This season has been inconsistent for Union men’s hockey; they came off to a strong start, but have faced some struggles in conference play. However, one thing this season has been consistent: the team’s penalty kill. It has consistently been ranked in the top 5 of all men’s college hockey teams throughout this season. We sat down with Assistant Coach Mike Zannella, who specifically coaches the team’s penalty kill units.
As of February 21, 2026, the men’s hockey team has a 90.1% penalty kill percentage, which ranks first overall in the country. The team has maintained a penalty kill percentage at or above 88% throughout the season, and is 17-5-1 in the 23 games (out of 31 currently played) where it has not allowed an opposing power play goal.
This year is also a significant improvement from last year’s penalty killing percentage, which sat at 75.4% at the end of the season. Two seasons ago (in 2023-24), the team had a similar penalty kill percentage to this season, which was 87.9% and also one of the top ones in the country.
“When you talk about our penalty kill, there’s two major facets to it. The first part are obviously the players, who have taken ownership of it. They’re the ones that certainly deserve the credit for where the PK has been and what they’ve done so far,” Coach Zannella told Concordiensis.
Zannella also credits Head Coach Josh Hauge with creating a system that he inherited from him. “The second part, we talk about systematically. [Hauge] was in charge of the penalty kill all his years as an assistant coach [at Clarkson], where I think they were top 10 almost every single year,” Zannella said. “He has handed it off to me and wanted me to make it our own.”
“For us, it’s just about being connected, having really good communication habits and having details to our game, like really good stick positioning and really good foot positioning,” Zannella explained. “We try to have a wolf pack mentality that if one guy goes, we all go. We’ve also got a few options for forechecks that we’ll change up accordingly based on our opponent.”
Riley Brueck ‘28 and Lucas Buzziol ‘28 have been consistent members of the team’s penalty kill units because it plays to their strengths. “They’re both very high-IQ players. They understand the game, and they understand what power plays are trying to do.” Zannella said. Colby MacArthur ‘26 and Parker Lindauer ‘26’s stick-handling skills have also been critical for the units.
Even when the team does allow a power play goal, Zannella emphasizes to the team the importance of bringing momentum back to the bench to keep going. “We’re not always gonna be perfect with the result, but hopefully our effort and our details are pretty close to perfect.”
With player ownership, structured systems, and a collective “wolf pack” mentality, the unit has become one of the most reliable in the country.
