Small Schenectady College Defeats Hockey Giants

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (AP) — Hopes are high at tiny Union College now that they toppled the heavyweights of hockey for the national crown.

Union is a school with 2,200 students and no athletic scholarships. But it became a giant-killer by defeating Boston College in the semifinals before dispatching Minnesota 7-4 Saturday for its first NCAA hockey title.

On a campus that pays more attention to its academic standing than team rankings, there's a feeling that the rafter-shaking win will reverberate in terms of more national attention and interest from prospective students.

Union president Stephen Ainlay says he is particularly proud the players won while maintaining the school's high academic standards. In an era where the term "student athlete" is regularly derided as meaningless, Ainlay says he hopes this team redeems that phrase.