Union Men’s Hockey Team Embarks on Final Season at Messa Rink

The Union men’s college hockey team began practice on Wednesday, marking the start of their final season at Messa Rink. The team is preparing for a new chapter as they will move to Mohawk Harbor Arena for the 2025-26 season.

By Ken Schott

The team’s head coach, Josh Hauge, reflected on the significance of the final season at Messa Rink. “You have to run it right and respect it and honor it because it’s been a great, great venue for college hockey,” he said. “There have been a lot of great games here. And just hearing the guys talk about their favorite memories has been pretty fun in the offseason.”

Senior defenseman Cullen Ferguson expressed his excitement about the final season at Messa Rink. “I’ve been working hard to get started here for the past few weeks and I’ve been counting down the days,” he said. “I’m glad to be back here. And, yeah, I’m excited to get started.”

By Ken Schott

Junior defender John Prokop also shared his thoughts on the final season at Messa Rink. “It’s a special place for all of us who play here, and I know it’s a special place for those of us who played on the 2014 (national championship team),” he said. “We’re excited about the new rink, but it definitely means a little more to play here last season.”

By Ken Schott

The team is looking forward to a successful season, with a goal of competing in the ECACH Championship Round in Lake Placid for the first time since 2017. “We’ve been a young hockey team the last two years,” Prokop said. “We’ve got 11 juniors, we’ve got seniors leading us, we’ve got a good freshman class coming in, we’ve got some sophomores with them. So I think we’ve got a lot more experience this year, and we’re looking to get a (first-round) bye, get to Lake Placid and make the (NCAA) Tournament.”

Coach Hauge also expressed his optimism about the team’s chances this season. “This group and I have been growing, and now we’re all a little more mature and we know how the league operates as a coach and how we operate as a staff,” he said. “We have a lot of freshmen that played a lot two years ago who are now third-years and we’re expecting big improvements from them. We’re looking at fourth-years like Colin Ferguson, Josh Nixon, Caden Villegas. So it’s pretty exciting. We’re not a young hockey team anymore. We’ve got some experience and we’re ready to go.”

By Ken Schott

Senior forward Kayden Villegas reflected on the unique atmosphere at Messa Rink. “I miss the new (rink), but the sound here is magical,” he said. “So I’ll always cherish it and definitely miss it.”