On Saturday, January 27th, Union’s Division 1 Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey teams played against RPI in the yearly Mayor’s Cup at MVP Arena. In 2023, the Men’s team won the game 6-0, and the women’s team lost 1-3. Going into the game, the men’s team aimed to keep the cup in Schenectady, and the women looked to bring it back.
After the Garnettes sang the national anthem, President Harris dropped the puck for the women’s game at 3 p.m., and the women spent most of the first period in possession of the puck. Though the Women’s Garnet Chargers made 5 shots and won 11 face offs, neither Union or the RPI Women’s Engineers scored in period 1.
This changed coming out of the locker room when RPI scored within the first minute of the second period. The women also saw the first penalty of the game at 10:46 when #3 Kendal Davidson ‘27 received a 2 minute minor penalty. However, Union was able to gain a power play when an RPI player made a 2 minute minor with 0:55 left in the period.
The women came out of the locker room determined to tie the game. Throughout the second and third periods, the women made 8 more shots on goal, including a power play beginning at 3:38 when an RPI player got a 5 minute major for cross checking #8 Allison Smith ‘24. In the last minutes of gameplay, the women fired 6 shots, but made no goals on the power play. In all, Goalie #31 Sophie Matsoukas ‘25 blocked 21 shots from the engineers, allowing the team to play an intense game against RPI.
After the Zambonis deep cleaned the ice and the Garnettes beautifully sang the national anthem, President Harris again dropped the puck at 6 p.m. for the men’s team. The first score of the game came from #28 Caden Villegas ‘25 at 17:43, assisted by #15 Josh Nixon ‘25 and #18 Ville Immonen ‘24. RPI made the second score at 11:10 in period 1, but at 10:36 an RPI player got a 2 minute minor, allowing for the Garnet Chargers’ first power play. They did not score on this power play, but they gained another one when an RPI player got a 2 minute minor for high sticking at 49 senonds.
The men went into the locker room determined to gain an edge over RPI, and that’s what they did. RPI made the first score of the second period at 18:35 to take the lead, but #6 Cullen Ferguson ‘25 tied the game at 13:12 with an assist from Nixon. Minutes later at 9:07, Defense #26 Nathan Kelly ‘24 made his first collegiate goal to take the lead with assists from #14 Brandon Buhr ‘26 and #2 DJ Hart ‘27. RPI scored at 6:20, but at 2:06, #12 Carter Korpi ‘26 made the final score of the intense period with assists from Ferguson and #8 Chaz Smedsrud ‘24, allowing the men to go to the locker room 4 (Union) to 3 (RPI).
In period 3 at 11:53, RPI got a 5 minute major after one of their players injured #21 John Prokof ‘26. During this power play, Immonen scored at 11:17 with assists from Ferguson and #24 Nate Hanley ‘26, solidifying the team’s streak over RPI. Despite Ferguson getting a 2 minute minor at 9:33, the team held off RPI from scoring again in the game. Throughout the game, Goalie #36 Kyle Chauvette ‘26 made 22 saves, helping his team keep the mayor’s cup in Schenectady. The final score was 5 (Men’s Union) to 3 (Men’s RPI).
Both Garnet Charger teams look forward to dropping the puck again at upcoming games. The women will drop the puck on Friday, February 2nd in Messa Rink at 6 p.m., and the men will drop the puck in New Haven, CT at Yale on February 2nd at 7 p.m. Tickets to games at Messa Rink are free with a student ID, and students can use declining dollars at the concession stands behind the seats. Away men’s and women’s hockey games are available to watch on ESPN+ for a subscription of $10.99 per month.
