for the season
1 Connor Hellebuyck, So, UML 28 18-8-2 1688:39 48 808 .944 1.7055
3 Colin Stevens, Jr, Union 34 26-4-2 1960:14 63 858 .932 1.9283
12 Thatcher Demko, Fr, BC 22 15-4-3 1328:45 47 546 .921 2.1223

Goalies: Save Percentage for the season
1 Connor Hellebuyck, So, UML 28 .944
2 Colin Stevens, Jr, Union 34 .932
24 Thatcher Demko, Fr, BC 22 .921

Goalies: Shutouts for the season
2 Connor Hellebuyck, So, UML 28 6
2 Colin Stevens, Jr, Union 34 6
22 Thatcher Demko, Fr, BC 22 2

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/stats/overall/d...#ixzz2xRT3xz6z

In the last 10 games, including six tournament games (4 ECAC and 2 NCAA)
Colin Stevens: gpg 1.1000
Colin Stevens: save percentage .963
Colin Stevens: Record 10-0
Colin Stevens: Shutouts 4
Colin Stevens: ECAC Goalie of the year

[sshablak]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

Any tips by anyone about logistics for the Wells Fargo Center in Philidelphia? It's on 3601 South Broad Street. I bought my tickets on line. Will it be a sellout? Looks like a lot of the hotels nearby are booked solid. The first game is Thursday, the 10th and I think at 5:00pm and the final is Saturday, the 12th. This is the home of the Philidelphia Flyers. Are they going to let Ghost leave after Union finishes?

Just wondering, do you really think Ghost can play NHL at 170 lbs ?? Curious.

[Dutchman]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

Just wondering, do you really think Ghost can play NHL at 170 lbs ?? Curious.

How about 165 lbs. soaking wet. I am with his mom. I would love to see him graduate.

[The Zlax45]

How about 165 lbs. soaking wet. I am with his mom. I would love to see him graduate.

From the two games in the regional, he might end up getting crushed in pro hockey as he seemed to pick up some knocks in both games.

[LTsatch]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

From the two games in the regional, he might end up getting crushed in pro hockey as he seemed to pick up some knocks in both games.

I thought one of the shots he blocked broke his arm yesterday, was back next shift. For whatever reason he did not attempt many end to end rushes yesterday either, maybe still sore from the knee to knee hit in the Vermont game?

[FireKnight]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

Just wondering, do you really think Ghost can play NHL at 170 lbs ?? Curious.

For the sake of college hockey, I hope the Flyers want him to stay another year and get a bit stronger. It's not too often you get to see an impact defenseman such as him play the game at the college level.

[Dutchman]

Re: 2013-2014 Union Dutchmen - Can U Three Peat? (Part II)

Quote Originally Posted by The Zlax45 View Post
"IMO, Union is a soft team that will get exposed by BC or UML"

So Friar Fan, (Zlax45) last year Union wiped the floor with your beloved BC and the year before beat one of the most physical teams I have ever seen play, the 2011 UML Squad. This Union team is bigger and tougher. Maybe you are so used to seeing "goon squads" play that you have forgotten what good hockey looks like. By the way, the ECAC has some of the biggest and toughest teams in College Hockey. Try scheduling Cornell some time. In terms of "exposing" didn't you lose to Connecticut and Air Force? So you were 1-2 against the AHA. Talk about "soft".

Its only out of respect for your coach and your fans that I will refrain myself further.