Categories: College Sports, News

The Union College men’s hockey team will have a different look when it hits the ice for its 26th NCAA Division I season in October.

The Dutchmen will have four different jersey combinations, including a one-time jersey they will wear for their New Year’s Eve game against NCAA champion North Dakota at Messa Rink.

This will be the first significant change to Union’s jerseys since it went to its current look in 2007-08.

The main home and away jerseys will look like the ones worn by the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. While keeping the circle logo (Union College surrounding the block “U” with 1795, the year the college was founded), there will be more black in the uniform. There will be black piping going up both sides of the jersey to the shoulder, replacing some of the white that had dominated the uniform. The numbers on the shoulders of the home jerseys will be in white. They had been in garnet.

“All it was was some simple changes,” Union coach Rick Bennett said. “I haven’t gotten involved in the jerseys in my time here. I just went through some teams in the National Hockey League, and then didn’t come up with anything.

“Then I happened to watch a game on TV, and I liked the Arizona jerseys. They really jumped out.”

The New Year’s Eve jersey is special. It will feature the Nott Memorial on the front and back. The word “Union” will go diagonally on the jersey from right to left and be in silver, as will the name and number on the back. Patches of the main Union hockey logo will be on each shoulder.

“[The idea] was basically taking with Gemini Athletic Wear [which designs the jerseys] and Dave Baglio, our equipment specialist, as we call him,” Bennett said. “We just played around with it. [Gemini] made up a jersey.

“We saw it at the coaches convention in April. It looks sharp, so we decided to go with it.

“It’s a tribute to the Nott Memorial. It’s an historic building. It’s a landmark [and] one of the most unique buildings you’ll see on a college campus. It’s a pretty special jersey.”

Union will have a third jersey that will be used for selected games.

Black will be the main color with garnet on the sides. The front of the jersey will have “Union” in a semicircle with the player’s number below the “I”. This was the look of the Dutchmen’s home and away jerseys from 2004-07.

“It’s a little spinoff of that along with the jersey that we wore at Fenway [Park in 2012],” Bennett said.

“Those jerseys at Fenway jumped out.”

Reach Gazette Sportswriter Ken Schott at 395-3159, [email protected], or on Twitter @slapschotts. Read his take on college hockey any time by checking out his blog, Parting Schotts, at www.dailygazette.com/weblogs/schott.