Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
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The Daily Gazette Company presents the parting Shots podcast. Now here's your host, Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shot. Thank you, Scott Gezy, 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, where it's our weekly visit with Union men's head hockey coach Josh Howsey. Josh, welcome back. How are things going?
[00:00:38] Speaker B: Yeah, things are going well.
[00:00:39] Speaker A: I'm stretching out of the season. We're in February and seems like yesterday we just got the season going.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: I know. It's crazy how quick it goes.
[00:00:46] Speaker A: Yeah. So well, it was a tough but good weekend for the Garden Chargers last weekend. It started with a 33 tie against Yale on Friday. Both teams earned a point for the tie. A shootout was needed to decide who would get the extra point and Union came away with with a 21 win in the shootout. And then on Saturday, Eugen jumps out to a two nothing lead against Brown. And then the team has to hang on for dear Life in the third period to pull out a 21 win. What are your general thoughts on the weekend?
[00:01:11] Speaker B: You know, at this, this time of the year, it's just, you know, banking points and trying to, you know, win as many games as you can. I thought there were some definite positives. You know, obviously didn't love the first 10 minutes and probably the last 10 minutes of the weekend.
[00:01:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, let's start with the Yale game. And we talked last week, probably all that noise, and you'll probably hear sick of me talking about the importance of avoiding a slow start, which had been the case in the previous three games. And unfortunately, Union got off to another slow start. Yale takes advantage, William Deneen scores 304 into the game, and Micah Berger got a power play goal less than nine minutes later to give the Bulldogs a 2 nothing lead. I mean, that had to be frustrating when, you know that you wanted to avoid the slow start. Yet it happened again.
[00:01:51] Speaker B: You know, I think that it's just you talk about it and you maybe build a little too much of it and it gets in everybody's head, you know, so we've been trying to, you know, practice fast from the start and, you know, for us, we just gotta, you know, put it past us. But yeah, you can't, you can't keep doing that.
[00:02:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, it was a flip of the script from the last of last month's game against Yale in New Haven when Union jumped out to a 2 nothing lead, lost it and then won 4 3. So shortly after Berger's goal, Drew Sutton scored to get Union on the board. And a couple of minutes later, Nate Hanley ties it. So you had to feel good going into the first intermission. Tied it to two when the game really could have gotten away from you.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: Yeah, it's, it's one of those things where you, you have the slow start but the guys battle back and find a way to get it even. And you know, we feel like, you know, we have a pretty good team and if, if we can keep going there, you know, we, we should, we should run away with it at that point.
[00:02:40] Speaker A: Yeah. Union asserted itself and dominated the second period. Out shooting Yale 11 to 5. Unfortunately, a fluky play led to a go ahead goal for Yale. Late in the period. Union defenseman Nick Young was trying to send the puck up the ice from the left circle in the Union zone. And unfortunately for Young, the puck hit the back of the left skate of referee Cameron L. Yale was able to corral the puck and Ronan O'Donnell scored to give Yale a 32 lead after two. I guess it's just an unfortunate play in a turn of events.
[00:03:07] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean it's, it's tough and I mean these refs have like, it's a tough job and they got to try to, you know, make the right calls while staying out of the way and you know, we turn and fire one up where, you know, maybe we take an extra half second and, you know, corral it. But you know, again, it's a fast, fast paced game and things are going to happen.
[00:03:26] Speaker A: Yeah, unfortunately, man, I'm old school hockey. I remember when the glass was low and the officials were able to climb up and get out of the way. Now you just, it's impossible. I mean, it's, it's unfortunate, but it's impossible for the officials to get out of the way sometimes.
[00:03:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, every day at practice I feel like I'm a magnet to like pucks and how hard it is to stay out of the way when you're dropping them or, you know, in the middle of practice. So for those guys that they got to do it for 60 minutes when the guys are, you know, playing, playing physical and playing hard. It's tough.
[00:03:53] Speaker A: Yeah. When I initially saw the play, it was right below me then at the press box. I thought Nick didn't get enough momentum when he was clearing the puck. And it was when I saw the replay that I realized it was a fluke play with the puck hitting the skate. Did you say anything to Nick during the intermission?
[00:04:07] Speaker B: No, not really. I mean, he's, you know, he's a pretty mentally strong individual and just kind of gave him a pat on the shoulder and, you know, we, we want him to have the puck and, you know, we want him to make simple, hard plays, and he typically does that for us all the time.
[00:04:20] Speaker A: Well, just like in the second period, Union dominates Yellen, the third out shooting them 16 to 5. And a little over three minutes into the third, the Garner Chargers tie it. Caden Villegas is at the top of the right circle and he sees Cullen Ferguson coming to the left circle from the left point. Villegas hits Ferguson with a pass and Cullen fires at home to tie it at three. I mean, how good was that play?
[00:04:40] Speaker B: Yeah, it was an unbelievable pass. And, you know, Cullen put himself in a really good spot by jumping their winger's shoulder. And he made no mistake about it. It was a really nice goal. And at that point, you feel like you're in a really good spot.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: It was almost a similar play to the previous week when Joseph Messina spotted Ferguson coming down that left side.
[00:04:58] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, we want to try to get our RD involved in the offense and, you know, that gives us the ability to do that.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, Union had some golden opportunities after the Ferguson goal, but Yale goalie Jack Stark kept the puck out of the net. Was frustration setting in or was just the Starks just playing that well?
[00:05:13] Speaker B: I mean, you got to give him credit. He did a great job. And their team defense, you know, they, they collapsed and they, they blocked a lot of shots and they, they protected the net front and we were, we were right there. We just couldn't get one by them. And, you know, it felt like we deserved to get one, but at the end of the day, we didn't.
[00:05:29] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, the game heads to overtime and Union goalie College makes a key save in the first minute of ot. Union had a couple of chances to score, but neither team does score. So we go to the shootout, the first in conference play this season. Yale takes a one nothing lead after round one, but then Chauvette stops the next two shots, and then Nate Hanley and Brandon Burr score to give Union that extra point. I feel good.
[00:05:50] Speaker B: No, it was a good one. Exciting. And, you know, for us it was weird with, you know, Carter Korpi being injured and not being a part of it. He's always been our, you know, our leadoff hitter for that. Like, we always, you Know, think that he's, if he's going, he's going to score. So it was good for, you know, Brandon to get that opportunity and he made a nice play with.
[00:06:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, you usually keep the shooters the same. Is that just a superstition or anything?
[00:06:15] Speaker B: Well, I, yeah, I kind of like, like I said, I think Carter's almost automatic, you know, so like, if you can get, if you can get the lead, you definitely want to get it. And Nate's pretty good under pressure, so if, you know, try to save him for that spot, you know, Brandon is somebody that we always wanted to get. Well, you know, we want to get in if we have a chance to. And then, you know, also we have, we have Ben that, you know, if we, if we want a shooter, we're probably going to go with Ben. So we have some, you know, different guys we can use in that spot.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: Well, let's hear what Colin Ferguson, Kyle Chauvet and Brandon Burr had to say after the game.
Well, guys, it wasn't a three point but a two point night. So we, how happy are you to get the two and you know, have some. Still have a shot here at the first round bike?
[00:07:01] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean points are hard to come by at this point in the season, so you want to, you want to be happy about it, but at the end of the day I think we can do better and we want those three. So just get back to the drawing board, you know, enjoy it but move on now.
[00:07:15] Speaker D: Yeah, I agree it's, you know, it's frustrating not to get three points. Like obviously it's going to be a tight race down at the end to try to get that by, but I mean, to get two at least, like we, you know, we're happy with getting any points in this league. It's tough.
[00:07:27] Speaker A: So Brandon.
[00:07:28] Speaker E: Yeah, I agree with both of them. Obviously two is good, but three would have been a lot better. I think we played well enough to get three, but you just need to find a way to get them back in the net.
[00:07:35] Speaker A: Well, four years, another slow start. Down 20 in the first period.
What was the mood like on the bench?
[00:07:41] Speaker E: I think it was fine. We just keeping positive, saying we're gonna get this back and eventually we did and it worked out.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: Yeah, Sutton and Hanley score there to tie it there. So how good are you guys feeling going into the locker room after the first period?
[00:07:53] Speaker C: Yeah, it was huge.
You hate to see that you hurt yourself, put yourself in a hole, but it was huge that we got ourselves out of it. I think we have a resilient team and we showed that. We just need to make sure that we don't dig ourselves that hole when we get even later in the season because it's going to be even tougher.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: To get out of Kyle. That third Yale goal is a sort of fluky play. Nick's trying to clear the puckets the back of referee Cameron Lynch's left skate. And then there's chaos and lose there and they get the tight or get the go ahead goal. How frustrating was that? Because that was a period you guys were dominated and, you know, had some good chances and you're down three, two after two.
[00:08:30] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, it's frustrating. You know, I was trying to find the puck through the pile and kind of lost it. So I was trying to get up and as soon as I got up to look for it, it like was already on the way. So it was kind of tough. But I mean, obviously I want to try to like make as many saves for this team, especially when we're playing that wall.
[00:08:45] Speaker A: Like I was going to say you, you were getting up and that you lifted your pad there. That's how it got in.
[00:08:49] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: So, Brandon, third period, what's the move? What do you have to do in the third period to get the tying goal? At least try to get a couple more goals.
[00:08:58] Speaker E: Just stick to our plan. We knew we had to come out hard. They're going to defend that lead. They really want those points too. So just get the pucks on net and it was get to the inside. And I think we did that pretty well.
[00:09:07] Speaker A: Colin, you end up getting the tie in goal there. Looks like Kaden reads you coming down from the left point. Talk about that play.
[00:09:14] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, I think it happened a couple times throughout the game where the winger was sitting on me and he didn't realize if I went behind him. So it happened a couple times. Then Vegas made an unreal play to feather through there. I mean, not a lot of guys can make that pass. Like it's.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: He's.
[00:09:27] Speaker C: It's impressive. Then I just can walk in and shoot from there.
[00:09:31] Speaker A: You guys had a lot of chances in that third period. Just couldn't seem to get that. That go ahead goal. I mean, was Stark playing that well or just some frustrating moments there?
[00:09:40] Speaker C: I think it's a mix of both. I mean, I wouldn't say frustrated. I think Stark played well.
There's a couple posts that we hit. A couple times the puck was sitting on the goal line, but that's hockey. You can't control that. You just got to worry about yourself and your next shift.
[00:09:52] Speaker A: Yeah. And then the overtime. Kyle, you make a save there on a partial break. We go to the shootout in Yale, scores first.
What was your mindset after that when as you had to face two more shots?
[00:10:05] Speaker D: I mean, I was confident. Like I was confident our guys, I know that we're gonna bury in the shootouts and I knew I was gonna go back and try to make those next two saves. So I wasn't down at all. I was just confident we were gonna win it.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: And you did end up making. Oh, how good did that feel?
[00:10:19] Speaker D: Yeah, it felt good. And you know, I'm pumped that Hanley and Bersey were able to. To bury as well. So that was huge.
[00:10:25] Speaker A: Yeah, Brandon, talk about that goal, that shootout goal there. Talk about the move you made.
[00:10:30] Speaker E: Yeah, so I, I don't know. I kind of done a move for a long time. As long as I can remember. I just kind of forehand back and forehand. I don't know, it just kind of comes to me, I guess.
[00:10:38] Speaker A: What did you see there?
[00:10:40] Speaker E: The goalie was kind of out pretty far, so gave him a little pump fake, went to the back end. As soon as he slid, he just cut back and was able to slide it in.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: So you got Brown coming in Saturday. They end up, you know, winning 6, 5 in overtime at RPI. This is a team that's been on the rolls and since the last time you saw them, I think it's five in a row now. They won. So I mean, how, how important will be to get ready for them and you know, take that, try to get three points on Saturday.
[00:11:07] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, I just told the boys that we got to turn the page. It was nice to get the points for tonight, but we have to focus on Brown. They're a hot team and they're going to be ready to. They're going to be ready to come out hot. They're going to roll their, they're going to ride on their momentum. So we need to come out hot. We don't have a choice tomorrow.
[00:11:22] Speaker A: Yeah, you saw him. You just gave up the goal. They scored 16 goals in the last three games.
[00:11:27] Speaker C: Yeah. So I mean we got shoves. So I'm confident in the guy and I'm confident in our offensive score.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: Let's move on to the Saturday's game against Brown. Union beat the Bears 3 to 1 last month in Providence. But the Brown team coming to union was on a five game winning streak which included a 6, 5 overtime win over RPI on Friday. What was the message heading into the game?
[00:11:52] Speaker B: Just, you know, they really have, you know, two. Two lines that do a lot of scoring for them. You know, pretty talented D core where they have two guys that play roughly, you know, 30 minutes a night for them. So we wanted to make sure we were hard on those guys and, you know, if we had a chance to bump them, that we did that and, you know, really just how well they've been playing. They again, have, you know, been producing at a really high clip. They don't. They don't. They hadn't scored a bunch, but in the last five games, they really were, you know, producing big numbers.
[00:12:23] Speaker A: Yeah, because I'm not used to seeing a Brown team scoring five goals in consecutive games and a six put up a six spot against RPI. Although the game, they had a 5, 2 lead and they blew that one. But that just seemed.
They seemed to get. Well, we'll talk a little more Brown in just a little bit. Union got off to a good start, grabbing a 10 lead on a Caden Villegas goal in the first period. It took a while for that goal to be called a goal. Colby MacArthur sent the pucks in that and Viegas made a nice redirection. It was originally initially ruled no goal, but the refs decided to take a look at it. Meanwhile, you go back to the locker room to check the video. It took a few minutes, but the call was reversed and the goal counted. How happy were you?
[00:13:01] Speaker B: Extremely happy. And it was. I mean, honestly, it was really close. So for us to get that call was great. And I mean, you can definitely see the space, but, you know, see that white ice, but there wasn't a bunch of it.
[00:13:13] Speaker A: Well, right now you're not allowed to have iPads on the bench so that you can review plays. Is it time to allow iPads on the bench?
[00:13:19] Speaker B: I think we're getting pretty close. I mean, it's a spot where technology is, you know, it's available for everybody and, you know, it'd be nice to, you know, when you're making these challenges, you know, know what you're challenging and not just trusting someone in the, you know, another room.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: Yeah, well, Brandon Burr scores on the power play in the second period to make it two nothing. And it appears Union is in control. But knowing Brown's reputation, nothing comes easy. And it certainly did not in the third period. The games momentum turned when Zachary Tonelli, the son of New York Islander's great John Tonelli, who I still hate for setting up Bob Neusman's overtime going to 1980 Stanley Cup Finals. But I digress.
He scores a shorthanded goal midway through the third period to make it a one goal game. Then Union ran into penalty problems, taking five penalties in the period. Brown is doing everything trying to score, but the play of Kyle Chauvett kept Brown from scoring. And Union skates with the win. How critical was Kyle's play in that?
[00:14:11] Speaker B: Yeah, when, when we needed him, he was there and you know, we made a couple big time saves in the last, you know, three or four minutes that, you know, they were, they were putting us to the test and you know, with the extra attacker a little nerve wracking but yeah, he was there for us.
[00:14:23] Speaker A: Yeah, the penalty kill was excellent in the game, going 7 for 7. Of course you don't really want to go 7 for 7 in a game like that. The penalty kill, which was one of the best in the nation last season, struggled in the first half of this season, but it seems to have turned the corner. What has been the key?
[00:14:38] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that, you know, the guys have really, you know, started to buy in. I think that the development of, you know, Lucas Buziel and you know, Riley Bruick as penalty killers up front has been, you know, really important for us.
And again, I give coach Zanella some credit with just some different ideas to really try to elevate it. And I kind of mentioned this to you, but when you're in the head coach role and you're running the penalty kill, I think that like I overlooked it at times, just trying to make sure our 5 on 5 play was, you know, where it needed to be. And so I got to take some responsibility and make sure that I, you know, pass that often, give the credit where it's due.
[00:15:14] Speaker A: Well, how important will it be down the stretch here for the team to not run into penalty trouble like that? You know, you don't obviously don't want to take five penalties in a period, seven in a game, have to try to kill all seven.
[00:15:24] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean we had been pretty disciplined, you know, you know, at least nationally as far as where we fit in with penalty minutes taken. But you know, if you want to play, you know, as long as you can, you can't be putting yourselves in those spots. And I thought there was, you know, some unnecessary necessary stick penalties we took.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, let's hear from post game press conference from Katie Viegas, Kyle Chavet and John Prokop.
[00:15:54] Speaker F: Kyle, can you kind of describe the, the crazy, scrambly hectic final minutes. You know, you had PKs all over the place and. And they pulled their goalie and just kind of what you were seeing out there from your defense, but also.
[00:16:06] Speaker D: Yeah, no, I mean, part of it. Yeah. No, for starters, I mean, we blocked a lot of shots, and that was huge. Like, I think the guys really sold out and competed hard in front of me, and we're battling just to do anything to keep the puck out of the net. And on my end, too, like, I. My mindset was just compete and just do whatever it took to get the win. So even though it got hectic, I was just trying to focus on one shot at a time and just focus on being in the present and in competing all the way.
[00:16:31] Speaker A: How big was the PK tonight? Over. You kill off all seven, including five in the third period.
What can you say about the PK tonight?
[00:16:41] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, again, like, huge credit to all the guys. Like, on the pk, they were blocking a ton of shots, selling out. I thought we stuck to our structure well and really didn't give up too much on the pk, so I thought we did a great job on that.
[00:16:53] Speaker A: John.
[00:16:54] Speaker G: Yeah, I let. Our BK showed up big time, and it won us a hockey game, too.
[00:16:57] Speaker A: So how big has the PK been? Like, because it struggled early on this season, but it seems. I know he gave up one last night against Yale, but it seems that the PK has been getting better last few weeks.
[00:17:09] Speaker G: Yeah, it's our goal to get better each game, and I think our PK's taking a big step, and, you know, it'll win you hockey games down the road, and you need that going into the playoffs.
[00:17:17] Speaker A: So, Katie, your thoughts on that?
[00:17:19] Speaker H: Yeah, I mean, guys are buying into the detail and practice, and it's showing up in the games. We have good sticks everywhere. The guys are getting big, blocking a lot of shots, so it's. It's paying dividends.
[00:17:28] Speaker F: John, are there two sides to that coin with the pk? Because, yeah, you. You were seven for seven, but you also facing it seven times.
[00:17:35] Speaker G: Yeah, I mean, we got to be more disciplined at the end of the day, but, you know, when your PK comes through like that, you're going to win a lot of hockey games.
[00:17:42] Speaker F: So, Kaden, can you walk us through.
[00:17:45] Speaker A: Your goal a little bit?
[00:17:46] Speaker F: And you can hit, kind of like endure an eternity on the bench waiting for them to figure out if it was good or not, just how the play developed, but then also the experience of sitting there waiting.
[00:17:57] Speaker H: Yeah, I mean, it was a really good Play out of Mac, you know, getting it towards the net and then the goalie rimmed it. I'm pretty sure that's what happened. So I put it on my tape and I got a lucky deflection on it and couldn't tell if it went in or not, but I thought so from reactions or whatever. But yeah, I mean, can't really do anything about it, whether it's a goal or not. So you get on the bench, you just kind of refocus and. And hopefully it is, but if it isn't, you should get back to work.
[00:18:21] Speaker A: You know, it's a five point out of six point weekend for you guys. Kaden put you in a good spot. We obviously early game's going on tonight, so by the time this airs, you won't know where you're at. But how important was it to get at least five points and, you know, solidify your position at least for home ice in the first round?
[00:18:41] Speaker H: Yeah, I mean, it's huge. Obviously our conference, the top six teams are super tight right now, so you got to get as many as you can and every weekend. So that's just why each game is so important right now, especially for us seniors. Like, we're kind of harping on how important each game is, each period, each shift. And you can't take any off any of these nights, especially our first periods. Like I thought today we did really well. We were dialed, came into the game, came out to a lead. So we just need that going forward because each game matters so much.
[00:19:11] Speaker A: Kyle.
[00:19:11] Speaker D: Yeah, I agree. You know, points are hard to come by in this league and, you know, I think we're obviously really happy to get five on the weekend. You know, we wanted six, but.
But yeah, to get five on the weekend's huge. And, you know, we really want to fight for that first round. Bye. And we want to do this for, for our seniors and everyone in the locker room.
[00:19:29] Speaker A: John, all those penalties took in the third period sort of, you know, disrupted your foe. You guys only had two shots on goal in that third period. Did you guys maybe sit back a little bit too much in the third, but trying to protect it? It was a 20 lead.
[00:19:42] Speaker G: Yeah, I mean, like I said before, you need to stay disciplined. And when you're on the pk, I mean, you could be aggressive, but you're not trying to score a goal at the end of the day. So I wouldn't say we were sitting back. I just say our discipline got the best of us. So we ended up with two shots.
[00:19:56] Speaker A: Especially a Brown team that's always been pesky, I mean they've given you guys troubles over the years. I mean you got a 31 win down there last month.
What makes Brown such a pesky team to play against?
[00:20:10] Speaker G: They have a good four check. I mean any team in this league, it's going to be you need to bring your best effort or there's a chance to lose every night. And you know, if you bring your best effort, you can always get a chance to win too.
[00:20:23] Speaker F: So Kaden, how much were you guys game planning for their usual starting goalie and then when you see the other guy in there, does that change have any impact on your approach at all?
[00:20:32] Speaker H: No, not really. I mean we know we gotta like every goalie in this league is good so you're gonna have to get traffic in front of them and get shots through. You know, you can't get them blocked. So yeah, I mean our guys just focus on bearing their chances. Not, not worried about who is in that.
[00:20:47] Speaker F: You know, speaking of traffic in front, was Brandon's goal pretty much product of that?
[00:20:51] Speaker H: Yeah, I mean it was net front scramble. Yeah, definitely. We had good screens so that's what generates the rebound. And you know, guys diving down on the net. He had a couple chances to bury it and he got it. So that's good.
[00:21:01] Speaker A: It's a huge goal for us.
Now let's hear from Brown head coach Brendan Whitted on his thoughts about the game.
Well, Brendan, it's a tough way for you guys to end your winning streak, but you guys have been playing well in the last five games. You almost were able to get some tying goal there. But how do you like your team as of right now? Because last time Union saw you guys were in the middle of a losing streak.
[00:21:27] Speaker I: Yeah, I mean we have our players back now, Ken. I mean we didn't have when we saw Union the last time. I don't believe we had Ryan St. Louis, Charlie Golub and Hartman who were all pretty important players up front for us. We got those guys back and we played better hockey. We were able to spread out some of our offense and try and create two lines that had the ability to score. So I really like our team. I think we're making good strides. We're very young, so we do have some inconsistencies to our game. But there's a lot of really good players in those young classes. And again we just, I thought we got away a little bit from try to credit the Union. I thought we got away a little bit from our battle mentality, and they seemed to be a little stronger on pucks at times tonight. That being said, as I just said to my assistant, we go for seven on the power putt.
I mean, like, you got to find a way to score, you know, like, we had plenty of opportunities on the power play, and our power play's been pretty good of late, and there's some pretty good players we're rolling out there. I just thought we tried to be a little too perfect on the power play.
[00:22:30] Speaker F: I know you gave up five goals last night. What factored in the decision to start Tyler in goal tonight?
[00:22:36] Speaker I: Because he gave up five goals last night, and he was not crisp. And honestly, he got hurt last Sunday against Stonehill. He got run over, finished the game, but really didn't practice all week and trying to get back from a little bit of a neck injury.
So he wasn't. He just wasn't crisp last night. I mean, obviously, he's a tremendous goaltender, but, I mean, there's accountability to what we got to do. Like, if, you know, you go in, you know, your job is to stop the puck. And I just thought he was a little bit off last night. And Tyler's been a good goaltender. I mean, he's. You know, he's. He's been. His save percentage been pretty good. I mean, I. The two goals tonight, like, you know, the one he's got to catch on the Powell play, the second one there, and the first one, he kind of throws it around and can't get back into the net, you know, and. But, I mean, again, this. We want our guys to perform when they're out there, and that's my expectation when the guys play.
[00:23:31] Speaker A: How much of that shorthanded goal by Tonelli really get you guys going there in a third?
[00:23:35] Speaker I: Oh, definitely did, because, I mean, we were pressing, and it just didn't seem like we were getting a lot of dangerous opportunities through, you know, and that's usually been the makeup of our game, where you. Where we have numbers at the net with pucks at the net, and we just seemed like a lot of stuff with perimeter. And again, I thought Union played tremendous hockey defensively. Like, they were aggressive. They were fast. They were. They were on us very quickly, and they made it really hard on us.
[00:24:00] Speaker F: It got a little penalty crazy there. How much did that kind of disrupt the flow and kind of take things out of it?
[00:24:06] Speaker I: Disrupts the flow. I mean.
[00:24:07] Speaker A: But.
[00:24:07] Speaker I: But you know what? Again, I think we had a lot of those power plays, so. So we. We have to, like, it's Such a huge part of hockey, right? Like you got to win the special teams game and got to find a way to just to score. You know, we just, it's, we had opportunity after opportunity and, and we, and we had some good looks, you know, and the goalie made some big saves and they, they had some good clears and some good blocks. But you know, we got to find a way to generate and score on a power play.
[00:24:35] Speaker A: Can you compare your team to the last year's Dartmouth who just, you know, got hot at the right time, got to the final four?
[00:24:41] Speaker I: I mean it's an interesting one. Again, like I compare us to Brown, but like we're a team that has, you know, much more depth this year.
We're a team that can play a little bit of a high tempo game. We're a team that has really good goaltending and is pretty structurally sound defensively.
We're, we're young. So like my hope is, yeah, like you, you, you get a taste of winning and playing the right way and that leads you to want to win more. And how do you win? Well, you got to play the game a certain way and, and you know, I think, I think we're getting there, you know, and it's just being consistently after. But again, we, we had a pretty good, you know, five game stretch there. I mean we were playing really good hockey. I mean last night aside, yet five, two, you got to find a way to get three points and not have to win in overtime. But again, this was a big one. Every game now is big, right? We got Yale back to back and the standing is going to be so tight that like every game is of huge importance.
[00:25:42] Speaker A: I know actually during the coaches conference goal back in September. But barring a postseason meeting here last year, last game here at Mesa, happy to be out of this building.
[00:25:54] Speaker I: It's funny, we, you know, I played in this building, you know, when Union first joined the league. So, you know, and I mean I got, I might have even told you this. I got demolished so bad behind one of this net. There's no room behind these nets and I was just an average defenseman. Somebody demolished me. I came back to the bench and Jamie Rice, who was an assistant at Brown at the time, was laughing. He's like, how'd that feel? I'm like, not good man. So I won't miss it that much. You know, we've had some, we've had some good games here. We've had some, we've. But it's a hard place to play. It's a really small facility, you know, like. But the new rink looks great. Like we, we stayed last night right at the landing, which is I think attached to the casino, which really nice hotel and they've done a great job with that area. And it looks like the arena's coming along pretty good.
[00:26:38] Speaker A: Easier to come here now. You just dump your stuff off.
[00:26:41] Speaker I: That's great. It's great. That's. And that's, that's a nice hotel. And, and they've taken good care of us. We've stayed there the last two times and we used to always stay in, in, in, in Albany and kind of stay there for two nights. But I don't mind being right around the corner. It'll be even better next year. I mean, we won't even have to get on a bus. So once you're there, you're there. So.
All right, thank you, guys.
[00:27:06] Speaker A: Josh, do you think Brown can make a run in late to Lake Flats with the way that they've been playing lately? I mean, it's. What to me, I asked this question after Saturday's game about comparing them to Dartmouth last year because that was a team that really came on in the second half and it appears, like I said, Brown really has got the goal scoring going, which they haven't really had in a long time.
[00:27:24] Speaker B: Yeah, they, they got, you know, more depth than they've had and you know, their top players I'd say are younger players. So they're taking, taking steps and starting to feel more comfortable in their role. Yeah, I think they have the ability to, you know, be in the mix. You know, I guess I would refrain to answer that until I see where, where they stand finish and if we see them early in the playoffs.
[00:27:44] Speaker A: Well, let's take a break. We'll have another messer Rick memory. We'll preview this weekend's ECAC hockey road games against Colgate and Cornell. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:28:08] Speaker I: It's the most historic conference in college hockey.
[00:28:11] Speaker A: It's a battle.
[00:28:12] Speaker I: Night in, 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.
[00:28:40] Speaker A: 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 hi, this is Union College women's hockey alum Ashley Kittlestein Shire.
[00:29:02] Speaker B: You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:29:04] Speaker A: With Daily Gazette sports editor Kenshaw. The Parting Shots podcast presents another Union hockey Messerink memory.
[00:29:14] Speaker B: I'm Michelle Tardif.
[00:29:15] Speaker A: I played for Union College women's hockey from 1996 to the year 2000. My most vivid memory of playing in.
[00:29:22] Speaker B: Messr Rink was really all the memories.
[00:29:25] Speaker A: In that last season was our first year in the NCAA Women's Division 3 and it was just a blast every day.
Welcome back to the podcast. I'm host Ken Schott and I'm joined by Union men's head hockey coach Josh Halge. The Gardner Chargers hit the road this weekend with games at Colgate on Friday and at Cornell on Saturday. Both Games start at 7pm before we talk about those teams, let's look at the pairwise rankings which helps determine the 16 team feel for the NCAA hockey tournament. Union is tied for 40th with Bowling Green and Notre Dame right now. Union has had interesting records with regards to the pair wise. It is 15.01 against teams below them in the pair wise, but.091 against teams above them. And the two teams Union play this weekend are above them. Colgate's 21st and Cornell's 25th. What must Union do to change the narrative?
[00:30:16] Speaker B: I think it's a great opportunity here for us to, you know, to play two teams that are ahead of us there. And, you know, it comes down to us, you know, and how hard we compete, how we manage the pucks. And I think we're playing some better hockey now than we did earlier in the season. So, you know, excited for this challenge?
[00:30:32] Speaker A: Yeah, I think Union is probably more concerned about the ECAC hockey standings than it is the pair wise because I think Union's only chance to get into the NCAA Hockey tournament is by winning the ECACCHI tournament title and the automatic bid. And looking at the standings right now, Union is tied for third with Dartmouth with 26 points. They trail second place Colgate by three points and conference leading Quinnibiac by four. And below Union, Clarkson is in fifth with 25 points. Harvard is sixth with 22 and Cornell seventh with 21 points. So how important is it to keep your spot in the top four of the standings this weekend?
[00:31:04] Speaker B: Yeah, I think, you know, you're playing two teams that are, you know, fighting for that top four spot. So it's, it's not only an ability to, to add three to your total, but to take three from theirs. So it's, it's a huge weekend and, you know, Friday night's going to be an extremely important game.
[00:31:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Colgate was picked to finish fifth by the EC hockey coaches in their preseason poll. Does, does it surprise you at where they are in the standings?
[00:31:27] Speaker B: No, I think that they're, you know, they have a really nice hockey team. You know, they got a lot of, you know, solid defensemen that can really move pucks. They have a top line that's, you know, really dangerous. And they've been getting, you know, really good goaltending.
[00:31:38] Speaker A: Yeah. I was going to ask you, give us a scouting report on Colgate. What do you know about them?
[00:31:41] Speaker B: Yeah, they. So they, they have three D that are, you know, extremely valuable for them. They play a ton of minutes, they're really talented, and then, yeah, their top line is, I think they have, you know, almost 30 goals between the three of them, so. Extremely dangerous. The Chorsky kid is.
He's a good player. He's a big boy and, you know, we got to find his stick around the net. And then again, you know, been getting some good goaltending.
[00:32:04] Speaker A: Yeah. Meanwhile, Cornell, the defending ECAC hockey tournament champion, was picked to win the regular season. But in head coach Mike Schaefer's last season at Cornell, it's been a struggle. You know, last weekend because of suspensions and injuries. Their game against St. Lawrence on last Friday night, they only had 17 skaters and two full forward lines, but they had eight forwards, nine defensemen dressed for that game. To me. So how surprised at you that Cornell has struggled this year?
[00:32:31] Speaker B: Well, I still think if you, you know, did a straw poll around the league, a lot of people would, you know, say that they're, you know, a favorite to winner playoffs just because they have, you know, a ton of talent. You know, they've had some injuries and different things that have, you know, kind of set them back a little bit, but they seem to be getting healthier and, you know, they're through their suspensions now, so I'm sure we'll be seeing a, you know, pretty close to full lineup.
[00:32:52] Speaker A: Can you give us a scouting report on Cornell?
[00:32:54] Speaker B: I mean, you have to earn everything you get. It's a. It's an extremely difficult atmosphere to play in. They. They play physical and hard. They're, you know, they play in a lot of ways a really, you know, simple defensive, hard game, and it's always a challenge.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: Well, speaking of, go back to what happened with the Dartmouth, Cornell game, the post game fracas that they had a Couple Saturdays ago.
The league has a policy of not announcing suspensions, which I think a lot of it. They've taken a lot of criticism over, and rightfully so, if you look at the other conferences. In fact, Hockey east announced the suspension last Saturday and was Posted by Mike McManty and I sort of reposted and saying, this is the way you do it. ECAC hockey. And then we come to find out I came talking with Darth TV play by play announcer and two of the Dartmouth players who had gotten game disqualifications won their appeal. So that's something. To me, you're playing a speculation game as who's getting suspended. There was rumors that Dartmouth coach Reed Cashman was suspended and that wasn't true. So is it better? Is it time for the leads? You know, because I think that some of the athletic directors believe it's going to affect these student athletes for the rest of the lives because it's going to be on Google. But that to me is a silly argument.
[00:34:15] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's definitely time that we, you know, take a look at it and evaluate it. I mean, it's. It's one of those things that I think, you know, people and coaches around the league have, you know, a wide range of opinions. Mine is I just. Let's just, you know, you're going to find out eventually if, you know, if somebody does enough digging, if they're not playing, why they're not. So let's just make it public and move on.
[00:34:38] Speaker A: I can't imagine if they had the Mayor's cup brawl now if the suspensions would be announced. Because I remember back then in 2014, Union actually held a press conference the Monday after the game when I know Union has announced suspensions for head coach Rick Bennett and then the ECAC announced their suspension on that Monday. And then that's when everybody talks about it. But yeah, it just seems very silly. Can give us a scouting. So sorry. Let me give an update on Union forward Carter Corpi and his lower body injury.
[00:35:06] Speaker B: Yeah, he's, you know, he's getting close to, you know, he was on crutches. We expect him to be off and, you know, hopefully moving here and going again soon. So I think we're, you know, we're turning the corner there.
[00:35:18] Speaker A: Okay. Well, we encourage listeners to send us questions and regular listener Ryan Fay has a great question. The thing that stands out to me, this is Ryan, about these games, is in the home stretch of the season, but the first time Union will play either Cornell or Colgate this year. Does it Create any preparation challenges when you're seeing a league opponent for the first time so late in the season.
[00:35:39] Speaker B: A little bit and just the sense of, you know, you're actually more prepared just because you, you've seen him kind of progress throughout the season and you're not really surprised by any first year players that they might have like the Neumeyer defenseman for Colgate, like he's not going to catch us off guard. We know, we know who he is and we're prepared that he's, you know, a really good player. Sometimes earlier in the season he might not know who those first year players are and they catch you off guard a little bit. But you know, to play these two teams, you know, twice in the last month, I don't really like that. I wish they were spread out. I like to see them once early and once late, but it's just kind of how the schedule worked out.
[00:36:18] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. I talked to Doug Christiansen, the ECA's hockey commissioner, about that and I think it was last year and he floated the idea of maybe having a rivalry weekend to close out the regular season. And we have home and homes with that. Maybe that'd be something to explore down the road. That way you get to see everybody once before you head to for the rivalry weekend.
[00:36:39] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean it'd be some pretty intense games right before playoffs, so it would be, it would be interesting.
[00:36:44] Speaker A: The only problem is you wouldn't see RPI till the end of the season unless you did a rivalry weekend to open the season. Of course, with the Ivies, it's kind of tough, but.
[00:36:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:52] Speaker A: So Ryan, thanks for the question. If you have a question for Josh, email him to Shot. That's S C H O T t@daily gazette.com or you can post on Facebook on my personal page and the Parting Shots podcast page. You can also send them via Blue Sky X and Threads at Slap Shots. Josh, appreciate the visit. Good luck this week and we'll talk after the games.
[00:37:11] Speaker B: Thank you so much.
[00:37:11] Speaker A: All right, that's Josh. How you. Coming up on Thursday's podcast, I'll preview the Union men's and women's hockey weekends. On the men's side, I'll have interviews, interviews with union players Cullen Ferguson, Kaden Villegas and Brandon Burr. Women team Women's team plays Colgate and Cornell in its final regular season games at Messerink and they are hoping for one more home game in the first round, the Eczaki Tournament. I'll have interviews with head coach Tony Macy and players Matty Souter, Stephanie Bourque and Sophie Matsoukas. I'll speak with Union athletic director Jim McLaughlin on the future of Messa Rink and the delegates at staff will give their Super Football 59 predictions. So please tune in. By the way, I should ask you, Josh, who are you picking?
[00:37:50] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't follow it like so close that I would know. I guess it's hard, it's hard to not go with the Chiefs. Also, my son is in like a football pick and pool and that's the way we tick. So I probably go with the Chiefs, unfortunately.
[00:38:02] Speaker A: Hopefully I can rub it in your face.
All right, Josh, appreciate that. So please tune in to Thursday's podcast.
The views expressed on 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.
