Union Preview
Two teams looking to snap winless streaks meet at 7 tonight in an ECAC Hockey game which will be televised nationally on the NHL Network.
Clarkson (5-18-3 overall, 1-11-2 ECAC Hockey) is 0-6-1 in its last seven games and host Union (13-7-6, 7-3-4) is 0-3-1 in its last four outings.
The teams are on opposite ends of the conference standings. Union is in a three-way tie for second place with St. Lawrence and Yale, just two points behind first-place Cornell. Clarkson is in last place, four points behind 11th-place Dartmouth.
Stat of the Night:Don't be surprised if there is a shorthanded goal tonight. Clarkson has scored four shorties and given up three. Union has four shorthanded goals and has allowed four.
Who to Watch
Clarkson:Defenseman Bryan Rufenach, who may not play tonight due to an injury, has two goals and three assists in seven career games against Union. Senior forward Matt Beca has one goal and four assists in nine career games. Junior captain Scott Freeman, a forward, has two goals and two assists in six games and junior forward Brandon DeFazio has three goals in seven games. Sophomore goalie Paul Karpowich is 0-2 with a 3.51 goals-against average and .890 save percentage against Union. Sophomore Richie LaVeau is 1-2 with a 4.26 goals-against average and .863 save percentage.
Union:Adam Presizniuk has been dominant against the Golden Knights, with five goals and seven assists. Mario Valery-Trabucco and Jason Walters each have five career goals and three assists against Clarkson. Goalie Corey Milan is 3-1-1 against the Golden Knights and Keith Kincaid has a 1-0-1 record against Clarkson.
Special Teams Watch
Clarkson:Brandon DeFazio leads the team with five power-play goals. Adam Pawlick has four power-play goals and Matt Beca has three. Beca also has a shorthanded goal.
Union:Jason Walters, Mario Valery-Trabucco and Kelly Zajac each have four power-play goals. Valery-Trabucco also has a shorthanded goal. Stephane Boileau has three power-play goals and Andrew Buote has tallied two shorthanded goals for the Dutchmen.
Last Meeting:Union used a four-goal second period to cruise to a 5-1 win over the Golden Knights on Nov. 14 in Cheel Arena. Union's forward line of Andrew Buote, Jon Lareau and Jason Shaffer combined for five points. Buote had a goal and assist, Lareau had two assists and Shaffer had one assist. Mario Valery-Trabucco and Kelly Zajac each had one goal and one assist. Clarkson's only goal came on this shot from Brandon DeFazio:
Stats and Notes:Clarkson is 0-5-1 in its last six games at Union's Messa Rink. The last Golden Knight win was a 4-3 overtime decision on March 6, 2005 in game three of an ECAC Hockey first-round series. ... Clarkson may be missing as many as five players to injury in tonight's game. Forwards Lauri Tuohimaa (concussion) and Julien Cayer (arm) and defenseman Andrew Himelson (knee) are definitely out of action. Forward Peter Massar and defenseman Bryan Rufenach also may miss the game with undisclosed injuries. ... Union is 6-3-1 in its last 10 games against Clarkson. ... The Dutchmen are averaging 3.55 goals-per game, which ranks 11th nationally. Union also has scored three or more goals in 11 of its last 14 home games. ... Union has played in 11 overtime games this season, going 3-2-6. ... Matt Beca is the only Golden Knight with a positive number in the plus/minus statistic, at plus-two. ... Louke Oakley continues to play well on faceoffs, with a 223-186 record, for a .545 win percentage. ... A few Golden Knights have been slumping of late. Scott Freeman and Nick Tremblay have not scored in the last six games and Bryan Rufenach has been scoreless in the last four. ... If you want to beat Union its best to control the game after two periods. The Dutchmen are only 1-5-2 if they trail after 40 minutes, but are 12-2-4 if they have a lead or are tied after two periods.
