Dutchmen of Union College take aim at a national title in hockey

The Union College men’s ice hockey team practices at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. Thursday, March 27, 2014. No. 1 Union will play No. 4 Vermont in an Eastern Regional NCAA match on Friday in Bridgeport. (AP Photo/The Connecticut Post, Ned Gerard) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

Union College men’s ice hockey coach Rick Bennett watches his team practice at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. Thursday, March 27, 2014. No. 1 Union will play No. 4 Vermont in an Eastern Regional NCAA match on Friday in Bridgeport. (AP Photo/The Connecticut Post, Ned Gerard) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

They played their way into a top ranking in an arena where one of the greatest stories in sports unfolded 34 years ago.

The Dutchmen of Union College aren't a bad story, either, as they chase their own Miracle on Ice.

At first glance, they shouldn't even be playing Division I hockey. With just 2,100 students — and no athletic scholarships — Union can't be expected to compete with the big boys of hockey like Minnesota, Boston College or North Dakota.

But compete they do, making it all the way to the Frozen Four two years ago in the first of their improbable runs. They're back this year with the longest unbeaten streak in the nation and the No. 1 ranking in the nation in the USCHO.com poll.