After an early run of local games, Union will take its

first true road trip of the season this weekend.

(credit: Union College Athletics)

by Ryan FayThe Union men's hockey team will do something this weekend that it hasn't done yet this season -- play a game outside of the Capital District.Union will make a 400-mile round-trip trek to the North Country for a pair of ECAC Hockey tilts, at St. Lawrence on Friday and at Clarkson the next night.The Dutchmen played their first eight games of the season locally. The first seven were at Messa Rink, while the eighth was a short ride down Route 7 at RPI.Union sophomore forward Tyler Hynes said taking a road trip will be a change of pace after playing so many local games to open the season.“It's definitely different on the road,” said Hynes, a Guilderland native. “It's kind of fun sometimes to feed off opposing crowds. It kind of gets you going. We love playing in front of the home crowd, but [going on the road] is a different atmosphere.”Dutchmen co-captain Matt Wilkins thinks the two-game road trip will be beneficial.“We get closer as a team when we go on the road,” said Wilkins, a senior forward. “After three tough games, it's going to be nice for us to get away.”Union didn't capitalize on their early run of local games, going just 2-3-3, the last three all losses. The Dutchmen might have gotten a little too comfortable playing in their backyard during the first four weekends of the season.“It's something that has cropped up,” Union head coach Rick Bennett said. “These guys know when they come to the rink, it's an honor to put that jersey on and play in front of the best fans in the country. Maybe towards the end, they kind of took it for granted."Union's first true road tests won't be easy. After a second place league finish a year ago, St. Lawrence is off to another strong start this season. The Saints are 5-2-1 through their first eight contests, including a three-game unbeaten streak. They currently sit 15th in the U.S College Hockey Online top 20 poll.“St. Lawrence is probably one of the fastest teams I've seen on tape,” said Bennett. “They play tremendously hard, and it's going to be a 60 minute game. It's kind of similar to playing RPI. They play a hard game, and you better be ready to go.”It won't get much easier against 17th-ranked Clarkson. The Golden Knights have stormed out to a 5-1 start, including a perfect 4-0 mark on home ice. Last season's disappointing 12-20-5 record appears on its way to being a distant memory for the Golden Knights.“Clarkson is a team that is much improved. Casey Jones and his staff have done a great job up there,” said Bennett. “Clarkson has always been a physical team that plays good, sound defense. Now, they're getting some scoring. It's going to be a real tough trip.”Despite two formidable foes, the Dutchmen know they are capable of going up north and coming away with four points.“If we can get pucks deep, get in on our forecheck, use our speed and use our skill, it will be huge for us,” said Hynes. “This past weekend [in two losses against RPI], maybe the bounces didn't always go our way. But I don't think we're going to let that hinder us in the future. We're going to keep going and keep plugging away at it. Hopefully, the results take care of themselves.”