[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: The following program is brought to you 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. Geezy. And welcome to the Parting Shots podcast, available wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me from the Party Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York for our weekly visit with Union men's head hot coach Josh Housey. Josh, how's it going?
[00:00:32] Speaker A: It's going well. How about yourself?
[00:00:33] Speaker B: Not too bad. We have a special guest. Can you introduce him?
[00:00:36] Speaker A: Yeah. So my son Landry is, is in here today and you know, we, my wife and other son are up in a hockey tournament in Quebec for the next 10 days. So Landry's with me all the time.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: Want to say Hi?
Hi.
My 4 chat microphone is not plugged in, so lean over here.
[00:00:53] Speaker A: Hi.
[00:00:54] Speaker B: You get to see how your dad does on the podcast, huh? Yeah. Cool. Well, Josh, Union was in north country this past weekend, taking you on St. Lawrence on Friday and Clarkson on Saturday.
It was another weekend split for the Garner Chargers. They took a 41 victory over the Saints. Then it was a trip up to US Route 11 to take on Clarkson. And in one of the wilder games the Union has recently played, the Garner chargers dropped an 8:7 overtime decision to the Golden Knights. Before we break down those games, what were your general thoughts of the weekend?
[00:01:26] Speaker A: Happy to, you know, to get at least points in both games would have been nice to finish the weekend out with the, you know, maybe a little stronger performance on Saturday.
I just thought like some of the things we did wrong were, you know, disappointing.
But I thought Friday, you know, we controlled a lot of the game, didn't give up a whole lot of chances, you know, and it was nice to have, you know, some offense.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, let's start with the St. Lawrence game. Union was looking to complete the season series sweep of the Saints after beating them 52 in in November at M&T Bank Center. The first period was uneventful. The game was scoreless after 20 minutes of play. There was just one penalty in the period and that was against the Saints. The shots on goal were in Union's favorite at 9 to 7. How do you think your team played in that opening period?
[00:02:12] Speaker A: I didn't think it was our best period of the weekend, but I thought, you know, for the most part had the better of the chances and, you know, we're in control of the game.
[00:02:20] Speaker B: The second period starts and midway through it, Union scores The game's first goal. Clifton Park's Troy Pelton fires a shot from the right side of the left. Circle pass goalie Cameron Smith to give Union the lead. Talk about that goal with Ethan Benz setting it up.
[00:02:34] Speaker A: Yeah, nice, nice play by that line. You know, Drew Sutton is actually getting there in front of the net and creating a little bit of screen, but Benzie was able to, you know, turn the puck over and Troy got it and he didn't stand on the perimeter. He took three hard strides to the top of the circle and ripped one. And a nice goal for him.
[00:02:51] Speaker B: Yeah, Union dominated that second period. The Gardner Chargers outshot the Saints 15 7. I thought it was a great period for your team, but how did you like the team's play?
[00:02:59] Speaker A: I liked the play a lot. A little frustrated that we were only up one nothing. I thought their goaltender did an outstanding job.
[00:03:05] Speaker B: Yeah. I was just going to ask you, were you concerned that the Saints were still hanging around, only down by a goal?
[00:03:09] Speaker A: A little bit, actually. You know, when you get that kind of, you know, offensive production as far as just getting that many shots on that and the quality we had, you expect to finish. And, you know, we have guys that are. That we believe are really talented, and if we get a lot of chances like that, we think we are usually going to score more.
[00:03:25] Speaker B: Well, the third period starts and the score remains one nothing. And Alex Lorenzo takes a couple of back to back offensive zone penalties midway through the third, giving the Saints an opening. But Union's national best penalty kill does its job and keeps the score one nothing. I mean, how important were those penalty kills?
[00:03:39] Speaker A: Yeah, they were. They were huge, especially at that point in the game. You know, it could have easily been a 11 game after that, but the Kill did a great job.
[00:03:46] Speaker B: Well, the clock is winding down and with 450 left, Carter Rose, who hails from nearby Brasher Falls, not too far from Canton, scores on a wrist shot from the slot to make it two nothing. First, how big was that goal?
[00:03:57] Speaker A: Yeah, it was really big, and I was really happy for him and a nice offensive play.
[00:04:02] Speaker B: And then secondly, how happy were you that Rose was able to score with family and friends watching in Appleton Arena?
[00:04:07] Speaker A: Yeah, it was really cool, you know, after the game we had four guys, you know, four young kids that he skates with. They came into our locker room and celebrated with them. So that was a pretty cool moment.
[00:04:18] Speaker B: Well, Smith is pulled for an extra attacker and Lucas Buzzy all whose name was butchered several times by the St. Lawrence ESPN broadcast crew, scores an empty net goal with 239 left to make it three nothing and seemingly sealing the deal. But as we know, that doesn't mean the game's over.
Goalie Brayden Gillespie is closing in on his third shot of the season and unfortunately for him, he doesn't get it. Philip Jurassic fires one timer from the right circle.
That beats Gillespie with 101 left to make it 3:1. What's the concern level like at that point?
[00:04:49] Speaker A: I wasn't really concerned. I was more angry.
I felt that we were playing passive for that, you know, 30 seconds and just frustrated that we didn't close out quickly.
I think the guys thought it was a goalie pole situation and it was a five on five, so was upset about that.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: Well, Tyler Dunbar does wrap it up the scoring with an empty. They go with 2.3 seconds left and the game finishes with a 41 victory for a Union.
You thought it was a solid victory. What did you think overall about the effort?
[00:05:18] Speaker A: Yeah, we was really, really happy with the effort. You know, funny, like the way your mind works, you get off the bench, you're a little upset about the goal against. But overall, after watching video was really pleased.
[00:05:29] Speaker B: Well, looking for its first ECAC hockey weekend sweep of the season, Union gets ready to face Clarkson on Saturday at Cheel Arena. And boy, that was a wild one. Your team with the momentum from Friday's win faces the Clarkson team that is angry. After losing, losing a 43 to RPI on Friday in a game that the Golden Knights trailed for nothing, you had to figure that Clarkson would come out determined to erase what happened on Friday. It scores the game's first goal at 6:41 when Jaron Mangan lights the lamp. Parker Lundauer ties it for Union at the 11 minute mark. But Ty Brassington regains the lead for Clarkson 4:26 later and then a turnover leads to a Remy jetlog goal with 34.2 seconds left. Clarkson's up three one after one. I would think it's an angry locker room during the first intermission.
[00:06:16] Speaker A: You'd be right. I was, yeah.
I wasn't happy with the first 10 minutes of the game and I, you know, we, we brought him in and just had a discussion about that play and our guys really responded quickly, you know, scoring I think 30 seconds later.
And you know, then I just thought our play maybe trailed off a little bit and then we ripped them after the first period and they responded well.
[00:06:38] Speaker B: They did indeed. I mean, the Gardner Chargers came out with more fire and it paid off with two goals in 28 seconds. First, Colby MacArthur scored at 114, beating goalie Keenan Rancier. And then Riley Bruick scores 140 at 142 to tie it at three. I mean, how big was that sequence?
[00:06:54] Speaker A: Yeah, it was. It was huge. And that four on four to be able to get two goals that quick was important.
[00:06:58] Speaker B: Yeah. Unfortunately for Union, and we're going to see this pattern go throughout the game. The tie didn't last long. Justin Cote beats Braden Gillespie at 520, but 240 later, Ben Muthesbach ties it on a power play goal. Again, Clarkson retakes the lead when Jelina scores his second of the game with 247 left in the second. Clarkson takes a 54 lead into the second intermission. What was your take on that period? Sort of a mixed bag, I would think.
[00:07:23] Speaker A: Yeah. And I thought Clarkson was playing extremely physical, borderline dirty, to be honest.
And I thought there were a couple of moments where, you know, we should have been on the power play and, you know, we got some calls, but, like, one play where, you know, it was three, three, and we. We drew a power play when we were on the power play five on four, and they took another penalty, and then we ended up tripping a player to, you know, to negate the five on three.
That was a key point where we. We just can't take that penalty. We end up earning a five on three and scoring.
So I just think there were some moments of undiscipline play by us where, you know, we. We should have just taken advantage of the way Clarkson was playing.
[00:08:04] Speaker B: If I recall, I think it was the end of the first period. Parker Lindauer got cross checked in the face and was called embellishment.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: Yeah, it's absolutely brutal. I told the official that if.
If he. If he dove, I was sitting him for the night. Because something we talk about is that we want to play with respect for the game and we're not gonna, you know, embellish. And, you know, I watched the video multiple times. Like, he got hit right to the face, and we should have been on the power play.
[00:08:31] Speaker B: Could you have challenged that for contact to the head?
[00:08:34] Speaker A: We could have challenged it for. But it has to be a major. And I just. We didn't feel there was enough to get a major call.
[00:08:40] Speaker B: Well, the third period starts, and Clarkson extends its lead again. Jace Letourneau skated behind the Union net, came out the right side and beat Gillespie on a wraparound. Passed his right pad at 2:31. At that point, you pulled Gillespie and inserted Brendan Holohan. Gillespie finished with just 16 saves on 22 shots.
Was his removal because of his play because this was the first rough outing he had this season?
[00:09:03] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it was. It was twofold. One, I didn't, I didn't love that goal, the sixth goal, and, and I didn't love the way we were playing. So we were putting him in some bad spots.
You know, I think if you ask, you know, Braden, there'd maybe be one or two he would like back. But for the most part, those are.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: Team goals against Union does not give up. However, Will Felicio scores at 409 to make it 6 5.
And then with 8:12 left in the third, Tyler Dunbar scores a tie. It at 6. What's the mood like on the bench as Union ties it again?
[00:09:33] Speaker A: I think we were confident at that point we were going to win the game.
You know, we had battled back multiple times and it was just a matter of time, you know, in my head that I felt like until we would take the game over.
[00:09:44] Speaker B: Well, unfortunately for Union, the tie lasts just 335. Is Lukas Sukovic skating down the left wing, fires a shot from the left circle past Holohan. Was that a deflating goal?
[00:09:55] Speaker A: A little bit in the sense that, you know, like, like I said, I thought we were, you know, starting to get control of the game, but, you know, sure enough, the guys were able to bounce back.
[00:10:03] Speaker B: Well, you pull a hold hand for an extra attacker in an attempt to get that tying goal. And then MacArthur comes through. He beat Rancier from the left circle with 140 left.
How is everyone feeling now? It's been just an up and down crazy game.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: Yeah, it was a, it was a, you know, it's already an emotional game for, you know, a few of us and, you know, obviously me having coach there and, you know, Brandon Beer and Carter Rose both playing and transferring over from there. So there's already a lot of emotion and it sure showed.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: Well, shortly after the goal, Union gets a power play when Owen Van Steensel gets called for tripping. Regulation ends tight at 7, and Union has 55 seconds of power play carrying over into overtime. Did you like your chances of winning it on the power play in overtime?
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Yeah, I have a lot of confidence in our power play.
Four on three is.
We feel a little bit easier to create, but, yeah, unfortunately weren't able to.
[00:10:57] Speaker B: Well, Clarkson kills the penalty and then they get a power play of its own when Dunbar is called for goaltender interference at 106. The pressure is on Union's nation's best power play to come through. And it does again like it did against St. Lawrence. However, Union was not able to make a line change. Tate Taylor carries a puck into the Union zone.
Garter Chargers defenseman Nick Young unfortunately loses an edge and falls to the ice. Taylor passes the puck to Ryan Bottrill who then sends it over to Van Steensel. And he on the right side and he beats Holohan with 1:10 left to give Clarkson that 8:7 win in overtime. I mean, how disappointing was it to lose a game like that?
[00:11:33] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean that one, that one hurt.
You know, we felt like, you know, did some things and our compete level was high enough to win. Just felt like some of the, you know, steps we made to give up odd man rushes and the puck management weren't good enough.
[00:11:52] Speaker B: I'm sorry, excuse me.
One thing you mentioned a couple of times when Union has lost some games by wide margins, which included last month's 72 loss to Quinnipiac, that sometimes when games get out of hand that the team feels sorry for itself. But despite losing and you did get a point for getting the game to overtime, how happy were you with the way the team battled back?
[00:12:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I think there's a lot of positives coming out of this weekend for us as a group.
You know, there was a spell there where we weren't scoring. You know, to get 11 on the weekend was really positive.
You know, just getting guys knowing that they have the ability to finish and playing with the pace they did.
There's some structure, things I think we can clean up, but the effort was definitely there.
[00:12:33] Speaker B: Can this inspire the team over the final six games?
[00:12:36] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it was a huge step for us and a real positive.
[00:12:39] Speaker B: As far as Gillespie, as I mentioned earlier that, you know, this was really his first tough game.
And I know you won't make a decision till Thursday who's going to start on Friday against Colgate. But are you worried about his confidence or is this a one off thing?
[00:12:53] Speaker A: Yeah, he's not the kid that gets rattled by, you know, much of anything. He's got a lot of confidence and believes in his ability and our team believes in him a lot.
[00:13:04] Speaker B: Well, I wrote in my Monday column it's rare you see a score 8, 7 like that. And it has happened twice in this season series between these two teams. The other time it happened was on November 13, 1993 up at Chile. I was there at that game back when the good old days when I traveled and that was A game where Union had a 3 nothing lead in the first period.
But unfortunately a late power play goal by Clarkson.
Brian Mueller scored it with 46 seconds left to give Clarkson an 87 victory. JFU is now the coach of the team. He had a goal and two assists in that game.
Craig Conroy, now general manager of the Calgary Flames, had two goals in the assist in that game.
That was a wild game. Back in those days. There was just no extra point for the overtime loss. So there wasn't no extra point if he got to overtime. So I remember that being a crazy game as well. So like I said, I mean usually if you see similar scores 213 2, but see H7 twice in a history like that's kind of crazy.
[00:14:11] Speaker A: Yeah, that is. And those are some, you know, pretty, pretty big names. Brian Mueller was a really good player in his own right and obviously Craig Conroy, you know, his hockey pedigree speaks for itself.
[00:14:23] Speaker B: Well, Josh Bartow, who's the current sports information director, also played that game because I emailed him and told him and he said, you remember he didn't get a point. Thankfully I saw the score sheets for all the games pre Internet, so. And Josh is right, he did fail to pick up a point in that game.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: So yeah, Josh is a friend. I'm sure he was minus in that game, so I'll have to let him watch.
[00:14:40] Speaker B: Wait a minute, wait a minute.
No, I don't have the plus. I had the plus one as for you, but I don't have the plus one as for Clarkson, the game.
[00:14:45] Speaker A: So I'll make sure I let him know.
[00:14:48] Speaker B: Well, let's take a break. When we return, we'll talk about the ECS Yaqui Standings preview this weekend's conference games against Colgate on Friday and Cordell on Saturday at MNC Bank Center. And we'll answer questions from our listeners. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:15:10] Speaker C: The ECAC hockey championship returns to Lake Placid, New York this March. Witness the first ever ECAC Hockey Women's Championship in Lake Placid on March 6th and 7th and the Men's Championship on March 20th and 21st. It happens at the legendary Herb Brooks arena, the home of miracles.
Don't miss the battle for the 2026 tit in an NCAA bid. Tickets are on sale now at lakeplacidolympiccenter.com ECAC Hockey the Educated Decision the Daily.
[00:15:40] Speaker B: Gazette has some great subscription deals happening. Sign up today at www.dailygazette.com. and as always, when credibility Matters. Trust the Daily Gazette.
[00:15:51] Speaker D: 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.
[00:16:21] Speaker E: 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.
[00:16:54] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Gazette Union hockey beatrider Ken Shot and I'm joined by Union men's head hockey coach, Josh Halge. Well, Josh, let's take a Look at the ECAC hockey standings. Union's 4 point weekend moved it from 9th place into a tie for 7th place with Clarkson. Each team has 21 points. They are both 10 points behind 4th place Princeton for the final ECAC hockey tournament. First round by slot. There's some bad news and good news. Let's start with the bad news. Clarkson has the tiebreaker on Union for winning the season series. Five points and one. Right now. Clarkson is the seventh seed and Union the eighth seed for the ECAC Hockey tournament, which means right now they will host the first round game. But here's the good news. Union for Union. Thanks to a scheduling quirk, Clarkson has the weekend off. Union has two games in hand on Clarkson, so it has a chance to move ahead of Clarkson by beating Colgate and Cornell, preferably in regulation. So you can earn six points and keep hopes alive of a first round bye. So how critical of a weekend is this for Union?
[00:17:50] Speaker A: Yeah, we got, you know, a good stretch of games here at home, so we gotta, we gotta make sure we're trying to bank points every weekend and these two are our big games.
[00:17:58] Speaker B: Well, let's start with Colgate. The Raiders are in sixth place with 25 points, so the Garner Chargers are within striking distance of them in the first meeting between the two teams on November 22nd. It ended in a 44 tie. And for the second straight year, a shootout was needed to decide the extra point and it took five rounds but Union won two to one to get that extra point. What do you have to do to avoid another shootout against Colg?
[00:18:21] Speaker A: Well, we got to take care of PUCs. They're as talented offensively as any team in the country.
They transition extremely quick and they can make plays off the rush. So we got to make it hard for them.
[00:18:32] Speaker B: Well, Colgate is coming off a weekend split against Cornell. Lost 52 at home to the Big Red and then won 32 in overtime at line of rink. Any concern that the Raiders will bring that momentum of that win into Friday's game?
[00:18:43] Speaker A: Oh yeah, I'm sure they'll be, you know, using whatever they can to, to keep rolling.
It was a, it was a really good game. So I, I, I think it'll be a, a big test for us.
[00:18:53] Speaker B: Well, Colgate ruined Union's final mess of rink regular season game last year by beating the Garden Chargers 5 to 1. The Raiders went 4 and 1 in their final five games at mess up. What would be the key to ending the Colgates run in Schenectady?
[00:19:06] Speaker A: Yeah, again, I think being physical and, and hard against them and just limited in their space.
The last time we played them we were, you know, at Messa, I thought we were really passive and just didn't have a great game. So we gotta, we gotta make sure we're ready to go.
[00:19:21] Speaker B: On Saturday it will be Cornell. The Big Red are tied for second with Dartmouth with 36 points. Both teams are two points behind conference leading Quinnipiac. Cornell ranked ninth in the USCHO.com poll and 10th in the USA Hockey poll. First, talk about the job that your former boss at Clarkson, Casey Jones is doing in his first year as a head coach. Taking over for Mike Schaefer.
[00:19:41] Speaker A: Yeah, he's, you know, they haven't missed a beat and he's really, you know, got him playing well. They're playing with a lot of confidence. They're scoring a little bit more than they normally do and they got a young goaltender that's been really good for him. So he's doing a great job.
[00:19:53] Speaker B: What is it like coaching against him?
[00:19:55] Speaker A: It's, it's always a lot of fun. I mean, you know, he's, he's very passionate. He's, he's very animated on the bench. So it's fun to try to, you know, get him going. But at the same point he just, he just does such a great job and really leads his team.
[00:20:09] Speaker B: Well. The last meeting with Cornell did not turn out well for Union. Union was held to 19 shots on goal and a 21 loss at Lyna Rink on November 21.
What must Union do to generate more shots against Cornell?
[00:20:22] Speaker A: Well, I thought they did a really good job frustrating us and being above us and you know, we didn't really take care of the puck well enough, so that'll be key. I also think we got to have a shooting mentality. I thought we gave up, you know, you know, some chances to get pucks to the net where we just, you know, we're looking to pass first.
[00:20:39] Speaker B: You mentioned their goaltender, Alexis Cornway. I mean, how outstanding has he been? I mean, you didn't test him much when he just, he only made 18 saves in that game. But he's been doing well. Probably be the rookie goaltender and the. On the old rookie team.
[00:20:53] Speaker A: Yeah, he's, he's been great for him. He's, you know, when you play for, you know, a team that Casey coaches, they don't, they don't give up a whole lot usually. So this is no different.
You just got to make the saves you should and every once in a while one or two you shouldn't. And he's done that.
[00:21:09] Speaker B: We're light on listeners questions this week, But Andrew Jarrett, 1980 Union graduate, has been contributing a lot lately.
He's asking. There are times in Division I hockey where one witnesses eye popping footwork, agility in combination with skilled stick handling while under tight defensive pressure. This synergy enables creative puck and retention while establishing passing and shooting lanes. When a team has multiple players with this knack, they have a way of progressing deep into the NCAA tournament. The Denver teams of 2022 through 2024 come to mind. The Jack Devine, Carter King and Zia Bouilliam. I sometimes see flashes of this with Felicio Dunbar, Burr, Lynn Dower and others. Are there specific drills designed to help?
[00:21:54] Speaker A: Yeah, we definitely do a lot of line rushing drills and you know, passing is something that we try to focus on every single day and being able to read, you know, where each, each player is going to go and make the game seem simple even though it's really complex. So I think that, you know, our highs right now when we're playing well is as high as, you know, really any team in the country. We just got to make sure that we have a lot more of that.
[00:22:19] Speaker B: Well, thanks for the questions. If you have a question for Josh, you can email them to shot. That's schottailygazette.com or, or you can post them on my Facebook page. My personal page and the Parting Shots podcast page. You can also send them via bluesky X&threads Lapshots the Daily Gazette Eczaki Face off selections are back for another season. I'll post my picks usually on Wednesdays and then you can send your picks to me. I'll post those pics before the first game, usually on Fridays. To play, send your picks a
[email protected] well Josh begins a four game stretch at home.
How big, how much you looking forward to playing these next four games at home?
[00:22:55] Speaker A: Yeah, it's an exciting time. It's, you know, we're getting close to playoffs and you know every point matters and these are really big games.
[00:23:01] Speaker B: Well Josh, appreciate a few minutes and we'll talk after the games on this weekend.
[00:23:05] Speaker A: Thank you very much.
[00:23:06] Speaker B: All right, that's Josh Algae. Coming up on Thursday's podcast, we'll preview the Union men's and women's weekends. On the men's side, I'll talk with forward Brendan Burr, defenseman Nick Young and goalie Braden Gillespie. The Union women wrap up their regular season with home games against Dartmouth and Harvard. I'll talk to Union head coach Tony Macy and the team's five seniors, Stephanie Bourque, Amanda Kwan, Greta Crop, Mallory Morocco and Emily Evans.
Cornell head coach Casey Jones stops by to talk about his team and I'll have my annual mid season NBA roundtable. I'll be joined by Mark Kachaser, the voice of the NBA on ESPN Radio and the Gildan High School graduate. I hope you tune in.
The views expressed on 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 Schottz. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time from the Parting Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day, good hockey.
