Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: The following program is brought to you in living color on dailygazette.com or wherever you get your podcast.
The Daily Gazette Company presents the parting Shots podcast. Now here's your host, Daily Gazette sports editor Ken shot. Thank you, Scott Geese. And welcome to the Parting Shots podcast, available wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me from the parting Shots podcast studio, New York, where it's our weekly appearance with Josh Alge, the union men's head hockey coach. Josh, how's it going?
[00:00:37] Speaker B: It's going well. How are you?
[00:00:38] Speaker A: I'm hanging in there. Starting to feel like fall out there now.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Yeah, it's sweatshirt weather for sure.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: Yeah. So the Garden Chargers were in Massachusetts to play two games last weekend, one against Stone Hill and the other against third ranked Boston University.
Let's start with the Friday matchup against Stonehill. But before the game, the team had some interesting travel issues. Leaving the hotel you were staying at in Boston as you were heading the Bridgewater arena, what happened and how frustrating was.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: Yeah. So basically after our team meal, we get in the bus and expecting it to be about. Well, so tech, we went up the day of the game, so we stopped in Springfield to eat, and then from there, expecting it to be with traffic and everything, a couple, maybe two and a half hours max, and ended up leaving the meal at 150 and getting there at about 545. So a little bit longer than what.
[00:01:32] Speaker A: We were expecting as Massachusetts traffic is not the most fun to drive through.
[00:01:37] Speaker B: Yeah, typically, we'd go up the day before, and that's kind of what we do for conference play, but this was a unique situation and, you know, we won't be doing that anymore.
[00:01:45] Speaker A: Well, how that, did that affect preparation for the game where things rushed, getting ready to play?
[00:01:50] Speaker B: Yeah, no question. I mean, it was just get your warm up stuff on, get a quick warm up in, and then let's, you know, get ready with our gear. And, you know, some of the meetings we typically would have, we didn't have. And, you know, no excuses. You gotta be ready to go.
[00:02:03] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, you guys took a one nothing lead on an early first period goal by Josh Nixon. But Stonehill, I thought and watched the game on my computer, outplayed union in the second period. It scored twice to take a two one lead. The second goal is a back breaker, a shorthanded tally by Henri Scheifel. As a former RPI player, I can't imagine you were very happy with the effort in the period. What was the message to the team between periods?
[00:02:26] Speaker B: Yeah, I just thought we had gotten a little bit, you know, away from our identity and our Ydez, you know, what, what makes us really good and that's working hard and being selfless and I think guys were trying to make, you know, fancy plays when, you know, they didn't really need to just get pucks and bodies to the net and they were, they were challenged and they, they really responded.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: Yeah, it seemed like the message was received because the guard of charges dominated the period. Union outshot Stone Hill 24 six and scored three times to pull out the four two victory. I mean, how pleased were you with that effort in the third period?
[00:02:55] Speaker B: Yeah, I thought it was an unbelievable effort. I thought, you know, is everybody going and, you know, getting pucks and, you know, bodies to the net? We had guys, you know, right on top of their goaltender and, you know, it wasn't, they weren't the most pretty goals, but they, you know, that's, that's we talk about all the time is just, you know, finding a way to get, to get it, to cross the line.
[00:03:12] Speaker A: Yeah. Carter Corby started the scoring minute 54 into the third. How important was getting that goal early in the period to grab the momentum?
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that, you know, it definitely takes a little bit of the, you know, the pressure off when you, when you get it even and you know, you're kind of carrying the play. So it was, it was a frustrating game. I mean, the net was coming off. I mean every, it felt like every three minutes and it was just, I mean, it was a unique situation.
[00:03:34] Speaker A: Should be used to that union.
[00:03:36] Speaker B: This is much worse.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: Of course, you don't have to worry about that anymore next year.
[00:03:41] Speaker B: So, yeah, I mean, anytime anybody's not appreciative for ice or anything like it was, we're lucky to have what we have.
[00:03:48] Speaker A: Well, before I get more into this period there, Bridgewaterna, that's how without being critical, how much of a, it looked like a recall, sort of like schneck the recreation facility.
How tough was it to play there?
[00:04:06] Speaker B: I mean, our guys grow up playing on rinks like that. You're definitely right. It is a, you know, it is a community arena and it's, you know, for a program like Stonehill, they're making the best of what they have and you know, we're all about growing the game to giving them the opportunity and it sounds like they have a new arena on their horizon, hopefully in the next, you know, little bit. But yeah, it's, it's definitely not what we're used to.
[00:04:30] Speaker A: Well, Jacob Jeanette who was a healthy scratch in the season opener against Army West Point, scored the game winner with 828 left in the period. Start with a nice pass by Colby MacArthur from the right corner to Jeanette, who was skating to the net, and he tapped it in for his first career goal. How happy were you that he collected his first goal, especially since it was the game winner?
[00:04:49] Speaker B: Yeah, a great way to get it. And one of those, you know, you know, you always want it to be. It's always memorable, but when it can be a game winner, that's extra special.
[00:04:59] Speaker A: How upset was Jacob that he didn't play in the opener? Was there a message being sent?
[00:05:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm sure he was upset. It's probably the toughest part of what we have to do every week is set in the lineup, and we weren't pleased with his performance against Providence and wanted to send him a message early in the season. He's been a guy that's been a staple in our lineup and is really important, and he responded in a big way. That's all you can ask for as a coach, is, you know, to be like, hey, here you go, and kind of, you know, put it back in your court. And that's exactly what he did.
[00:05:34] Speaker A: John Prokop sealed the deal late in the period with a shot from the left point and made it four two. Then it was time to get ready for number three, Boston University. And early on in that game, the Garner Chargers were playing well and carrying the play. What did you see during that stretch?
[00:05:47] Speaker B: I thought we were supporting really well. We were moving pucks quickly.
You know, everybody's just kind of bought into the way we have to play to be successful. And, I mean, that's some of the best hockey we've had. And, you know, in my short time here, and it was exciting to see. I think it was, you know, at one point, we were out shooting them ten to one or ten to two. And, yeah, we're really pleased with that.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: Yeah. And then the Terriers show why they were the third ranked team in the country. Shane LaChance course at 839 in the first. Less than two minutes later, Alex Zetterberg scores a power play goal. And then late in the period, bu gets another power play goal, this time from Cole Eisenman. You're down three. Nothing after one. I mean, how disappointing was that, considering how well you played early on, had nothing to show for it?
[00:06:30] Speaker B: Yeah, it's. I mean, it was tough. And, I mean, the guys can, you know, we can say, hey, trust the process, and just you know, focus on your next shift. But when you thoroughly dominate a team for, you know, basically ten minutes, and then at the end of the period, you look up and it's three nothing. It's. It's tough, and it's a learning curve for us that it doesn't matter if. If you dominate, you know, for ten minutes, you gotta keep going and control what you can control. And that's. That's the big message, is you can't feel sorry for yourself just because, yeah, you should have scored. You didn't. So you gotta. Just gotta keep working.
[00:07:06] Speaker A: A transfer from main got union on the board with seven left, 711 left in the second period when it shot from behind the goal line, found his way into the net. Is that the definition of if you shoot the puck, good things will happen?
[00:07:17] Speaker B: No. No question. No question. I mean, Parker has been a. Has been a great addition for us and, you know, glad he could get that one for us and, you know, give us a chance to get rolling.
[00:07:27] Speaker A: Yeah. But unfortunately, again for Union Jack, Harvey regained a three goal lead late in the period for BU. Neither team scores in the third period and Bu goes away with a four one win. I mean, how would you assess that game? And you had 37 shots on goal, so you were getting chances against Bu, so it's not like you were being run out of the building. You hung with him after that first period. It was one. One.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And, I mean, it's. Again, it's frustrating when you feel like you have the better of a team in a period and you come away three nothing down. And I think it showed us that we can play with anyone and we're not far away. We have to convert on some chances, we have to tighten some things up. But, I mean, overall, it was a. It was a good measuring stick game for us, and that's why we wanted to play him, and we wanted to play him early, is to see where we stack up with a, you know, a team that's going to be, you know, probably in the NCAA tournament.
[00:08:21] Speaker A: Yeah, I thought goalie Kyle Chavet played well in the game, made 40 saves. I mean, they had. He had some tough, tough saves to make.
[00:08:26] Speaker B: Yeah, he was outstanding in the second and third, especially. He. He made some big time saves for us.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: Well, let's take a break. We'll have another Mesa break memory, and we'll preview Union's two game series against Mercers this weekend at Messer Inc. You're listening to the parting Shots podcast.
[00:08:51] Speaker C: It's the most historic conference in college hockey it's a battle night in and night out. ECAC hockey an iconic conference, home to twelve of the most prestigious universities and programs in the world and showcasing the best student athletes in the sport, top notch facilities and arenas, incomparable traditions, passionate fans, alumni who go on to become elite professionals, leaders and champions. ECAC hockey? There's no experience like it.
[00:09:23] Speaker A: Stay informed with the DeleGazettes e edition. Download our app, sign up to receive our newsletters and enjoy exclusive reader rewards. When you join our growing community today, head over to www.dailygazette.com to check out our membership plans. And remember, when credibility matters, trust the Daily Gazette hey pro football fans, it's time again to match wits with other pro football fans and win a prize by playing the Daily Gazette's u pick'em football contest. To play, go to dailygazetteprofootball, dot up.net and make your picks before the first game kicks off each week. If you have the most weekly points, you win a dollar 100 Hannaforde gift card. Play the Deli Gazette's you pick a football contest today hi, this is Union.
[00:10:08] Speaker B: College hockey alum Adam Przysnik. You're listening to the parting shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken shot.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: Max Novak, who played for Union College from 2011 to 2015 on his most memorable mess of rink moment.
[00:10:24] Speaker B: Most memorable moment stuff. We had some, some big games there. I'd say almost any, any RPI game just because the fans were that much more into it and that little building can get loud and those games are always special.
[00:10:40] Speaker A: Welcome back to the podcast here. We're here with Union men's head hockey coach Josh Algers. He talk Union hockey and it's early in the season. It's probably not a reason to panic Josh, but the union's power play is still looking for its first goal of the season. The Garner Chargers are over 15 so far. There have been some inconsistency with generating shots on goal. Union did have did not have any shots on going the three opportunities they had against Army West Point. Against Stone Hill, Union was over nine, but did have 13 shots on goal. However, the Stone Hill did score a shorthanded goal and against BU, Union was over five and had two shots on goal which came on the final power play. Meanwhile, Bu had four shorthanded shots on goal in the game. What do the players need to do to break out of this slump?
[00:11:24] Speaker B: Well, I think it's, you know, one just getting pucks and bodies to the net. I mean, it's something we've been talking about a lot here already today. But, you know, if you want to score, you got to get to the paint. You gotta find a way. And, you know, at times, power plays have a tendency to, you know, be a little perimeter and say, we're gonna pass around, look for that perfect shot. And, you know, it just comes down to working hard and getting to get, getting to that heart area. And, you know, today we had just a quick meeting about outworking the, you know, the penalty kill, and that's, that's gonna be our focal focal point is just outworking them and getting, getting traffic and bodies there.
[00:11:59] Speaker A: How, how concerned are you? I mean, is it just too early to panic at this point?
[00:12:02] Speaker B: Oh, not at all. I mean, at the end of the day, the power play's job is to create momentum for our team and, you know, it's nice for them to score and there's going to be some critical times when you need them to. But early in the season, it's about, you know, executing your power play, having a mindset that you're going to outwork your opposition and doing things the right way. So I'm more concerned with the fact that they haven't outworked the penalty kill every time.
[00:12:24] Speaker A: Well, let's talk about your opponent this weekend. Mercy Arts. It's the fourth and fifth meeting all time between the two teams. It's the Lakers first visit to Mesa since October 29, 2004, a three two union. What do you know about Mercy Hearst?
[00:12:39] Speaker B: They play with a ton of pace and they look to transition and go.
They have really good team speed. They always have good goaltending.
They defend in numbers. They try to swarm you and take away your time and space.
They had a good weekend last weekend with two good games against RIT.
[00:12:59] Speaker A: Rick Gachen is their head coach. He was once an assistant coach at RPI. He's in his 37th season as the head coach in Mercy Hearst. He's one of the nicest guys in Colorado hockey. And a funny one, too. I mean, have you talked to him or what do you think of Rick?
[00:13:12] Speaker B: He's great and you're dead on. He's hilarious. And he was a little concerned. They had some hotel issues where they were told they were going to stay in a place and then contract didn't hold up or something and then. So he was panicking and luckily they were able to get that sorted out, but it was good to catch up with him.
[00:13:30] Speaker A: Yeah, I talked with Rick on Tuesday night. We'll have that conversation with him on the Thursday podcast.
Besides trying to come away with two wins this weekend, what do you want to see the team accomplish?
[00:13:43] Speaker B: Why? I think it's just, you know, establishing our identity and, you know, continuing to be physical and play with pace and, you know, there's some areas that we need to clean up. You mentioned power play and, you know, penalty kills, an area both where we can tighten things up.
[00:13:58] Speaker A: Expect any major lineup changes this weekend? Maybe. What? Anything?
[00:14:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, we're still trying to get, you know, some different guys in and, you know, give guys opportunity, and, you know, how hard everybody works throughout the week is kind of how we, you know, measure that and, you know, guys. Some guys that want to get in, need to take a step in certain areas, and the guys that are in, want to keep their. Their job. So it's. It's. It's a little bit all over.
[00:14:21] Speaker A: Right. I know it's a lot of league. Yeah. I probably asked you this question every year about, you know, you know, Kyle. Obviously, he's played all the games so far. Is this one of these weekends where you may give either Joe Sherb or Lucas Massey a shot and goal?
[00:14:34] Speaker B: I think, you know, so Kyle's looking for himself to establish himself as a top tier goalie, and you got those two that are really trying to push and take some ice from Kyle. So we'd like to get those guys in and give them an opportunity, and we also need Kyle to continue to develop and continue to take the reins.
[00:14:55] Speaker A: These games start an eight game stretch for union, where all of the games will be played in the capital region. The only road game will be next Friday against RPI in the ECZ hockey opener. Of course, the rematch with the Engineers will be next Saturday. The team is off November 1 and second, and the following weekend will be a two game series against Alaska Fairbanks, and the weekend after that, St. Lawrence and Clarkson come to Mesa. How good is it to have a schedule like that?
[00:15:18] Speaker B: Yeah, it's great. I mean, especially this early in the year to have a good stretch where you don't have to travel.
We can get our feet underneath us, the guys can finish up academically strong, and we can continue to build and push as a team.
[00:15:30] Speaker A: Yeah. You don't even leave New York State until December when you go to Quinnipiac and Princeton.
[00:15:34] Speaker B: Yeah. So it is a good stretch, and it's exciting time when you get a lot of games, especially in the area.
[00:15:42] Speaker A: Well, the games you played at Stonehum and the BU. You guys wore the white home jerseys, but the way things are going right now, you may not wear the garner jerseys for the until your next road trip Niagara, because the RPI game next week is a blackout game, so you probably wear the whites unless you decide to wear the garnets at home. First of all, what happened with the, with the jersey situation? That was the kind of weird.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: Yeah. So we were, you know, putting the jerseys out and where, where one of them was at, there was a hangar but no jersey. So we don't, we're not 100% sure what happened, and so we were missing it. So we reached out to Bu in Stone Hill and asked if we could wear our weights, and they were, they were gracious enough to let us.
[00:16:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, unfortunately, Josh, we've received some bad news regarding longtime union play by play announcer Matt Dubray. Last Friday, he was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia. Matt is undergoing therapy right now. I visited him on Monday. He seemed to be in good spirit. I mean, how stunning was that news when you found out?
[00:16:44] Speaker B: Yeah, it's, it's, it's really tough. And, you know, you think about him and his family and just kind of everything, everything they're going through and, you know, just how, how much we take, you know, for granted some things and, you know, wishing him and his family the best. And we're actually some of our staff members. We're going to go over tomorrow morning. So excited to get over there and see him tomorrow.
[00:17:05] Speaker A: Yeah. What has Matt meant to you?
[00:17:07] Speaker B: You know, when you look at your time and people that come in and just open, you know, welcome you with open arms, that's what he's done. He's been, you know, nothing but gracious to us and treated me so well. And, you know, he's not only just, you know, called our game, but is also a friend, so it's tough.
[00:17:23] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, I spoke with Matt's former broadcast partner, Brian Unger, over the weekend. He shared his thoughts on Matt.
Brian, what is Matt meant to you?
[00:17:36] Speaker C: That's hard to sum up quickly, but I've known Matt since I got back on the air in 2004, and he's just an incredible guy, extraordinary human being. And it goes a lot further than and all the experiences we had with the team through the highs and lows.
We become very good friends, and life throws curveballs, and when the curveball comes, Matt's always the first guy there.
And that's what I think just makes him an extraordinary guy. And if you get to know him, you're a very lucky person.
[00:18:22] Speaker A: I was. I'm going to, you know, write about the times when we travel together when I was traveling, and we always would think, Matt, I always wonder if he's going to be on time. We're going to be late.
[00:18:33] Speaker C: Yeah, that's, you know, I've thought a lot about that, and that's, everybody's got their quirks, right? Nobody's perfect. And I know at one point in time, the school started giving us the wrong itinerary. And, you know, we were told whenever the bus was leaving, we were told it was leaving ten minutes earlier to make sure we, you know, Matt and I showed up and got there when the boys were ready to roll. So you could have worse problems in life. But, yeah, that was certainly an issue.
[00:19:05] Speaker A: What did, what it mean to you think what it, what did it mean to him to, you know, he was there for. And you were there, too, obviously, as a student when things were not great for the program, but for him to, you know, for you guys to call that national championship game, you know, ten years ago, what did, you know, what did that mean to you? What did that mean to Matt?
[00:19:26] Speaker C: I think there's certain things in life that you categorize as highlights, and there's obvious ones, the birth of your children, getting married, things of that nature. And then there's a separate category that you'll always cherish and remember. And winning the national championship, especially with union, because a couple years prior, you would think that was a, you know, they would check you for your mental stability. If you said union was a national contender, is one of the greatest things that's ever happened. I mean, how fortunate were we to be associated with the program? And it's so rare in the world of sports that a team can go to the mountaintop and win it all.
That's, you know, that's the top five, top ten thing of all times. And I have no doubt that Matt thinks the same way.
[00:20:22] Speaker A: Any other thoughts?
[00:20:26] Speaker C: Yeah, you know, just everybody think positive. And.
[00:20:37] Speaker A: During Tuesday's media availability, I asked John Prokop, Josh Nixon, and Brandon Burr for their thoughts on Matt.
[00:20:45] Speaker B: You never wish that upon someone. It's always, you know, tough to see that. And, you know, our whole team heard the news, and we're all, you know, praying for him and hoping he heals, you know, fast.
[00:20:57] Speaker A: Josh?
[00:20:58] Speaker B: Yeah, there's really not much to say. I just, I feel real bad for him and his family right now, and hopefully our prayers and everybody else's prayers around are strong to help him get better here. Yeah, it's obviously terrible news, but our whole team, our thoughts and prayers are behind him. We believe you'll make a full recovery.
[00:21:20] Speaker A: We like to take questions from our listeners. You can email your questions to shot, that's schottaily Gazette.com, or post them on Facebook and X. Well, here's a question from Brian Wood. He's interested to know if the name, image and likeness is affecting recruiting in college hockey like it does in college basketball and football.
[00:21:39] Speaker B: I don't think it does to the level that it, you know, it is in football and basketball. It's definitely a part of it right now. We currently, you know, it's extremely limited for us. I think somebody might be, you know, getting, you know, maybe free, a free movie or something. You know, just minimal, minimal things. So most of our guys don't, don't get much. We're always open to, you know, our guys getting opportunities to, you know, know, use their name, image and likeness. So if anybody has anything, we're, you know, we're definitely willing for them to get some opportunities. But, yeah, right now it's, you know, some schools do have some, some opportunities, but we're on a smaller scale.
[00:22:19] Speaker A: Well, Brian, thanks for the question. And Josh, thanks for doing this again. Next week we're going to be talking union against RPI.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: Perfect.
[00:22:25] Speaker A: Yeah, of course. Union facing Mercers this weekend. Friday at 07:00. Saturday's a 05:00 start, not until normal 04:00 start because the football team is playing at home against Buffalo State. You learned a lesson last year from that, right?
[00:22:37] Speaker B: No question.
[00:22:39] Speaker A: So. All right, that's Josh. How they appreciate him doing this once again. Well, coming up on Thursday's podcast, we'll have interviews from Tuesday's Union hockey media availability. On the men's side, it will be John Prokop, Josh Nixon and Brandon Burr. For the women, it's head coach Tony Macy and players Byron Friday and Sophie Matsukis. Plus my Gazette colleague Adam Schindler will join me to talk union. And you all, Albany football and Mercy Earth's men's hockey coach Rick Gotkin will join me to talk about his team and this weekend's games against union. So please tune in.
The views expressed on the parting shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Daily Gazette Company. The parting Shots podcast, a production of the Daily Gazette Company. I'm Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Schott. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time from the party Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day. Good hockey.
