PHILADELPHIA — With three straight ECAC Hockey tournament titles, four consecutive NCAA appearances and a national best 15-game unbeaten streak entering Thursday’s game against Boston College, it’s fair to say that Union is in a position of which most teams in the country would be envious.
That recent success has shown in the Dutchmen’s demeanor, as coach Rick Bennett and his players have been fairly stoic in most of their news conferences this postseason.
But there were some lighter moments when Union met with the media Wednesday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center, as players ribbed Bennett’s movie choices for the bus ride down.
“Well, our movie selections on the road, some might describe them as suspect,” senior Daniel Carr said. “It depends who is picking. But I think coach chose “Road House” because I think he thinks his hair looks like Patrick Swayze.”
One of the other movies for the trip was “Rocky II,” a fitting choice given Union’s ultimate destination.
“That is just a phenomenal movie with a lot of heart,” Bennett said. “I think this team embodies that. They come to work in every practice and every game, and going to Philly has that tie as well.”
All joking about movie choices aside, Union appears to have the same serious demeanor it’s carried throughout the playoffs, an approach the Dutchmen hope leads to better results than two years ago, when they lost to Ferris State the Frozen Four semifinals.
“I think guys were a little bit awestruck with everything in Tampa,” Union captain Mat Bodie said. “I think the upperclassman have done a great job of prepping the younger guys. We’re just treating it like it’s just another hockey game. The net is the same, puck is the same, and we’ll be ready to go.”
