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)
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