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Men's Hockey Hosts Defending National Champion Union, RPI This Weekend
12/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Brown men's hockey team will close out the first half of the regular season this weekend when they play host to defending national champion Union on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. before taking on Rensselaer the next day at 4 p.m. Links to live stats and video will be available at brownbears.com.
Brown (2-7-0, 0-6-0 ECAC)
Vs. Union (7-6-1, 1-4-1 ECAC)
Friday, December 5, 2014 – 7 PM
Meehan Auditorium – Providence, R.I.
Radio: WPRV-AM 790
Vs. Rensselaer (6-9-1, 4-2-0 ECAC)
Saturday, December 6, 2014 – 4 p.m.
Meehan Auditorium – Providence, R.I.
Stream: Brownbears.tv
Twitter Updates: @BrownMensHockey
Watch Live: Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on BrownBears.TV. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing yearly, monthly, weekly or daily packages.
Last Time Out: Brown split a pair of non-conference games last weekend, as the Bears shutout UConn, 1-0, at home before falling to Holy Cross on the road, 5-0. In the win over UConn, Mark Naclerio scored the lone goal in the third period off a turnover to secure the victory. Tim Ernst stopped 25 shots in net for the Bears to pick up the first win and shutout of his collegiate career. Ryan Ferrill recorded a natural hat trick the next day to lift Holy Cross to the shutout victory. Ernst made a career-high 33 saves in net.
Scouting Union: Union enters Friday's contest at 7-6-1 overall and 1-4-1 in the ECAC, most recently splitting a pair of games at the Shillelagh Tournament with a 3-2 win over Notre Dame and an 8-2 loss to Western Michigan. Union boasts the third-best scoring offense in the ECAC at 3.29 goals per game, led by Mike Vecchione, with a conference-best 20 points and 14 assists. In addition, Daniel Ciampini and Jeff Taylor are tied for third in the conference in scoring with 16 points apiece, while Taylor leads all defensemen in the category. Spencer Foo is ranked second in the ECAC among rookies with 13 points. Colin Stevens has played a bulk of the minutes in net, going 7-4-0 in 11 games played, and heads into the weekend with a 2.32 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Union won the ECAC regular season and tournament last season en route to the national championship.
Brown vs. Union All-Time: This weekend marks the 48th meeting between Brown and Union, dating back to a 3-2 Union victory on December 30, 1989. The Bears hold a 21-16-11 series advantage, but the Dutchmen swept last year's season series with a 4-3 victory at home before a 3-0 win at Meehan in the final game of the regular season.
Scouting Rensselaer: Rensselaer heads into the weekend at 6-9-1 on the season and 4-2-0 in conference action, and will take on Yale on Friday before facing Brown on Saturday afternoon. Most recently, the Engineers dropped a pair of games at Michigan, 3-2 and 6-0. Lou Nanne and Riley Bourbonnais pace the team with four goals apiece, while rookie Drew Melanson has eight points on a team-high seven assists. Jason Kasdorf has played 12 games in net with a 2.31 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Rensselaer leads the conference with 17 power play goals allowed this season.
Brown vs. Rensselaer All-Time: Saturday's game will mark the 91st meeting between Brown and RPI, dating back to a 5-0 Brown win during the 1951-52 season. The Engineers currently lead the all-time series, 59-23-8, including a season sweep last season, winning at home, 4-1, and in Providence, 3-0.
Naclerio on the Board: Mark Naclerio scored the game-winning goal in the team's 1-0 shutout over UConn last weekend for his first tally of the season. Naclerio led the Bears with four game-winning goals last season.
Ernst Posts First Shutout: Tim Ernst had a career high in between the pipes last Saturday in a 1-0 victory over UConn at home. The sophomore stopped 25 saves in net for the first win and shutout of his collegiate career in just his second ever start.
Facing Off: Mark Naclerio leads the Bears with 93 face-off wins, while rookie Sam Lafferty paces the team in percentage (49-43, .533).
Brown/Dunkin' Donuts Center to Host 2015 NCAA Regional: Brown will host the 2015 NCAA Men's Hockey East Regional at Providence's Dunkin' Donuts Center, marking the 10th NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament competition in Providence and second since 2013, which was also hosted by Brown. The Dunkin' Donuts Center, formerly known as the Providence Civic Center, has hosted the Frozen Four six times, and this will be the fourth time it has hosted regional competition. Game dates are Saturday, March 29th and Sunday, March 30th. Game times will be announced at a later date. Tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster and at the Dunkin' Donuts Center Box Office. The regional winner earns a trip to the 2015 Frozen Four at the TD Garden in Boston, MA (April 9 & 11).
Up Next: After this weekend, the Bears will take a three-week break, and will return to action for the Dartmouth Ledyard Bank Classic when they take on Boston College and Denver. Brown's next home game is on Friday, Jan. 9 against Providence at 7 p.m. Tickets for all Brown men's hockey games can be purchased online, calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or walking up to the Box Office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
