To show that some local reporters are interested in teams instead of
polls, I'm entering the last 1/4 of an article that appeared in today's
(Jan. 9) Metroland.  Metroland is a free publication in the Albany are
reporting mostly the arts/entertainment scene and other important issues
to the people of Albany.
 
This is a good article, because it's uplifting regarding the Union College
program.  It doesn't berate them becuase of their record; it makes you
want to root for them.  The first 3/4 of the article describes the last
few games they have played and how close they have come to upsetting
teams like RPI and Colgate.  The last part is what I thought people on
the list might find interesting.
 
"The State of Union"
Stephen Leon
 
Parts deletedŁ
"    Union, which accepted an invitation to move up to Division I and join
the ECAC after Army dropped out of the league, wasn't expected to have a
winning record in its first season.  Still, it wouldn't be surprising if
Union CoachŁ Delventhal were a little frustrated that his team hasn't
won a league game by now.
 
"    Seated in a small room just off the locker room after the Colgate loss,
the fourth-year coach was surprisingly upbeat and philosophical.  "My
perspective is so different from that of the playersŁ," Delventhal said,
"because unlike the kids, my job is to build a bona fide ECAC program.
So I don't think about wins and losses.  Call me crazy, but I saw some
positive things tonight.  The most wonderful thing in the world is birth,
and it's a long and painful process.
 
     Players recruited to compete at the Division III level don't suddenly
become Division I-caliber players, although a few of them, notably JaysonŁ
Flowers and senior center Craig Ferrero, look perfectly comfortable in
Division I.  And in MikeŁ Gallant and LuigiŁ Villa, Delventhal has two
goalies around whom he can build over the next three years.  "We feel
very fortunate with our two young goaltenders--they've been terrific,"
Delventhal said.
 
The Dutchmen's most glaring deficiency thus far has been their special-team
play.  Effective power plays, Delventhal conceded, require a number of
gifted playmakers on each unit, and Union may not quite have the talent
to improve much in that department this year.  "Penalty killing, on the
other hand, " he said, "we'll get better at it."
 
     So far, the winless record in league play hasn't seemed to dampen
the players' spirits; what has set in is a kind of frustration that comes
from knowing you're better than people expected, and you still haven't
gotten any breaks.  "When you first make a jump like the move to
Division IŁ, everybody says 'You're gonna get killed,'" Gallant said.
"And we haven't gotten killed.  It's just the little things--if we stay
out of the penalty box, and pick up men in front of the net, we're in
every game.  That's what's so frustrating.  This team has a lot of talent."
 
 
Beth Weise
Clarkson '88
RPI '90 & '93 (I hope)