Parting Schotts

Union receives ECAC Hockey championship rings

It was a big Tuesday afternoon at Messa Rink.

The Union men's hockey team received their ECAC Hockey tournament championship rings. The Dutchmen, who also captured their second straight ECACH regular-season championship, won their first ECACH tournament title last March with a 3-1 win over Harvard in the final. The Dutchmen went on to win the NCAA tournament East Regional title and earn a berth in their first Frozen Four at the Division I level.

It also has the Frozen Four logo and the statement, "Stick to the process," engraved on it. It looked as big as a Super Bowl ring.

"It’s pretty snazzy," said former Dutchmen center Jeremy Welsh, who is working out with the team this week while he waits for the Charlotte Checkers' training camp to open. Welsh was hoping to be in the Carolina Hurricanes' camp, but the NHL lockout prevented that. I'll have more on Welsh in another blog later.

Welsh signed with the Hurricanes after the Frozen Four in April. The Checkers are the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate. I'll have more on Welsh in another blog later.

Union coach Rick Bennett was happy to hand out the rings.

"It was a great feeling," Bennett said. "To shake each guy's hand and say congratulations, it means a lot to our staff. It's one of those times [when] you don't know if you'll ever do that again. To do that, especially for a first-year staff, it's very important for us."

But Bennett doesn't want the Dutchmen resting on their laurels.

"I made a joke, 'Let's not get soft now.' There was a little joking to it, but we're pretty serious about it," Bennett said.

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