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Union Garnet Chargers men's ice hockey

Union Garnet Chargers men's ice hockey
Current season
Union Garnet Chargers athletic logo
UniversityUnion College
ConferenceECAC Hockey
First season1903–04
Head coachJosh Hauge[1]
4th season, 49–51–8 (.491)
Assistant coachesJohn Ronan
Mike Zannella
Bryan McDonald
ArenaFrank L. Messa Rink
at Achilles Center
Schenectady, New York
Student sectionThe U Crew
ColorsUnion garnet and white[2]
   
NCAA tournament champions
DI: 2014
NCAA tournament Frozen Four
DI: 2012, 2014
DIII: 1984, 1985
NCAA tournament appearances
DI: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017
DIII: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989
Conference tournament champions
ECAC West: 1985
ECAC: 2012, 2013, 2014
Conference regular season champions
ECAC 2: 1977
ECAC: 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017
Current uniform
Dutchmen in 2023

The Union Garnet Chargers ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college ice hockey program that represents Union College. The Garnet Chargers are a member of ECAC Hockey. They play at the Frank L. Messa Rink at Achilles Center in Schenectady, New York.[3] The Garnet Chargers (known as the Dutchmen at the time) won the 2014 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament by defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 7–4.

Program history

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The hockey team was founded in 1904 making it the 7th oldest college program playing in NCAA Division I [4] and provides the school with a long and colorful history in the sport. Men at Union have played hockey in four distinct periods: club hockey from 1904 to 1911, varsity hockey from 1919 to 1949 (from 1943 to 1948 there was a hiatus from play due to WW II), NCAA Division III hockey from 1975 to 1990 and NCAA Division I hockey from 1991–present.

Early history 1904–1911

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Union's first game, played on February 3, 1904, was a victory over the Union Classical Institute. Three other games were played that inaugural season including a 1–4 loss to rival Rensselaer. Lacking a rink of its own during that inaugural season, all games were played on the opponent's home ice. The first attempt at creating an on-campus outdoor rink was made by students in 1905 when a plow and scaper was hired to form a level area with earthen banks near what is now Memorial Chapel. The club team's record in known games during those early years was 6–7–1. No collegiate games were played in the 1910 or 1911 seasons because Union's players couldn't afford the costs of travel and opponent game guarantee fees. The club team subsequently disbanded bringing a close to the earliest era of hockey at Union.

Varsity era 1919–1949

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Division III era 1975–1990

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Division I era 1991–present

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In 2012, the team made the school's first NCAA men's ice hockey championship Frozen Four appearance, losing to Ferris State University.

In the 2013–2014 season, the team won the 2014 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament, the first in school history. The team had an overall 32-6-4 record with 12 consecutive wins leading up to the national title win. Junior Shayne Gostisbehere won the Most Outstanding Player of the 2014 Frozen Four, and signed his NHL entry level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers 3 days after the championship.

In 2017, senior Mike Vecchione was named as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Vecchione finished his collegiate career with a school record of 175 points, along with the leading number of all-time assists at 104. He led the D1 league with 21 multiple point games, 17 goals, 4 short handed goals, 4 game winning goals, and a 60.4% faceoff win percentage.[5]

In 2023, the college changed the school's athletic nickname from "Dutchmen" and "Dutchwomen" to "Garnet Chargers" as part of a branding update.[6] Garnet has been the school's official color for 150 years, and the name "chargers" is a reference to "Schenectady's legacy as a leader in electrical technologies."[6]

In the 2023-24 season, the team had the second-best penalty kill in college hockey, at 87.9%.

Season-by-season results

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Source:[7]

Main article: List of Union Garnet Chargers men's ice hockey seasons

Championships

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NCAA National Championships

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Year Champion Score Runner-up City Arena Coach MOP
2014 Union 7–4 Minnesota Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center Rick Bennett Shayne Gostisbehere

ECAC Hockey Tournament championships (Whitelaw Cup)

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Year Champion Score Runner-up City Arena Coach MOP Notes
2012 Union 3–1 Harvard Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall Rick Bennett Jeremy Welsh Lost to Ferris State in NCAA Semifinal
2013 Union 3–1 Brown Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall Rick Bennett Troy Grosenick Lost to Quinnipiac in NCAA East Regional
2014 Union 4–2 Colgate Lake Placid, NY Herb Brooks Arena Rick Bennett Daniel Carr Defeated Minnesota in NCAA Championship

Runners-up in 2010

ECAC Hockey Regular season Championships (Cleary Cup)

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Year Conference record Overall record Coach
2010–11 17–3–2 26–10–4 Nate Leaman
2011–12 14–4–4 26–8–7 Rick Bennett
2013–14 18–3–1 32–6–4 Rick Bennett
2016–17† 16–4–2 25–10–3 Rick Bennett

† Shared with Harvard

Players

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Current roster

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As of August 10, 2025.[8]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 United States D. J. Hart Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-02-23 Stamford, Connecticut Lincoln Stars (USHL) —
3 United States Cal Mell Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2011-01-30 Alpharetta, Georgia Janesville Jets (NAHL) —
4 United States Will Felicio Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 2006-05-19 Holden, Massachusetts Michigan (Big Ten) —
5 United States Carter Rose Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2002-08-09 Brasher Falls, New York Clarkson (ECAC) —
6 United States Troy Pelton Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2004-12-06 Clifton Park, New York Corpus Christi IceRays (NAHL) —
7 United States Nick Young (C) Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2001-09-12 Raleigh, North Carolina St. Cloud Norsemen (NAHL) —
8 United States Connor Smith Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2003-06-06 Hugo, Minnesota Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL) —
9 United States Alex Laurenza Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2005-02-24 Woodbridge, Ontario Austin Bruins (NAHL) —
10 United States Ethan Benz Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-03-29 Shakopee, Minnesota St. Cloud Norsemen (NAHL) —
11 Canada Colby MacArthur Senior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-11-02 Summerside, Prince Edward Island Summerside Western Capitals (MHL) —
12 United States Carter Korpi Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-07-28 South Lyon, Michigan Wichita Falls Warriors (NAHL) —
14 Canada Brandon Buhr Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-07-07 North Vancouver, British Columbia Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL) —
15 Canada Ollie Chessler Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2004-07-09 Watertown, Massachusetts Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL) —
16 Canada Lucas Buzziol Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2004-04-05 Mississauga, Ontario Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL) —
17 United States Parker Lindauer Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2001-05-17 Madison, Wisconsin Maine (HEA) —
18 United States Ben Muthersbaugh Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2004-02-15 Gilford, New Hampshire Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) —
19 United States Drew Sutton Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2003-02-10 Hortonville, Wisconsin Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL) —
21 United States Tyler Dunbar Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 2003-12-18 Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Colorado College (NCHC) —
22 United States Jacob Jeannette Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-12-13 Duluth, Minnesota Tri-City Storm (USHL) —
24 United States Nate Hanley Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-05-30 Rocky Point, New York Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) —
26 United States Brendan Miles Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-12-12 Farmington Hills, Michigan Michigan (Big Ten) —
27 United States Riley Brueck Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-05-07 Chesterfield, Missouri Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL) —
28 Canada Étienne Lessard Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 168 lb (76 kg) 2004-03-22 Blainville, Quebec Lincoln Stars (USHL) —
29 Canada Brayden Gillespie Freshman G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2005-07-23 Oakville, Ontario Brampton Steelheads (OHL) —
30 Canada Brendan Holahan Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2004-06-15 New Canaan, Connecticut El Paso Rhinos (NAHL) —
31 United States Cameron Korpi Sophomore G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2004-05-26 South Lyon, Michigan Michigan (Big Ten) —
33 United States Luke Buss Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2003-02-14 Columbus, Ohio Wisconsin (Big Ten) —

Awards & honors

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As of April 2017[9]

Historic records

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Records vs. Current ECAC Hockey Teams

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As of the completion of the 2023–24 season

School Team Away Arena Overall record Win % Last Result
Brown University Bears Meehan Auditorium 25–28–15 .478 6-0 W
Clarkson University Golden Knights Cheel Arena 30–40–5 .433 5-1 W
Colgate University Raiders Class of 1965 Arena 33–49–4 .407 3-4 L
Cornell University Big Red Lynah Rink 23–49–10 .341 3-2 W
Dartmouth College Big Green Thompson Arena 36–31–7 .534 2-4 L
Harvard University Crimson Bright-Landry Hockey Center 20–39–6 .354 6-2 W
Princeton University Tigers Hobey Baker Memorial Rink 43–27–9 .601 2-2 SOL
Quinnipiac University Bobcats People's United Center 17–26–5 .406 2-6 L
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers Houster Field House 47–56–12 .461 5-3 W
St. Lawrence University Saints Appleton Arena 36–40–5 .475 2-2 SOW
Yale University Bulldogs Ingalls Rink 29–35–7 .451 1-3 L

In-season tournaments

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As of April 2017[9]

Event Name Host City Season All-Time Record
Badger Showdown Madison, WI 2003–04 0–2
Capital District Mayor's Cup Albany, NY 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17 3–2
Brice Alaska Goal Rush Fairbanks, AK 2010–11 1–1
Catamount Cup Burlington, VT 2012–13 1–1
Concordia Invitational Montreal, QE 1993–94 2–0
Dodge Holiday Classic Providence, RI 2005–06 1–1
Dunkin Donuts Coffee Pot Providence, RI 2004–05 0–1–1
Frozen Holiday Classic Bridgeport, CT 2014–15 1–1
Governor's Cup Albany, NY 2008–09, 2007–08, 2006–07 1–4–1
Ice Breaker Cup Denver, CO 1999–00 0–2
Icebreaker Invitational Colorado Springs, CO 2005–06 1–1
J.C. Penney Classic Orono, ME 1996–97, 1998–99 2–2
Ledyard Bank Classic Hanover, NH 2015–16 2–0
Mariucci Classic Minneapolis, MN 2000–01, 2005–06, 2010–11 2–3–1
Omaha Stampede Omaha, NE 2008–09 1–1
Pete Kelly Cup Fredericton, NB 2007–08 1–1
Rensselaer Invitational Troy, NY 1991–92, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2009–10 2–6
Shillelagh tournament Notre Dame, IN 2008–09, 2014–15 2–2
Sheraton/TD Banknorth Tournament Burlington, VT 2006–07 1–1
UConn Classic Storrs, CT 2009–10 1–1

Program records

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Head coaches

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Josh Hauge

All-time coaching records

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As of completion of the 2023–24 season[9]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1903–1904, 1905–1911 No Coach 7 6–7–1 .464
1919–1924 Ambrose Clark 4 7–10–0 .412
1924–1925 Henry Gardner 1 1–3–0 .250
1925–1930 H. A. Larabee 5 9–14–3 .404
1930–1933 William Harkness 3 4–8–1 .346
1933–1935 H. L. Achilles 2 4–7–0 .364
1935–1936, 1939–1942, 1947–1949 Arthur C. Lawrence 6 10–30–2 .262
1936–1939 Duke Nelson 3 3–11–2 .250
1975–1977 Ned Harkness 3† 45–8–2 .836
1978 Bob Driscoll 1† 0–13–0 .000
1978–1988 Charles Morrison 10 123–147–9 .457
1988–1996 Bruce Delventhal 8 89–111–21 .450
1996–1998 Stan Moore 2 24–35–7 .417
1998–2003 Kevin Sneddon 5 50–99–18 .353
2003–2011 Nate Leaman 8 138–127–35 .518
2011–2022 Rick Bennett 10‡ 192–133–45 .580
2022 John Ronan 1‡ 8–8–1 .500
2022–Present Josh Hauge 3 49–51–8 .491
Totals 17 coaches 83 Seasons 762–822–154 .483

† Bob Driscoll coached the final 13 games of the 1977–78 season after Ned Harkness resigned.
‡ Rick Bennett was suspended on January 19, 2022 and John Ronan coached the final 17 games of the season.

Garnet Chargers in the NHL

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See also: Former NCAA players in the National Hockey League

As of July 1, 2025.[11]

= NHL All-Star team = NHL All-Star[12] = NHL All-Star[12] and NHL All-Star team = Hall of Famers
Player Position Team(s) Years NHL Games Stanley Cups
Steve Baker Goaltender NYR 1979–1983 4 0
Daniel Carr Left Wing MTL, VGK, NSH, WSH 2015–2023 117 0
Nick DeSimone Defenseman CGY, NJD, UTA 2022–Present 58 0
Spencer Foo Right Wing CGY 2017–2018 4 0
Mario Giallonardo Defenseman COR 1979–1981 23 0
Shayne Gostisbehere Defenseman PHI, PHO, CAR, DET 2014–Present 689 0
Collin Graf Right Wing SJS 2023–Present 40 0
Troy Grosenick Goaltender SJS, LAK 2014–2022 4 0
Josh Jooris Right Wing CGY, NYR, ARI, CAR, PIT 2014–2018 213 0
Duane Joyce Defenseman DAL 1993–1994 3 0
Keith Kinkaid Goaltender NJD, MTL, NYR, BOS, COL 2012–2023 169 0
Sam Morton Right Wing CGY 2024–Present 1 0
Mike Vecchione Center PHI, WSH 2016–2022 3 0
Jeremy Welsh Defenseman CAR, VAN, STL 2011–2016 27 0

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey Coaches". Union College. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  2. ^ "Colors - Communications - Union College". Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  3. ^ "Quinnipiac makes history in 5 OT hockey game". March 13, 2010.
  4. ^ "Oldest Hockey Programs". your-college-hockey.com.
  5. ^ Vecchione, Mike. "2016-17 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Union College Athletics. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Singelais, Mark (August 3, 2023). "Union changes nickname to Garnet Chargers". Albany Times Union. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  7. ^ "Union Men's Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). Union Dutchmen. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  8. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Union Garnet Chargers. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "2017–18 Union College Men's Ice Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). Union College. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  10. ^ "Athletics Hall of Fame". Union College Athletics.
  11. ^ "Alumni report for Union College". Hockey DB. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
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