Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: The following program is brought to you
[00:00:05] Speaker C: in living color on elliot gazette.com or wherever you get your podcast.
The Gazette News Group presents the Parting Shots podcast. Now here's your host and shot. Thank you, Scott Kezy, 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 in Schenectady, New York. It's Wednesday and it's our weekly visit with the Union men, head hot coach Josh Housing. Unfortunately, Josh, this is the season ending podcast for us. Unfortunately, Union got swept by Princeton. First of all, how are you doing?
[00:00:41] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a, it's a tough time. I mean, obviously I think a lot of our group and it's been an emotional week.
It's, it's something where, you know, I, I know as a fan you're passionate, but like when you're living it, it's extremely, extremely difficult and to have these, these seniors believing the program is tough.
[00:01:01] Speaker C: We'll talk a lot about that. We're going to actually have three segments on this edition of the podcast. We have so many listener questions, so we'll have that as a separate segment. Well, let's get into it. After beating Brown in the opening round game nine nothing in that ecs yockey tournament game, fifth seed Union faced fourth seed of Princeton in the best of three quarterfinals at Hobie Baker Memorial rank down in Princeton, New Jersey. The team split the season series winning on each other's home ice. I mean, how good is the team feeling heading into the series?
[00:01:31] Speaker A: I thought we were in a good spot mentally. I thought, you know, at this time of the year you want your guys to be competing, you want them to be having fun. And I thought they were, they were enjoying the process.
[00:01:41] Speaker C: Well, let's start with game one. Unfortunately, a turnover leads to a Joshua Carnish goal 6:18 into the game to give the Tigers a 1 nothing lead. What happened on that play?
[00:01:50] Speaker A: Yeah, just a, a bang bang play where we don't make a strong puck play on the wall and end up, you know, turning the puck over right into the middle and just a quick shot on that.
[00:02:00] Speaker C: It was one nothing after one. And despite being down, did you like the way the team was playing?
[00:02:04] Speaker A: I thought we were playing okay. I thought it was obviously a different game than what we had just faced. The Brown game. We had a lot of space.
You know, things happen really quick at Hobey Baker arena and I just thought the game was happening at a little bit quicker of a pace than what we had just played. The last two games.
[00:02:25] Speaker C: Well, unfortunately, the Tigers scored twice in a four minute span. Tyler Rubin scores a 318 followed by a Jake Manfree at 718. I mean, how frustrating was that?
[00:02:34] Speaker A: Yeah, it was a tough spot. Like, you know, we had some chances we didn't capitalize on and you know, unfortunately they were able to.
[00:02:43] Speaker C: Union needed to mount a comeback in the third period, but 23 seconds into the period, Manfrey scores again to make it 4 nothing. You replaced starting goalie Cameron Corpi with Braden Gillespie. It was the second time Corpi was pulled from a game against Princeton.
Why was Corby pulled? Was it performance based or was it maybe his teammates in front of him? Not, not helping.
[00:03:01] Speaker A: I mean, those goals, I think maybe arguably you can make a case for one that he could have, could have stopped. But arguably, I thought for the most part it was, it was bad turnovers by us as a team. That fourth goal, you know, Carter Rose is skating behind and his stick kind of gets caught in the Zamboni door and then he gets hit at the same time. So he, he's kind of flying in the air. And the next thing you know it's just in the back of the net. And at that point, you know, we're just looking for a spark. And Braden's a big time competitor and he came in and that was the decision.
[00:03:36] Speaker C: There was a very scary incident with 721 left in the game. Just after Union defenseman Will Felicio made a pass from the Princeton right wing boards. The Tigers. Julian Fancinelli drives his left knee into Felicio's right knee. Felicio is down for several minutes and had to be helped to the locker room. Meanwhile, the call by the referees, Charles Hannifin and Tom Steinl Jr. Is tripping. I'm still, I'm still trying to figure out how it's tripping and not kneeing. You challenged the play.
One thing, a five minute major. The replay was shown on the ESPN broadcast several times and it could clearly look like a major should have been called. But Hannifin and Steinl said no. What was the reasoning behind that?
[00:04:17] Speaker A: Yeah, they said that it was foot on foot. That was what I was given. The explanation I was given, you know, taking a look at it after, I did think it was a knee, but again, you know, that's, that's the call they made.
[00:04:30] Speaker C: Did they have a, not have a good angle on it or anything?
[00:04:34] Speaker A: They said there was only one angle that they could see. You know, before the series. You have a meeting about all the different angles you have. Yeah, but apparently they only had one at that time.
[00:04:42] Speaker C: Well, I know it was a side camera they showed, but there was a camera below the scoreboard that when they were. When the PowerPoint was going, they were using that. So I'm thinking that camera should have shown the hit.
[00:04:54] Speaker A: I thought the same thing and even said that to him. They said it was at the other end. So I don't know how that camera works. Wherever the majority of action is, if it just flips automatically or if it's someone that's using it.
[00:05:04] Speaker C: Well, Union doesn't score on the power play, but shortly after it ended, Ethan Benz tips a DJ Hart shot past goalie Arthur Smith to get Union on the board. For instance, Jackson Esmond scores an empty net goal with 328 left. And Union's Parker Lindauer scores with 104. Make it left to make it a 52 final. Obviously not the outcome you wanted. What was the message to the team after the game?
[00:05:26] Speaker A: Just backs against the wall. We've been a pretty resilient group all season and, you know, we need to bounce back.
[00:05:32] Speaker C: Well, let's go to game two. And the big question on everyone's mind was, who is going to start in goal? And you decided to come back with Korpi. What led to that decision?
[00:05:40] Speaker A: Well, I mean, Carter was.
[00:05:42] Speaker D: Or.
[00:05:42] Speaker A: Sorry, excuse me. Cameron. Excuse me. Was. Was 7, 011 in his last eight games. He had been playing really good hockey.
You know, you take a look. Obviously, Braden is awesome. Like, I love both our goaltenders. I did not feel like Cameron did anything to, to not earn another opportunity. And obviously it's heavily debated. It's something that, you know, everybody has their opinion on and that's, you know, I think it's. It's awesome how passionate people are about that. But, you know, as a group, we made the decision and at the end of the day, it comes back on me. I made the call and, you know, we went with Cameron and, and that's kind of what it came down to. It is just the, the body of work he had over the last eight games where he had played those eight games for us, we were seven, like I said seven, zero and one.
And really felt like the only, you know, the one goal was maybe the one we could be talking about that wasn't, you know, there.
[00:06:40] Speaker C: Yeah, there was good news on the Felicio front. He, despite injuring that right knee, he was back in the lineup from game two. Was his knee okay?
[00:06:48] Speaker A: I don't think he was 100%. But it was, he was medically cleared and you know, he's, he's, he's a competitor and you know, we did a bunch of tests on him, a bunch of quite. He. He wanted to play.
[00:06:59] Speaker C: There are no tears or anything.
[00:07:00] Speaker A: No, no tears.
[00:07:01] Speaker C: Okay. Well, the game gets underway and it starts like game one. A turnover by ETN Lassard leads to a Guy Daniels goal 7:32 into the game.
Not the way he wanted to start that game.
[00:07:12] Speaker A: No, not at all. And I mean, etn, like, we gotta support him better and give him a chance.
[00:07:17] Speaker C: Well, I mean. Union. Union. Men's Hockey sports information. Tim Laduca texted me that he saw you giving Lazard a pat on the back. Maybe that relaxed him because with 3:46 left in the first, he scores on the power play to tie the score of one. You had to feel good for him to bounce back the way he did.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: I mean, as a coach there are guys that you really respect what they do. And I think, you know, Etienne is just an absolute competitor.
He does everything the right way and I know he beats himself up more than anybody for mistakes. So for him to be able to come back, it was huge and was really proud of him.
[00:07:56] Speaker C: Let's go to the second period unions rally. Bruik is called for boarding at 10:11, giving Princeton a power play. Instead Union takes advantage as Colby MacArthur's right circle shot hits Parker Lindauer skate in front of goalie Arthur Smith and goes into the net at 1103 to give Union a 21 lead. Big goal there.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: Yeah, it was a huge play and obviously our penalty kill has been special all season, so it was great.
[00:08:20] Speaker C: Well, you take that 21 lead into the third period, but Union takes a pair of penalties 120 apartment early in the period, Troy Pelton called for tripping at 102 and then Brewer gets a roughly call 222 with 4 seconds left on the 513 Jackson Ersman scores to tie. It doubly frustrating because you were close to killing the Pelton penalty and now you have to kill the Bruic penalty.
[00:08:42] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's clearly the difference in the game.
You know, that, that segment right there, we're in pretty much control of the game.
It's two to one. We take a penalty off of a face off, you know, then you know, a minute 20 in where the kill is, I mean, doing an outstanding job. I felt like we could have killed the last 15 minutes if we were five on four, but, you know, end up.
Riley gets his Stick knocked out of his hands and you know he's got to hold on to his stick there and.
But I do think the guy like cuts through and knocks it out and then he takes a penalty, maybe out of frustration, maybe out of just panic, not having a stick, whatever the reason is. And then it's a five on three and you know, we, we put a guy on top of our goaltender and you know, that's why he wasn't able to make the save.
[00:09:33] Speaker C: Brooke probably could have worse because they ben sire challenge for, I think contacted there because it looked like Riley took a little swing at but they stuck with the roughing call.
[00:09:43] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean that's something that you know, as a group we're going to have to live with and I thought it was close. If they would have gave him a five, it wouldn't have caught me off guard.
[00:09:52] Speaker C: Well, Princeton takes advantage of another turnover. Daniels gets his second goal of the game at 7:18. Unions down 3 2. What are you saying to your team at this point?
[00:10:01] Speaker A: Again? Just that like we've been in these spots before, we have to get more traffic to the net and I mean a big thing for us is we had to take better care of the puck. I mean that was a reason for us giving up chances. So working back to support so we can attack with numbers.
[00:10:15] Speaker C: Late in the game, Korpi has pulled for an extra attacker as Union looks to get the tie in goal and possibly send the game to overtime. But empty net goals by Manfrey and Daniels clinched the 52 win and the series for Princeton. What did you say to the guys after the game? I imagine it's pretty emotional in that locker room.
[00:10:32] Speaker A: It's like nothing you can ever be a part of. It's awkward, it's uncomfortable, it's devastating.
It's so many emotions wrapped into just having to say the right thing. And there is no right thing.
Just you feel bad for him, you're sorry, you know, it's just, it's all self reflecting about what. What didn't go our way.
[00:10:55] Speaker C: Well, let's take a break. When we return, Josh and I will recap the season and look ahead to the 20, 26, 27 season. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:11:11] Speaker A: 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 12 of the most prestigious universities and programs in the world and showcasing the
[00:11:25] Speaker C: best student athletes in the sport.
[00:11:27] Speaker A: 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.
[00:11:43] Speaker B: I'll never forget the day I decided to go out for the football team. Mr. Banks, the JV football coach and my history teacher, asked me to stay after class.
I thought I was in trouble. He said, hey, Darius, have you thought about going out for football? I think you'd be great.
Fact is, I never played football.
Fact is, I never had anyone tell me I'd be great at something.
So with no experience at all, I signed up. And a week later, I padded up and was running drills on the field.
I never was great. But playing high school sports was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I was accepted by my teammates. And I learned that when someone believes in you, you can believe in yourself.
[00:12:32] Speaker C: Encourage a student you know to take part in a high school sport. This message presented by NISFA and the New York State Athletic Administrators Association.
Hi, I'm Stan. And I'm Shen. And each week we bring you the Stan and Shen Show.
And each week we talk about fun things through our travels throughout the Capital region. We touch on food, we touch on news, try to touch heavily on good news. And Shen's always available with hot takes.
Yeah. So if you could follow along and
[00:13:05] Speaker A: listen to us every week on daily gazette.com or on all major streaming platforms, we'd love to have you join us.
[00:13:18] Speaker C: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Gazette Union hockey beat writer Ken Shot, and I'm joined by Union men's head hockey coach Josh Howe. Well, Josh, let's look back at the season. The team finished 22, 12 and 3. It was the first time Union cracked the 20 win mark since the 201819 season. I mean, how happy were you to win 20 games for the first time as a Union head coach?
[00:13:36] Speaker A: Yeah, I was pleased with that. I thought it was, you know, a good step for the program. I think 20 wins, sort of that, that marker, if you, if you get 20, it's usually a successful season.
[00:13:46] Speaker C: Sorry. You won 14 games your first season in 2022, 23. And that wind total is going up each season. You had 16 wins in 20, 23, 24 and 19 victories last season. I mean, how important is it to see that win total increase?
[00:14:00] Speaker A: Well, yeah, I think it's, you know, positive steps for the program again. And I think, you know, each year you want to be able to see a development and improvement. I think you've seen development from our players.
So that's probably the most important thing for me is just that our players are developing.
[00:14:15] Speaker C: Well, it was unions playing ECAC hockey that had to be frustrating. Through the first 10 conference games, union lost five Friday games and then went four and one and Saturday games. Then there was that four game stretch when Union won on Friday and lost on Saturday. I mean, how frustrating was that?
[00:14:30] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean I think you look at the Princeton series to me and if that's played in our building, we're advancing, you know, Princeton's 12 and 2 at home, 3 and 11 on the road. So like the discrepancy of, of their, their home and away. If we get one more win out of there, you know, a couple more wins, we're talking about a league championship versus you know, having to go on the road in the first or in the second round and playing. So to me that's, that's the part of the season that is we're going to be looking back on forever and really kicking ourselves about.
We had our first meeting, you know, moving forward with the, you know, guys that are returning and we flipped, you know, just a couple games. We took the army game and made it a regulation win. We took the two Yale games and made them regulation wins and the, and the first RPI game and made it a win. And we're, we're at that, we flipped those games right now we're in the NCAA tournament. So to me it's, it's, it's, it's a small margin, but it's a big margin we have to, to improve on.
[00:15:31] Speaker C: What do you have to do to avoid that next season?
[00:15:33] Speaker A: I mean it's how we start training right now. It's our consistency, it's our, our puck management for us was probably our biggest issue this season is when we made mistakes with the puck and big turnovers are what ended up biting us.
[00:15:48] Speaker C: Well, the offense was spectacular. The Garner Chargers scored 140 goals, averaging 3.78 goals per game that ranked fourth in the country. The power play was top 20 nationally going 34 for 146, 23.3%. Union had seven players score 10 or more goals, the most team has had since having six double digit goal scorers in the 2014-15 season. I mean, how pleased were you with the offensive output?
[00:16:15] Speaker A: Yeah, I think for us one thing we take a ton of pride in is developing players with, with, you know, being being able to make offensive plays. Like we want to play fast, we want to, we want to play with pace. We want to be a team that is always on the attack and I think that's you know, you saw that at times this year where it was pretty special. I think too, when you look at guys that took really big steps, you know, you know, Brandon Beard, Ben Muthersbaugh, Parker Lindauer, like Tyler Dunbar, Kobe MacArthur, those guys all scored a lot of goals. And maybe besides Ben, every other one was kind of cast away. You got Brandon Beer was cast away at Clarkson. Parker Lindell had to leave Maine. Dunny was cc. Colby wasn't super recruited and had a rough freshman year, but, you know, all took really big steps during their time
[00:17:06] Speaker C: as far as the goaltending is concerned. Sophomore and Michigan transfer Cameron Korby came in to be the starting goalie. He had a good year going 15, 8 and 3 with a 2.4, 3 goals against average, an.899 save percentage and 5 shutouts. Korpi did have his moments where he was struggling and was pulled from games.
Also had had a lower body injury, missed some time. That gave freshman Braden Gillespie some time to shine. He went 73 with a 2.9 goals against average, a.915 save percentage and two shutouts.
Was the goaltending solid for you this season and is it looking good for next season?
[00:17:40] Speaker A: Definitely. I thought, you know, both of them were outstanding.
I think you look at just kind of way the process work. You know, Cameron came in as just having, you know, played college hockey before, so he got maybe a little bit more opportunities there. His body, like he had some injuries there and, you know, Braden stepped in and didn't miss a beat.
You know, had a really good stretch then maybe a little stretch where things weren't going his way, but was always there for us and consistent when we, you know, needed him.
[00:18:12] Speaker C: The penalty kill was outstanding this season. It allowed just 11 goals on 114 shorthanded situations.
Number one in the country, kills 90.4% of the power plays. I mean, how big was the PK this season?
[00:18:24] Speaker A: Yeah, it was. It was pretty special to see, you know, to.
To do what that group did.
It comes down to first, you got to have great goaltending, which we did.
You know, our.
Our centermen were outstanding on the dot to be able to win win draws so we could get clears and then just the sacrifice amongst the group and, you know, really, really proud of that group.
[00:18:48] Speaker C: You look at all those stats and you have to wonder if Union could have won more than 22 games overall and could have a better ECAC hockey record than 11, 9 and 2. Can you pinpoint one or two areas that kept Union from winning more Than it did.
[00:19:01] Speaker A: Yeah. Again, I think, you know, our puck management was an issue, you know, and I think, you know, just when teams like, we have to continue to develop our B game offensively. So when teams are staying above us and frustrating us, we have to be able to find different ways to score. And, you know, you get into hard games and, you know, refs maybe put their whistle away or you don't get as many power play opportunities or your power play dries up now, now you're in a spot where you're having a hard time.
[00:19:33] Speaker C: What is it going to take for the program to win a quarterfinal series in advance of Lake Placid for the first time since 2017?
[00:19:41] Speaker A: Again, I think it comes down to our B game offensively.
It comes down to just making a few more winning plays, you know, and that's as simple as getting a puck out. That's as simple as blocking a shot.
But those are really hard things at times when you're under pressure or, you know, you're staring down the barrel of someone, you know, blasting a shot. So it's just those one or two winning plays.
[00:20:06] Speaker C: You lose nine seniors, how do you replace them?
[00:20:08] Speaker A: You know, it's got to be guys in house. Everybody's going to have to take a step in house to, you know, really, you know, soften that blow. And then, you know, we're excited about the group we're going to have coming in. And I think we're going to have, you know, a lot of outstanding, you know, players coming into the program, barring
[00:20:24] Speaker C: anyone leaving early for the pros or entering the transfer portal. Do you like what you have coming back?
[00:20:29] Speaker A: I do. I think I really like our locker room. And I think that's with the whole landscape of college hockey right now, there's not a lot of loyalty. There's not a lot of, you know, reasons for players to have to stay to a spot. The reason players stay at Union is because of the group we have. And, like, those guys are really tight in that locker room and they'll do anything for each other. And I think that's why you don't see as many players leave is because they're all best friends in there and they really look out for each other. And I'm not going to say we won't lose anybody. I don't know that at this point, but it's pretty special, the group of people we have in that locker room.
[00:21:10] Speaker C: Well, it is hockey signing season, and big news coming Wednesday is that Brandon Burr is signing a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will be assigned to the AHL's Toronto Marlies where he'll be reunited with former Union teammate John Prokop. Burr had 49 goals and 39 assists in 106 career games at Union and including back to back 19 goal seasons. What is the Maple Leafs organization getting in? Brandon?
[00:21:34] Speaker A: Yeah, solid 200 foot player, plays hard, is, you know, a great person. Somebody who's going to do things the right way, you know, does, does everything and, and we'll, we'll miss him as a leader.
[00:21:46] Speaker C: Talk about his play this year. I mean it's great because obviously we've talked about many times you recruited him to Clarkson, you came down here. He left Clarkson after about nine games, went back to juniors. You re recruited him when you got the job here and just been a solid player. I mean obviously as I said, back to back 19 goal seasons.
[00:22:06] Speaker A: Yeah, he's been consistent for us. He's, yeah, he's a special person for me. I mean you look at these guys then and he had opportunities where he, you know, he could have left or done different things but just stayed to the program and stayed the course and you know, again indebted to him.
[00:22:22] Speaker C: Three other union players have signed ECHL deals. Colby McArthur is heading to the Kansas City Mavericks. Nate Hanley is joining the Greensboro Gargoyles. Nice nickname. And Nick Young signing with the Idaho Steelheads. Your thoughts on these three players starting their pro careers?
[00:22:37] Speaker A: Yeah, excited for all three of them. You know, I think Colby's going to get started right away here. I think he might have a game tonight or tomorrow and all the other guys getting out this weekend to play, but it's an exciting time for those guys as they get started. And all three of them may be a little bit different, journey through their time here, but really proud that they're going to be alumni of Union.
[00:22:59] Speaker C: Well, the ECA's hockey announced its three finalists for the best Defensive Defenseman Award. I'll read the names to you, Josh. It's Cornell's Hoyt Stanley, Quinnipiac's Elliot Groenewald and Dartmouth's Eric Charpentier.
Where's Tyler Dunbar?
[00:23:16] Speaker A: Yeah, he's an omission from that and
[00:23:20] Speaker C: yeah, Tyler's the first team all, how the heck doesn't be a finalist?
[00:23:25] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't know if they're just looking at, you know, what they're looking at with that, but yeah, they made the call to not have him on there and unfortunately I can't vote for him. So that's how it Falls.
[00:23:36] Speaker C: Well, finally, year one of playing in M and T Bank center is complete. Union went 13, 4, 2 in its new home.
An average of 2100 fans came to the games. Of course, the last game with Brown was standing room of 2499. Can't say 2500 for more than 2500 there.
Fire Marshall, don't listen to that.
How happy were you with the first season in the new building?
[00:23:58] Speaker A: I was pleased. I mean, obviously there were some kinks early on as far as, you know, the audio and different things.
[00:24:05] Speaker C: I'm sorry, I lost my hearing. What did you say about that?
[00:24:09] Speaker A: But, you know, everybody made adjustments to try to, you know, get things corrected as far as just the quality of ice. Unbelievable for our players and makes a huge, a huge difference for their ability to develop and for us to practice at a really high pace.
The boards and the glass were great. The sight lines. I was able to watch some high school games. I really enjoyed, you know, that as a fan, when you're watching different high school games in there. And yeah, I mean, our facilities for us, they. They give us a chance to compete on a national level. And so, yeah, I couldn't be more thrilled about the new building.
[00:24:44] Speaker C: And the fans, I mean, I know they're early on when they're talking about, you know, the new building and constructing. There's people in, around that area say, oh, it's going to be problem traffic light. But the fans showed up.
How happy were you with the support that the fans gave the program?
[00:25:00] Speaker A: Yeah, it was outstanding. It was really loud. Especially by the end of the year. It got louder and louder and people got more and more excited about it.
So it was, it was a lot of fun to be a part of and just kind of see it continue to grow.
[00:25:12] Speaker C: Of course, there's all that talk too about nobody's going to go to the games off campus. Well, you know what? People showed up and, you know, it was. And I will say this, I love my sight lines, too. Having a press box on the side after 29 years of an end zone press box at Messering. So let's take one final break. We'll have questions from our listeners. Boy, we have a lot of questions for Josh. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:25:48] Speaker E: If you really want to know what's going on in your community, you have to read the Daily Gazette. We don't take a side. We're right down the middle and we're gonna get to the truth. Our reporters and photographers are out in the field bringing you updates Every minute with trust, accuracy and integrity. From the first page to the last page. Independent, probing journalism. We're finding out what's going on in community where nobody else is covering. It's who we are. It's what we do.
[00:26:19] Speaker D: It's been a trying year for parents. They've been confronted with countless challenges and have always risen to the occasion. If it isn't too much to ask, the 370,000 high school student athletes in New York have one last request.
[00:26:37] Speaker B: Please set an example.
[00:26:41] Speaker D: Disorderly fan conduct at high school athletic events is on the rise. It increasingly involves parents.
There's no question that parents are passionate. There's no question they care about their children.
But at a time when we're all wound a little more tightly than usual, it's worth remembering this about New York high school sports.
Always be a good example.
Stop unruly fan behavior before it starts.
[00:27:09] Speaker C: This message presented by the New York
[00:27:10] Speaker A: State Public High School Athletic association and the New York State Athletic Administrators Association.
[00:27:18] Speaker C: Explore the benefits of subscribing to the Daily Gazette like our convenient E Edition app, personalized newsletters and unique reader rewards. When you join, start your membership today offers redeemable at www.dailygazette.com.
Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Gazette Union hockey beatrider Ken Shott, and I'm joined by Union meds head hockey coach Josh Hauge. This is our final chance, Josh, to take questions from our listeners. Anthony Sachs has a few.
In four years here, the team has no playoff wins in the quarterfinals. What hasn't gone right so far during your tenure and how do you fix it? Do you need different kinds of players? Do you need to modify systems? Do you need disciplined players? Do you need to discipline players differently? And what changes, if any, are you looking to make going forward?
[00:28:14] Speaker A: You know, I think anytime you lose, you take a really deep dive into everything that, that you do as a group. And I think, you know, for us, there's been, you know, obviously positive movement as far as our wins in the regular season, but we have to, we have to take a step as a program in the playoffs. And I think, you know, it's funny for us if we, if we win last weekend, it's probably viewed as a really successful season for us as a staff getting to Lake Placid, having a chance to be in an NCAA tournament, but, you know, we didn't get it done. So all, all of us are, are beating ourselves up right now. And it's a tough time, but I think just having a little bit more of a B game offensively, as I kind of talked about when I see B game, I mean, you know, when, when, when you have to put the puck in the zone, like we want to be a puck possession team. We don't ever want to give it up, but there are times where you have to put the puck in and go forth, check it out.
We have to establish more of that and we have to be able to grind it out and get pucks to the net. And I think, you know, adding some players that are going to take pucks to the net and, you know, try to score that way, maybe to draw some more penalties or create more chances as an area where we can improve on. And then I just think our support on our breakouts is an area where we can prove. You look at the turnovers we made, whether it was RD having to throw a puck up because he didn't have anybody to hit in the middle of the ice, or, you know, somebody trying to make that extra play, those are the winning plays you gotta make in the, in the playoffs.
[00:29:34] Speaker C: Does Union have enough resources to regularly compete for an ECAC hockey title?
[00:29:40] Speaker A: We, we can always use more resources. I mean, I think when you look at the landscape of college hockey right now, it's, it's.
There are huge differences and there's, there's differences in our conference. I mean, it's just the way it is.
You know, right now we're phasing scholarships in and next year we're finally going to be at the spot where we have, we have all the scholarships. So that's really exciting. It allows us to have more depth, do different things and create more opportunities for our guys.
There's teams that have nil right now. We have a collective, but it's just kind of getting started. So there's things that way.
Union College has done everything in their power to close the gap and to continue to do that. And I'm really happy with what they've given us and what they're trying to do here as we continue to move on.
[00:30:28] Speaker C: Anthony is saying on an earlier episode you said, and he's paraphrasing that if you change some recruiting tactics, you said you could probably recruit better players and have a better roster. As you get further into your tenure here, do you feel a greater responsibility to the fans and to the program to make certain changes in the name of pursuing winning?
[00:30:46] Speaker A: So winning is extremely important to us all.
I also think that it is, it is what you want to be as a program and what you want to be as A person and, and if we just cut every player that, you know, things didn't go well for in one season, you know, you might be able to have a more success, but you wouldn't see the Colby MacArthur's really develop into the player, you know, that he is. He had played, you know, nine games as a freshman.
I think there are some programs that would have walked away from him at that time.
I think you look at, you know, Tyler Dunbar, Brandon Beer, guys that were, again, I don't want to say that they were cast away from their other programs because every situation is a little bit different, but they sort of were. And I don't ever want to give up on our guys. We make a commitment to them that they're going to come in here, we're going to take care of them, we're going to do everything in their power to develop them and it's my job to make them better. And I just think that if at the end of the day I get fired because I don't win enough games because I'm treating kids well and giving them a good experience, then I'm going to live with that. I'm not going to be someone here that's going to make promises and then lie and cheat and steal to win. I'm going to do everything in my power to do it the right way, have integrity and represent union to the best of my ability.
[00:32:15] Speaker C: Anthony saying there is a lot of blank wall space in the concourses and lobby at the rink. Are you aware of plans to add any union centric branding to any public areas in the rink?
[00:32:24] Speaker A: Yeah, I do think we're trying to do more and more to make it our building.
I think that everything they're doing at the facility has been pretty special and there is some cost to it. So we're trying to do more and more to make it so everybody knows it's union's building.
[00:32:40] Speaker C: I just want them to cover the top of the media room so we don't have any sound coming out there.
[00:32:47] Speaker A: I'm hoping to, you know, obviously like get a Canadian national or Canadian flag for the. When we do the Canadian national. I mean there's little things and we're going to do again everything in our power and try to continue to move on.
[00:32:59] Speaker C: Are you planning on having a more challenging out of conference schedule next season and beyond?
[00:33:03] Speaker A: Yes, that is. I mean, I think kind of talked about this a little bit, but we have Providence coming to our building next year.
Ohio State will be coming for two games next year.
We'll play UMass, Lowell and UNH on the road. So right now we got Alaska on the road. So, like, there's some things going on right now. We gotta finish the schedule out. But right now those are some games that are confirmed.
[00:33:27] Speaker C: Margaret, one other question. How will. From Anthony. How will NCAA hockey roster limits affect union going forward?
[00:33:33] Speaker A: So we have opted out of revenue sharing as a school, so we don't have a roster limit. So for us, we can have 28.
The big limitation there is just how many scholarships we can give out. So we can't give every player a scholarship like some other programs.
[00:33:49] Speaker C: Margaret Brennan is asking, are you worried about losing any of your stars to the portal process?
[00:33:54] Speaker A: Every day, every minute, all the time. It's a scary time for a coach.
We value our relationships with the players, but at the end of the day, if somebody decides that it's the right thing for them to move on, we have to, you know, kind of handle that and adjust.
I think union does an amazing job giving people a pretty special experience, but it is, it is crazy in college athletics right now. What is going on?
[00:34:23] Speaker C: Professor Brian Cohen follows that up with, what about losing team?
Losing them? Dung bar particular to professional opportunities.
[00:34:34] Speaker A: I can't sit here and tell you that Tyler's going to be back 100%, but we've had a lot of talks and I think at this time that that is the intention is that Tyler will be back and playing with us next season. And, you know, if somebody says, hey, you're going to play in the NHL, I'll pack his bags for him and help him out. But if he's.
If. If not, I truly believe Tyler will be back.
[00:34:57] Speaker C: Scott Daly says, I'm also concerned with potential portal losses and what does the coaching staff do to try to keep current players. How does he feel? Current roster, new recruits will fill those nine spots and five power loss from the senior class. And Scott's relaying his thanks for an exciting season.
[00:35:15] Speaker A: Yeah, thank you for that.
I think it's. It's all about trying to explain what they have here.
Everybody. I think at this time of the year, questions like just the situation and, you know, should I be looking elsewhere? Should I be looking at a different conference? Should I be looking, you know, going somewhere. And I think it's, it's natural.
But I think union is a spot where you're valued as a person and you're taken care of. I know I feel that way as a coach.
I know I feel that way from the people around, around the program. Whether it's you know, whether it's Ken, whether it's the fans that are at, you know, certain days probably hate me and, and.
But at the end of the day, I know that there are really good people here around it, and they're passionate. And that's what we just try to talk to our guys about, is like, we're going to do everything in our power to develop you and try to help you make it to your goal. And I think you've seen it. I think you've seen it from, you know, John Prokop. He was not recruited by anyone else in the country, had been decommitted twice. We were able to bring him in here, and after three years, he signed an NHL deal. You have Brandon Beer again. You know, a guy who couldn't play at Clarkson for whatever reason and went back to junior hockey, came here and in three years signed a deal. I think we have guys that, if they stay here, are going to sign.
So that's just kind of what we talk about.
[00:36:34] Speaker C: Brian Conal has another question. He says, I would like to know how Howgy plans to manage what will likely be a much younger roster next year with nine seniors graduating, is he allowed to work with them over the summer? I don't know what the NCAA rules are with that.
[00:36:48] Speaker A: Yeah, we're not allowed to do any practices, but we have. We'll have some zoom sessions with them, start going over our structure.
You know, we'll have a systems packet we're sending out. We're working on that as we speak. We want to have that done by June 1st, just because there's a lot of learning that. That they got to get, you know, get accustomed to. And then we'll make sure that they're getting in the weight room. But mostly it's just focusing on the guys that are going to be returning and in house and. And developing them.
[00:37:15] Speaker C: Liza Moores is asking, what, for you, was the high point of the season and what do they need to work on for next year to keep moving the program forward?
[00:37:26] Speaker A: Okay, so for me, the high point is going to be completely different than what I think a fan might think.
So, and this is just not. It's not even a. It's not even a hockey thing. It's on December 24th.
Jan Micah, he's a. He's a local hockey parent, passed away, and we were on the road getting back, and we found out at like, 10:30 at night that there was going to be a game for his son the next day that his son was playing in, and they Wanted to pack the house for just kids going through a rough time and wanting to do something special for him.
It was 10:30 at night, we're on the bus, I don't think much of it, and then we're unpacking and it's two in the morning on a Sunday and I say, hey guys, at 11 o', clock, if anybody wants to go, there's this game to honor a kid whose dad passed away. Ryan Mika is actually a real good player and local kid. And our whole team showed up and it was 11 o' clock in the morning after getting back at 2.
To me that was the highlight of the season for me. That our guys, they don't know Ryan, they don't know anything about him other than just his story that his dad had passed. And to have a group of college age guys like, I think that was extremely special. And that's the thing I'm probably most proud of this year is just that our guys did that.
So for me, I think if you have players that do things like that, that work hard, you're not always going to get rewarded. Like we didn't get rewarded at the end of the year. But I can think if we continue to do that, we're going to take steps as a program.
I think our reputation on campus is light years better than what it was a few years ago. If we continue to support other programs, continue to help out the youth hockey in the area, continue to work hard, we're going to take steps.
[00:39:15] Speaker C: This is from Diane Vandenberg. Do you think the new rink was a distraction from the game? Especially early on in the season, either for the players or the coaching staff. New routines like getting to the rink for practice, games, locker rooms, etc.
[00:39:29] Speaker A: It was different. It was, you know, just trying to figure out the routine to, you know, get, get there for the rink for games. I don't think it was ever any, you know, any issue.
I, I thought the fans were great. I think we got off to a pretty good start. Obviously the, the army game. I think there was just a lot of buzz that, that, you know, was some noise that we didn't handle. Great. I thought we should have won that game.
But, but overall the new facility is like, it is unbelievable. It is so much of an upgrade for us and we're pretty excited about.
[00:40:02] Speaker C: Nathan Laurent is asking why has union been unable to win a quarterfinal game? Why. Why will it be different next year?
[00:40:10] Speaker A: Well, I think that again, it kind of goes back to the, you know, things we had talked about. Just, you Know, we need to make one or two more plays and that's what it comes down to. And I, I think when you look at our team, I don't know that we deserve to win, you know, in years one and two. I think we were just starting to figure it out.
You know, obviously these last two years have been.
They're a little bit harder and, you know, again, we have to, we have to find a way to make that step.
[00:40:38] Speaker C: Ryan Fay, who has some scheduling questions and you mentioned some of the games next season first. Any plans in the works to play at Omaha again? He lives out there, Ryan.
For fans. Don't know. Ryan used to do a union blog back during the championship run. He did that for several years and now he's working in, I believe, in television out in Omaha.
[00:40:59] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I would love to, to play them. I know for me, they're one of their broadcasters I used to work with. So, you know, but yeah, right now we don't have them on the schedule, but we're still looking for games. So I'll give them a call. And any chance you can get that blog going again? We'd love to do anything we can with that. We need to, you know, create as much buzz about the program as we can, but, yeah.
[00:41:21] Speaker C: Oh, I'm not doing enough.
[00:41:24] Speaker A: Hey, the amount of calls I've got this week about our.
Everything you do. Holy cows. It's been a. It's been a lot.
[00:41:32] Speaker C: Well, any. Ryan's also asking, any chance, you know, we'll have two home games the weekend of October 9th and 10th? I think he and his wife are planning to maybe come into town.
[00:41:41] Speaker A: Right now we're, we're trying to find some games for that weekend. So, yes, I think there's a chance, but it's not. There's nothing confirmed at that.
[00:41:47] Speaker C: Do you have the dates for the Ohio State games?
[00:41:49] Speaker A: I think that's gonna be around Thanksgiving time.
[00:41:50] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:41:51] Speaker A: Yep. All right.
[00:41:52] Speaker C: That was one of my follow up questions, Ryan, but since you answered that, we're good to go. David Tristick writes first. Congrats to the coach and the team won a great season. The team had a large senior class that included all three guys with letters on their jerseys. Who are the leaders in this locker room that may fill those roles next season or what are the criteria you're looking for?
[00:42:12] Speaker A: Well, I think we'll talk to the guys about it and really, you know, see if you know what they think. And who are the guys? I mean, just off the top of my head, I mean, obviously Tyler Dunbar for us has been a guy. Lucas Buziel is somebody that's very vocal and carries a lot of weight in the locker room. So just off the top of my head, those two would be right away and then kind of see what else.
Obviously it's the guy's locker room, so they'll have a big say in it.
[00:42:39] Speaker C: Maybe co captains.
[00:42:41] Speaker A: Yeah, maybe. I mean, we'll kind of, again, see what the players think.
[00:42:44] Speaker C: Adam Shanno writes. Coach, it seems like turnovers late in the second and third periods of many games throughout the year. How do you attempt to correct this going into next season?
[00:42:54] Speaker A: Well, I think, I think everybody is maybe focused on that. The last period of the, you know, the last game, I think we were really good, like, typically closing games down.
I don't know what our record exactly was after two. Would you know that? I mean, I feel like that's something you might know, Ken. But I think, I don't think we lost a lot of leads. Like, when we had a lead, for the most part, I felt like we kept it.
And, you know, I think again, our puck management at times can be an issue. And I think when you're. You're trying to make plays and you're trying to play an exciting brand of hockey, there's also a time where you. You have to put a puck in deep and get to work with it.
[00:43:33] Speaker C: Christian Hess writes. League prospect shows goaltender Kai and Lebe coming to Union College in 2627 from the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the QMJHL.
How will this impact the current goaltending situation at Union next year?
Are you allowed to say anything about him?
[00:43:50] Speaker A: Because, I mean, Kyan's gonna play his juniors out. So, like, I know that the website might say that, but he's. Yeah.
[00:43:55] Speaker C: So he's got another year. Juniors.
[00:43:56] Speaker A: Yeah, I think he might have another two years. Yeah.
[00:43:59] Speaker C: So. Okay, so no sick. Peter Bowie writes. What do the players do now? Some waiting for possible pro opportunities. And what about the underclassmen? Do they continue to skate? Do you practice? Just really curious about the off season. Super excited about the incoming student athletes.
[00:44:15] Speaker A: Yeah, thank you for noticing. I think they're sweet too. Like, I'm really excited about the group, but yeah, so basically right now they're in finals right now, so it's a high academic load for them right now. So they get through that, then they'll.
The school goes on break for a week, so you guys might do whatever they want. On the 30th, we'll have our first lift in the Morning before class and get after it and start, you know, start training.
[00:44:42] Speaker C: Chris Hutchins, a 1986 Union graduate, writes, how do you replace the offensive production from the departing seniors? I understand they were responsible for something like 85% of the total points.
What's your thoughts about that?
[00:44:55] Speaker A: I mean, I don't, I think we have some pretty, pretty good players coming back. I mean, just, you know, you got, you know, Dunny's got 12 goals returning. I know booze had 14, Benny had a bunch, Brew had 10. So like we have, we have a lot of guys that, you know, potentially can come back as well. Obviously we'll see if, you know, any of them decide to go. But we, you know, we're really excited about the Gary brothers we have coming in from Sioux City.
You know, they're, they're guys that are pointing at a really high level in the ushl. Elliot Gulley, again, another guy who's, you know, scoring a lot in the ushl.
You know, Tyler Parr is playing in the Western Hockey League coming in like, so we have some guy and I know I'm missing some guys, but we also have the ability right now we have some, you know, guys that we're going to target in the transfer portal as that kind of happens.
[00:45:42] Speaker C: Jim Calonne writes, this year's team showed they can beat the best in, in the ECAC hockey but had some disappointing losses to lower ranked teams. What did Coach Haley learn from this season that he will implement next season to improve team offense and defense consistently and success next year? Does he see significant challenges in replacing the seniors that are gone next year?
[00:46:04] Speaker A: Yeah, the seniors that are gone are extremely difficult to replace.
They've done so much for the program.
But I think every year you've seen our incoming guys be able to come in and take steps and make plays right away. So I think that we do a really good job identifying talent and bringing in guys. I think you take a look at, you know, each class like this year's class, like Lorenza and Lassard came in and produced right away for us, the sophomores right away last year. Benny came in last year and you know, made a big production, you know, big step. I think Buzio and Brew have taken really big steps. You know, we've added from the portal.
I thought Dunny came in and did a great job. Rosie and Will Felicio did a really good job as transfers right away.
[00:46:48] Speaker C: Andrew Jarrett will wrap this. The final question of this segment. He writes, maintaining a network of connections across the vast hockey landscape figures to Be an important part of your role. With regards to recruiting. How do you approach building and sustaining these connections?
How do your in season and off season networking efforts differ?
[00:47:10] Speaker A: I think one area that we do a really nice job in, and again, I'm not a person that sits here and tries to talk what we do really well, but I think we have really good relationships and I think we're very respected in the college hockey world. I think the job we're doing right now, people respect and we get calls right away and we get calls on players that are leaving places. We get calls on players that are being decommitted.
You know, to be honest, when players start getting, trying to get poached from other teams or agents are selling our guys, I usually know before it's going down. So like it's able, you're able to, you know, have the ability to try to protect your players. And again, you can't always do it. It's going to happen where we lose a player to the transfer portal, but all we can do is sell what we have. And I think, you know, I think what we have is a lot and I'm really grateful for it.
[00:48:03] Speaker C: Well, thank you for the questions out there, all the listeners, and thank you for participating during the season. You helped make this podcast popular throughout the country and it's gratifying that you listen every week during the season.
Josh, let me ask you about this weekend's games up in Lake Placid. 8th seed at Clarkson, which stunned top seed at quinnipiac in Hampden, Connecticut last weekend sweeping that series. They're taking on second seed at Dartmouth at four and then third seed at Cornell meets four seeded Princeton at 7pm Those games, semifinal games on Friday, title games 5pm Saturday. Who do you see winning the title?
[00:48:39] Speaker A: I don't.
I mean for me I'll.
I could see.
I think the Dartmouth Clarkson game is going to be extremely physical. Tight checking game. A little bit will depend on how it's officiated. If it's, I think Clarkson, if they're allowed to play the way they do at times and you know, can play and defend really hard, it'll be tough for Dartmouth to get in the cradle. Goaltender, he really gets up for the Clarkson games as he was a player, you know, he played at Clarkson and then transferred. So, you know, I think he's kind of the X factor in that one. And you know, and then with Cornell and Princeton, I mean, I worked for Coach Jones, so I'll just say I'm going to probably take Cornell and then take Cornell to win it.
[00:49:33] Speaker C: I mean, three p for them. But, I mean, it's stunning to me. I mean, I'll be careful with how I ask this because I don't want you to get you on Rand Packnell's bad side, but Quinnipiac has won six straight regular season titles.
They've been in this conference, I think, since 2004, 2005, have won 11 regular season titles. They've won one conference tournament championship. That was in 2016.
And now it's three straight years that they didn't even get to the championship game of this tournament. I mean, do you sense, does he coach different in the postseason, or how shocked are you that Quinnipac is not. Not even in Lake Placid?
[00:50:10] Speaker A: I think the one thing is just the game changes and the way it's called in the playoffs is different. So, like, I don't think it necessarily favors Quinnipiac. I think for us, it's a way that we can look at it at them and the mistakes that maybe has happened in Quinnipiac and try to, you know, figure out how we can be better from it. So, you know, I just know for us that that's the next step for this program is we gotta win in the playoffs.
So for me, I'll do anything out of my power here to learn from other teams and see what we can do to make changes.
[00:50:44] Speaker C: Just don't give up too shorthanded goals on the same power play.
[00:50:46] Speaker A: Yeah, that makes it tough.
[00:50:49] Speaker C: Well, Josh, I want to thank you for another season. This is our third season doing this, and coming on the podcast, you provide the fans insight into this program. Is there anything you like to say
[00:50:58] Speaker A: before we wrap things up from my side?
I think it's kind of cool.
I don't like it's cool when people are bashing me and my kids. See that on Facebook, like, that's. That's hard. But I think it's pretty cool, like, how passionate people are. And, like, I'm okay with you being upset that we don't advance because four years ago, no one.
No one cared that much. Like this, this much. So it's exciting because I know there's expectations now and we want those expectations. And I think it's like, again, like, you know, thank you for your passion. Thank you for caring about the program.
And just know I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we're playing as long as possible. So that would be. That would be, I guess, what. But just know, like, hey, I got kids too. So like just be careful a little bit on sometimes like on what you're saying.
[00:51:48] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean I, if this, that page was around back when Nate Lehman first started, they would had him fired in three years. So.
[00:51:55] Speaker A: Yeah. And again, like, I want people to be passionate. I want people to care and I want, I'm okay with people being mad at me. Like, I think that's perfectly acceptable because I'm, trust me, like as disappointed as everybody else is, no one has lost more sleep over what has happened. Us not playing right now because I like, I want to win a championship.
[00:52:14] Speaker C: Well, Josh, looking forward to season four in the fall. Thanks again.
[00:52:17] Speaker A: Yeah. Thank you.
[00:52:18] Speaker C: And we'll actually, we'll talk obviously during the off season and especially during the signing season, transfer portal season. There's no off season anymore. So. So thanks, judge. Appreciate it.
[00:52:29] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:52:30] Speaker C: All right. Coming up on Thursday's podcast, Gazette sports writer Drew Rempel joins me to talk about the boys and girls high school basketball state championship weekend. I'll get you set for this weekend's ECAC hockey tournament championship round in Lake Placid.
Clarkson men's hockey play by play announcer Bob Allfeld joins me to talk about the Golden Knights stunning upset of top seed at Quinnipac in the quarterfinals. And USCHO's Dan Rubin returns to help me preview the weekend games. I hope you tune in.
The views expressed in the Parting Shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Gazette News Group. The Parting Shots podcast is a production of the Gazette News Group. I'm Daily Gazette Union hockey beat writer Ken Schott. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time from the Parting Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day. Good hockey.
[00:53:19] Speaker A: Sat.
