SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Following a stellar season opener, the Union College men’s ice hockey team took a bit of a step back this past weekend, being swept by Colorado College.

The Garnet Chargers dropped game one 7-3, and fell short in game two 6-2. A disappointing result after their 6-0 victory over Army to start the year, but the Tigers are likely the best non-conference team Union will face this season; they sit just outside the top-25 national rankings.

And the series was, for the most part, competitive, despite what the final scores might indicate. The combined score between the first and third periods of the two games was 5-5. What sunk the Garnet Chargers was the second period in both contests, where the combined score was 8-0 in favor of Colorado.

As Union prepares for its’ home opener with the University of Connecticut Friday, last week’s series at the very least shined a light on some areas that need to be addressed.

“I feel like once we let one (goal) up, we all kind of got down a little bit; I think we need to work on that,” said junior forward Caden Villegas. “Especially in the second period there, just work on our bounce-back, and I think we’ll be good when we get back here at home (this) weekend. I think we have a great group of guys. I really believe in ’em. Everyone works hard. As long as we dial in on our details, and focus on our defensive zone a little more, we’ll be good for sure.”

Garnet Chargers head coach Josh Hauge cited fatigue as the primary reason for his team’s second-period struggles over the weekend.

“I think our shifts got extended,” said Hauge. “When your shifts get extended, you’re tired, and then your recovery time is less because, you know, you were out there too long. I just don’t think our guys ever got their breath fully back; especially some of our key guys that were playing big minutes, and then on the special teams as well. We gotta be in better shape, and handle the elevation a little bit better. I don’t wanna put that on the elevation; it’s on us to be ready. We gotta be ready for it if we ever have a situation like that again.”

Puck drop Friday night from Messa Rink in game one of Union’s series with the Huskies is set for 7:00.