[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign the following program is brought to you in living color on Dell gazette.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 Geezy. 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 with our weekly guest spot with Josh Algae, the Union men's head hockey coach. Josh, welcome back. How things going?
[00:00:40] Speaker B: Yeah, things are good. A lot of practices this week for the one games.
[00:00:44] Speaker A: Yeah, it's, we'll talk about that. Obviously you got the Mayor's cup game Saturday, but we'll also look back at last weekend's games with Dartmouth and Harvard. Union played its first home games of 2025 last weekend hosting Dartmouth and Harvard. The Garner Chargers split the weekend, losing the Dartmouth 4 nothing on Friday and then bouncing back with a 41 victory over Harvard on Saturday. Your general thoughts on the weekend?
[00:01:07] Speaker B: You know, I think it's, it's one of those things that on Friday night we were not ready. I thought Dartmouth was the better hockey team. I thought they, they outworked us, they out competed us and they, and they deserved a win. I thought Saturday was a really good hockey game and you know, Harvard has a ton of individual talent and can make a ton of plays and we kind of just stuck to our game plan and found a way to win that game.
[00:01:31] Speaker A: Well, let's start with the Dartmouth game. Union had three of the game's first four shots on goal, but it was about, I would say about the four minute mark when the game's momentum changed. That's when Dartmouth really ramped up its forecheck, forcing Union into mistakes handling the puck. And that manifested itself late in the first period when Cam McDonald knocked the puck off of defenseman Joseph Messinas stick along the Union left wing boards. Braden Dorfman picked up the puck, skid it behind the Union net and sent it out to John Fusco in the right circle and he fired it past goalie Kyle Chavet to give Dartmouth one nothing lead. Was this frustration at that point?
[00:02:06] Speaker B: Yeah, I thought like the way the period was going, we were, you know, trying to just survive it and get, get into the, you know, intermission, you know, 00 and you know, unfortunately we're able to do that and you know, they were able to get one and you know, but I mean honestly we deserve to be down and Dartmouth you credit to them.
[00:02:24] Speaker A: Late in the second period, Dartmouth Gets a power play and capitalizes on it when Cooper Flinton scores to make it two nothing.
It was a weird goal. It was down at my end of the ice there at the top of the press box. Because the only one who really knew the puck was in the net was Flint. And I thought it hit the outside of the net. It must have snuck in between the post and Chauvette's blocker. It sort of reminded me of Patrick Kane's overtime goal in game six of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final that helped the Chicago Blackhawks beat my Philadelphia Flyers to win the Stanley Cup. Did you look at Flintton's goal on tape? And how frustrating was that because Union was two seconds away from killing the penalty.
[00:02:59] Speaker B: Yeah. And we had done, you know, a great job killing and you have a chance to, you know, gain some momentum finishing that kill out and, you know, ends up. We end up making a physical play and kind of, you know, have a nice hit at center ice and the puck goes right to their player and he was able to put it in. So. Yeah, difficult. We didn't. Or, you know, difficult and frustrating that we didn't finish that.
[00:03:20] Speaker A: Did you see on tape how that puck got skinny? Because I thought hit the outside net and everybody was skating around everything. Flint was the only one who knew the puck was in.
[00:03:28] Speaker B: Yeah, just. Just kind of beat him on the short side and high.
[00:03:31] Speaker A: So.
[00:03:31] Speaker B: And. And Kyle was great for us all night, so.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, the Big Green put it away late in the third period on an empty net goal by McDonald and a power play goal by Matt Fusco. Dartmouth wins for nothing. It was the first time Union had been shut out at home since a 5 nothing loss to Quinnipiac on December 2, 2023. The Gardner charts were held to 19 shots on goal, which tied the season low first set in the 44 tie against Alaska Fairbanks on November 8. I mean, how good was Dartmouth in shutting the offense down? And how frustrating was that game?
[00:03:58] Speaker B: Yeah, they just. They stayed above us all night and they competed extremely hard.
You know, again, I give them a ton of credit. We got to be. We got to be better than that. And we got to, you know.
You know, I think it was. In hindsight, I think it was really good for us. But we'll see here as we progress because I think it was a big, big wake up call for us on how focused and att detail we have to have. I just. Pucks were bouncing over our stick. We just. We just weren't making the plays we normally do. Yeah.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: How impressed with you are Dartmouth. I mean, they were 6:1 to start the season. Then we're 2:5 and 1 in their next eight games. But it seemed like this was a team that was, you know, a lot of coaches thought could finish at least second place in the conference this year.
[00:04:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I think they're extremely talented. They're, you know, basically, again, the majority of their team is back and they have some pretty talented freshmen from, you know, that have joined their guys from last season. And, you know, they, they were, they worked really hard on, on Friday night.
[00:04:56] Speaker A: You know, after the game, I spoke with union defenseman Colin Ferguson and forward Brandon Bearer. Here is what they had to say, guys. You guys ran a 31 shot advantage early in that first period. Then it seemed like Dartmouth just turned up the forecheck and you guys really had no answer to break it. How frustrating was that, Brandon?
[00:05:14] Speaker C: Us definitely not great. A little frustrating, but I think we just need to play better next game.
[00:05:19] Speaker A: Colin?
[00:05:20] Speaker D: Yeah, I think we just got to be more ready to go at the puck drop. I think we got a little cocky when we went up a few shots and we had some good ozone time. So we just need to maintain that.
[00:05:31] Speaker A: Is it especially frustrating? 6 days ago you guys get 8 goals against St. Lawrence and tonight you get shut out at home. First shut out for this team since last season. Only 19 shots and goal, which is a season tied, a season low.
[00:05:44] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, this group expects a lot. So of course it's frustrating. But you know, at the same time, that's hockey. Sometimes you score equals, sometimes you're not. You're not going to score any. So just part of the game. And we need to regroup and go back to the drawing board and be ready for tomorrow.
[00:05:57] Speaker A: Also seemed like a couple of times the puck wasn't bouncing away. I mean, you had a shot there. The third pair from the top of the right circle, you got it sort of shanked. It was in, I think Nixon and Kaden had a two on one and Nixon passed it to Kaden. Puck bounces over his stick. And just seemed like it was one of those nights where sometimes the puck wasn't going your way.
[00:06:16] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, it happens. There was a couple times where the puck obviously didn't bounce our way, but you know, there was a lot of other things that we weren't doing to the best of our abilities and we need to just worry about what we can control.
[00:06:26] Speaker A: Brandon, do you think you guys got frustrated there towards the end of the second period when you have Parker takes that cross Checking the penalty on the power play with the, you know, the goaltenders, you know, frustration setting in at that point.
[00:06:37] Speaker C: I don't really think that was frustration. I think it was just more just emotional. Like, I don't know if that was. I doubt his frustration from Parker. He's been playing well, so I highly doubt that.
[00:06:46] Speaker A: What do you guys gotta do Saturday against Harbor?
[00:06:49] Speaker C: Reset fully and come out way harder than we did today.
[00:06:52] Speaker D: Colin, I completely agree.
[00:06:57] Speaker A: Was a quick turnaround for Union with the 4pm game Saturday against Harvard, which had beaten RPI 52 on Friday. During your morning meeting with the team, what was the message?
[00:07:08] Speaker B: I just talked about playing for each other and, you know, why you compete hard and just the memories you're gonna, you know, really have as a group and you know, I thought it was a good time to remind everybody why you work as hard as you do and you know, it's not always for yourself. It's for everybody.
[00:07:23] Speaker A: Well, the game did not start out well for Union. Harvard won the opening face off and immediately had offensive pressure on the Garner Chargers. The Crimson had at least three shots on goal in the first 20 seconds. Kyle Chauvett stopped them all to keep the game scoreless. I mean, how critical was Kyle's play at that start of the game?
[00:07:38] Speaker B: He, he started the game, you know, great for us and he went all the way through it, you know, like he gave up the one, but he, he didn't even have a chance way, the way that one went in. So he, he was a difference for us on, on Saturday.
[00:07:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, Union settled down and in fact scored the game's first goal. Joseph Messina sent a pass from the Harvard right circle across the ice. It bounced off the kick plate along the ice. Colin Ferguson read the play. He skated from the left point to pick up the puck in the left circle and fired a Richard passed goalie Ben Charette. I mean, how good of a play was that? Starting with Messina's pass to Ferguson reading the play.
[00:08:11] Speaker B: Yeah, and you know, whenever you're able to change sides offensively, you're, you know, you're making the defensive team vulnerable and that's what we were able to do is switch sides and then, you know, Cullen with a great shot and I think that kind of, you know, sums up the night. Like that's your captain stepping up for us and getting that first one, getting the ball really rolling and, you know, tons of credit to him to doing that.
[00:08:34] Speaker A: Well, Harvard later tied it in the first. As you mentioned, the goal, this was by Salvatore guzzo. So it's one one after one, Harvard outshot Union 17 nine. What did you like about the period and what did the team need to do better heading into the second period?
[00:08:47] Speaker B: Well, we were a little undisciplined. We had you know, two penalties and actually a third or we killed off two power plays. We took a third penalty. So I felt like if we could just finish the kill off our compete and our energy and effort was much better. So I thought if we just stayed the course we'd be able to generate a little bit more.
[00:09:06] Speaker A: The score stays 1:1 until there was 303 left in the second period. That's when Nate Hanley kept the puck in the Harvard zone. He sent a pass to Ben Muthersbog in the left circle. His shot was stopped by Charette, but Brandon Burr put in the rebound pass Charette to give Union a 21 lead. A great play all around.
[00:09:22] Speaker B: Yeah and I a lot of times like those guys are generating plays off the rush for us and that was a straightforward checking goal. You know, they out, you know, outworked a player to win the puck and gain possession. And then Nate made a diving play to get the puck to, to Ben. Ben got the puck to Brandon and a great finish by Brandon. So maybe not their typical their scoring as far but like as far as it has been this season but for them to get, you know, a good hard working one is was great.
[00:09:49] Speaker A: Well the goal was Burr's 12th of the season. He leads Union in goals scored. He surpassed the 11 goals he scored scored last season. Burr is proving that you knew he could be an offensive impact player when you first recruited him to Clarkson, when you were the associated coach here. I mean how pleased are you with the way he's developed here at Union?
[00:10:04] Speaker B: Yeah, he's taken strides, you know, every day. I mean he's a great teammate, he's a hard working kid and you know, has the ability to make high end plays.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: Well, Union's power play put the game away in the third period. Josh Nixon got the first one 32 seconds into the third when he ripped the wrist shot from the slot that hit the back bar inside the net. And then with 11:43 left, muthers bog fires a one timer from the right circle off of a Ferguson pass. Man, how good was it for the power play to click and clinch the win?
[00:10:34] Speaker B: I think it's the power play's been fairly consistent for us all season and whenever we've really needed them, they've been there for us for the most part. So it's kind of nice when the power play can close the door. And I thought special teams were outstanding on the night for us.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: Muthesborg, who snapped the 10 game goalless drought on January 10, ended a five game goalless drought at Mesa with his power play tally. He has 10 goals on the season. How do you think he's handled his goal? Handled the goal scoring slump?
[00:11:01] Speaker B: Yeah, I think he's a professional. He just kind of goes about his business and he never really gets too frustrated. He keeps working hard, and for us it was only a matter of time before you get back on track.
[00:11:13] Speaker A: He's a professional. He's getting paid.
[00:11:14] Speaker B: Wow.
His mindset, he acts, he's a pro.
[00:11:20] Speaker A: What shocked me late in the game, Josh, was Harvard head coach Ted Donato not pulling Charrette for an extra. I mean, this day and age when coaches aren't afraid to pull their goalies for an extra attacker when they're down by multiple goals in the third, to me, Ted, it was sort of waving the white flag. And then Harvard took a penalty with 243 left, which gave Union really free reign to play puck possession to kill the time and kill the clock. I mean, how surprised were you that Donato kept Charrette in the net?
[00:11:45] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, we were preparing for it. As if he might.
Everybody has their own reasons why they do it, why they don't. You know, I. It wouldn't have surprised me if he did. And we kind of went back and we have, we have a book on our bench that kind of talks about when, when teams pull at what times, and typically when they're down by three, they pull at about five, 45. So we were kind of expecting especially was there was a four on four situation and their power play so dangerous, we thought they might pull at that point. But yeah, I mean, he's an unbelievable coach, so definitely whatever he felt was best for his team. And you know, I'm not in that room, so I don't know.
[00:12:22] Speaker A: Yeah, the Harvard sports information director told me that in that Tuesday game against Boston college, he lost 3:1. I think Ted pulled him his goaltender with about three minutes left, and that was a one goal game. So I was like, I was waiting. I was looking over at the bench and I think Charrette was looking and there was no signal from anybody on the bench to come to the bench.
[00:12:40] Speaker B: I was looking there too. So, I mean, we were trying to make sure we had the right matchup if they did pull. But yeah, yeah.
[00:12:47] Speaker A: How big was it to have that Power play. I mean, normally you obviously want a power play, like, to score, but in effect, you can kill the penalty, kill some time, just kill 2 minutes off with puck possessions.
How happy were you with the way the team handled that situation?
[00:13:03] Speaker B: I thought like, we did a solid job.
You really don't even need to shoot it at that point. It's just kind of possessing it and making sure we're, you know, giving each other options and support. And we ended up taking a shot, which I thought allowed them to get, you know, at least possession and, you know, take a chance. But, you know, really, you just want to keep that clock moving as much as you can at that point.
[00:13:24] Speaker A: Well, let's hear what Cullen Ferguson and Brandon Burr and Kyle Shovet had to say after the game.
Guys, nice bounce back. When first of all, it's calling. I'll ask you about how big was us today?
[00:13:38] Speaker D: Yeah, it was huge. We want to stay in that top four spot. So getting this three points was really big for the team, Kyle.
[00:13:45] Speaker E: Yeah, I agree. I thought we competed hard all night and we always want to get those three points. I mean, it's. It's tight in this league, so. I was proud of the group.
[00:13:53] Speaker A: Brandon.
[00:13:54] Speaker C: Yeah, same. Like, obviously it's a great effort, especially after last night. We need that one badly.
[00:13:58] Speaker A: Yeah. Kyle, that first 20 seconds of this game, it almost looked like repeat of the Dartmouth game. So the Harbor's all over you. You had to make like two or three saves on that. How important was it to, you know, make those saves early?
[00:14:10] Speaker E: Yeah, no, I just. The biggest thing was just to try to stay calm. Obviously, like we, you know, sometimes we're going to give up shots, but I just want to help the team out as much as possible.
[00:14:20] Speaker A: What happened that first couple minutes of the game is, like I said, struggling a little bit. How big was Kyle to make those saves early on to keep you guys scoreless?
[00:14:29] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, Charles was late on night. He was the reason that we were still in the game for, I'd say the first half of the game. We. We needed him back there and he stepped up big and yeah, we owe a lot to him tonight.
[00:14:39] Speaker A: What does a win like this do after what happened against Dartmouth?
[00:14:43] Speaker D: I think it just puts you back on track. You know, we need to understand that every game in college hockey from this point on is like a playoff game.
So we just need to flip our mindset to anyone can win on any night. So you need to bring your best.
[00:14:57] Speaker A: Talk about your goal. Nice, Karen. That Messina throws a puck in the Right. Circle across ice off the boards there and you come in from the left point.
[00:15:07] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean it was a great look by Mess. I tried to jump the winger down the wall and then I just, when I saw it bounce off the wall, I just thought I'm gonna put every pound of my body into this one timer.
[00:15:19] Speaker A: Brandon, I think as the game progressed you guys got stronger and started take to play more to Harvard. How did you see things as you got in the second period?
[00:15:29] Speaker C: Yeah, I definitely agree with that. Like obviously we came a little flat and shots bailed us out there, but I think as we got the game went on, we started getting more comfortable and realized that we could take it to them. So we started to do.
[00:15:38] Speaker A: Kyle, how did you see that as a game progressed in the second period?
[00:15:42] Speaker E: No, I agree. I thought we got stronger as the game went on. But you know, all night like even though like we maybe didn't start as the way we wanted to, I thought guys were ready to go or competing. We're blocking shots, so. But yeah, I think we, as the game progressed, we ended up taking it to him.
[00:15:56] Speaker A: How about you, Colin?
[00:15:57] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean when Shav stepped up big back there for us, it helps us build momentum. I thought the guys on the PK were great. He had great sticks and you could slowly see it starting to build on the team. And that's when I think we, we started to take over the game.
[00:16:13] Speaker A: Brandon, talk about your goal. It snaps the tie there late in the second period and really gives you guys momentum heading into the third.
[00:16:19] Speaker C: Yeah, that was just a great play by Hanley to keep that alive. I kind of gave him a. Not the greatest pass, but he dove for it, put it out to mothers who just got it on net kind of. And I just was able to walk into it and just put it in the net.
[00:16:29] Speaker A: And then Josh scores. That power play goal 35 seconds or so into the third period gives you a two goal lead. Me, how good are you feeling at that point?
[00:16:38] Speaker C: We definitely felt good, but we knew we had to keep going. Obviously that was a laser by him. Might be the hardest I've seen him shoot that puck. It was great. But yeah, that was a nice little buffer but we had to make sure we stayed with it.
[00:16:48] Speaker A: He might challenge Ben for harder shot.
[00:16:50] Speaker C: Yeah, I think so.
[00:16:51] Speaker A: And Colin, you said I've been there at the really the insurance goal there.
What did you see?
[00:16:57] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean Birzie was coming around the net. I don't even know how he saw me. And he threw it right out on my stick makes my job easy. Mother's unreal. One timer. So I mean, when you get an unbelievable play from Birsey and then a guy like mothers on your one timer makes my job pretty easy.
[00:17:11] Speaker A: Kyle, how would you assess your play this weekend?
[00:17:14] Speaker E: I mean, my, my ultimate goal this weekend was just to compete as hard as I could and give our team a chance to win. Ultimately, I thought I felt good this weekend. I felt confident, like even. Even yesterday in the game, like, honestly, I felt really confident and going into today too. So it was a good weekend.
[00:17:31] Speaker A: I gotta ask you about last Saturday because obviously you didn't get start again. St. Lawrence. I mean, how tough was that? I know you want to root on Lucas there, but how tough was that for you to not get a start in a conference game?
[00:17:42] Speaker E: No, I mean it ultimately like I was really happy for him. You know, I talked to coach Howe and you know, he wanted to get him a game and ultimately like he's worked his ass off. Oh, sorry. He's worked his butt off all, all season two and he's a great, like, great kid. So I just want to cheer him on and just be a mentor for him and help him as much as possible. And I was happy that he was able to get the win for us.
[00:18:06] Speaker A: Do you think, I mean, this might be a tough question. Do you think it was a sort of wake up call for you a little bit to maybe sit and watch a little bit?
[00:18:13] Speaker E: I. I don't know.
[00:18:14] Speaker A: I don't.
[00:18:14] Speaker E: I don't think that's really a question for me.
[00:18:16] Speaker A: So Colin, I mean, what did you think of, you know, Kyle handling things last Saturday and you think that helped him this weekend?
[00:18:24] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, I think he. He's always locked in at the end of the day. We, we trust him back there and it showed this weekend. I think we need to help bail him out a little bit more. He's bailed us out numerous times, so I think we need to really step it up. We did today in terms of blocking shots, but I think we need to limit our chances. So. Yeah, I mean, we believe in the guy. We just want to help him out a little bit more now.
[00:18:45] Speaker A: Brandon, your thoughts?
[00:18:47] Speaker C: Oh, sorry, what was the question about.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: Kyle handling all things last week? Handling things and coming back this week?
[00:18:55] Speaker C: Yeah, Shaw's a professional and obviously I don't think it was anything like to wake him up or anything. He's been playing great all year. I think it was just to get Massey a chance. So he handled it very well.
[00:19:04] Speaker A: Obviously what do you guys take from the weekend?
[00:19:08] Speaker D: Just keep moving forward. You want to enjoy the little things, you want to enjoy the wins, but we have to make sure that we're back to work on Monday.
[00:19:19] Speaker A: Well, let's take a break. I'll have another mess of rink memory. And we'll preview Saturday's Capital District Mayor's cup game against rpi. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:19:34] Speaker D: 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 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.
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[00:20:48] Speaker D: Hi, this is Jeff Taylor of the 2014 National Championship Union College men's hockey team. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Chott.
[00:20:58] Speaker A: The Parting Shots podcast presents another Union hockey mesarik memory.
[00:21:05] Speaker D: I'm Josh Juris. I played for Union College men's hockey from 2010 to 2013.
My most vivid memory of playing in Messiah Rink was.
It's got to be that. The Cleary Cups we won. We won two.
Yeah, it was, I think the first one in program history. So that was pretty special. And just all around, just playing in that rink. The fans, how loud it was.
It was an old barn and the acoustics in there were unreal.
Yeah, just. Just playing in mess. It was a great way to play and have lots of fun.
[00:21:41] Speaker A: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm host Ken Shot. I'm joined by Union men's head hockey coach Josh Algae. Well, Josh, let's talk about the Capital Region Mayors Cup. The matchups between the Union and RPI, men's and women's hockey teams at MVP Arena. The women's games will take place 3pm Saturday and the men will get underway at 6. We'll talk more about the women's game on Thursday's podcast. Well, let's talk about the men. Union is 8 and 3. Since the Mares cup game began in 2013, the Garnet Chargers have won the last three Cups, including last year's 53 victory. The Union senior class would like to make it four straight cups. So what will it take for unions. Unions to make it four in a row?
[00:22:18] Speaker B: Well, I think we gotta, you know, we gotta win the net front battles. We're going to have to, you know, transition the puck quickly and, you know, attack off the rush when we have an opportunity. I mean, and then special teams are going to be key. As you know, they score a lot of goals. I mean, you look at where they're at nationally and they're, you know, near the top 10. And you know, we got. We gotta make sure we defend hard.
[00:22:39] Speaker A: What do you think it'll mean for the seniors to win a fourth straight Cup?
[00:22:42] Speaker B: Well, I think, you know, probably everyone's a little bit different, but to be able to go through your career and be able to do that I think would be an amazing feat for them and, you know, something that they would take a ton of pride in.
[00:22:52] Speaker A: Well, this is the third meeting of the season between Union and RPI. Union won the two EECAC hockey games in October. 6:3 win at Houston Fieldhouse and then a 4:3 come from behind victory at Messerink that gave Union the Capital Skates trophy for winning the conference games. It had been a while since Union had won it and Union has not won both the Capital Skates trophy and the Mares cup since the 201718 season. So what's it going to take for Union to top RPI and go 3 0?
[00:23:16] Speaker B: Well, it's really hard to beat a team three times in a season and we know that they're going to be, you know, fired up for it. It's one of those games that, you know, you're going to get everybody's best. So it'll be a challenge. We're really excited for it and, you know, looking forward to Saturday.
[00:23:31] Speaker A: I'm thinking about it. The press conference is Tuesday at MVP Arena. It was very cold outside and we come into the building and it's just as cold inside. Have you warmed up since?
[00:23:41] Speaker B: I don't think I've like, like I was shaking and I don't know that I've like shook that much in a Long time. It was chilly and you know, hey, it's hockey season. Let's go.
[00:23:52] Speaker A: Yeah, I brought my computer back in because I don't want my computer be, you know, get frozen in 6 degree weather outside of my car. So, yeah, just. I was. That was. I never took my jacket off the entire press conference. It was so cold. But getting back to the games, not about what the weather's like outside. What concerns you about rpi? The Engineers have struggled at times this season. I mean, they started the month three and one, which included a win at Clarkson. But the Engineers lost at home last weekend to Harvard and Dartmouth. So what does your team need to do to win the game against rpi? What do you. What concerns you about them?
[00:24:23] Speaker B: Why? I just think, you know, like, you look at that Clarkson game and they. And they controlled it, and they were really good in that game, and I think they've had some really good wins where they've. They've beaten teams and, you know, even you look at the game, our second game against them, they. They battled back, got it to 3, 2, and luckily for us, we were able to, you know, to get the 2 to win 4, 3. But they, you know, I think it was like 10 minutes left. They were up 3, 2. So they have the ability to beat you offensively. Like, they have some really talented forwards, and, you know, their goaltenders had the ability to steal them some games.
[00:24:56] Speaker A: How much would a win help as you return to ECAC hockey play next weekend? Union is tied for third with Clarkson with 21 points. Although Clarkson does have the tiebreaker for winning the season series. Colgate's a point behind in fifth and Harvard is in sixth, two points out.
[00:25:10] Speaker B: Yeah, it's just for us, you know, we want to keep the momentum going. We had a nice win on Saturday, but, you know, this is a chance to, you know, win a trophy and move on and, you know, just kind of keep. Keep the ball rolling here in a positive direction.
[00:25:25] Speaker A: This is your third Maris cup game. What do you enjoy about it?
[00:25:28] Speaker B: I mean, for us, it's. It's all about family. And, you know, my. My boys love this game. This is one that they, they look forward to.
You know, we got a family picture up and it's, you know, in our living room and it's, you know, me and my wife and our. And my boys there. So, like, it's. It's an important one that way in that sense. But also just the Union family coming together and, you know, getting into one spot, all the alumni that get back and this is one that you remember no matter what. And there's a lot of games you play throughout your. Your career. But our guys will remember this game.
[00:26:01] Speaker A: Yeah, we always entertain questions from our listeners. And Ryan Fay has a question. I'm not sure I want to preface this by saying I'm not sure this might be your area of expertise. Is there any hope of the Mayor's cup streaming situation ever changing? The game not being streamed on ESPN is about as bad as blackouts, especially for out of state fans of both schools who are left in the dark. And I've never understood why this game hasn't been televised.
[00:26:25] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I don't have a good answer for you on that one is why they do that. I think it's because they want to get everybody there. But you'd think if you're outside of a certain radius that maybe there'd be a way to let people, you know, purchase it and be able to watch it.
But yeah, I mean, Ryan, if you want, I can. If you send me an email, I'll download the game for you and send it to you. It won't be able to watch it live, but you can watch it after.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: Yeah, I think there are other issues. Maybe union, not union college, but union teamsters rules that may be in that building. I don't know. I can't say that positive. But I think there might be situations with that.
[00:27:04] Speaker B: So, yeah, I mean, there's definitely, you know, a lot that goes into it and we want to make sure that, you know, anybody that wants to can see the game.
[00:27:12] Speaker A: Yeah, it's me. They televised a Seattle men's basketball games from mvp. So why not this one particular game? Like I said, I don't know. I don't know the mechanics and hopefully I get an answer for somewhere. So, Ryan, appreciate the question and if you have a question for Josh, email them to me at Shot. That's S C H O t
[email protected] youm can also post them on my Facebook page and on Bluesky X and threads at Slap Shots. Well, Josh, appreciate the visit and good luck. I'll say we'll talk after the game.
[00:27:40] Speaker B: Sounds great.
[00:27:41] Speaker A: All right, that's Josh Howsey. Coming up on Thursday's podcast, we'll have interviews from Tuesday's Mayors cup press conference. On the men's side will be union defenseman Cullen Ferguson, RPI head coach Dave Smith and RPI players Brad McNeil and Max Molinski. On the women's side will be union head coach Tony Macy. His first Mayor's cup game and players Marin Friday and Ma Bear and RPI head coach Brian Vines and players Ellie Kaiser and Natalie Tulcinski. So please tune in.
The views expressed in the Parting Shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Daily Gazette Company. The Parting Shots podcast is 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 Parting Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day, good hockey.
