by Ryan Fay
Union extended its winning streak to eight games and moved into sole possession of first place in the ECAC by two points over Quinnipiac with a 3-2 win against Dartmouth Wednesday at Messa Rink.
But a positive outcome wasn't looking likely through two periods. The 10th-ranked Dutchmen were slow, out of sync, and trailed 2-1 after forty minutes.
It hardly resembled the first game between the two teams, when the Dutchmen scored four goals in the second en route to a 7-2 romp at Dartmouth on November 1.
If the Dutchmen were going to pull out another win over the Big Green, something had to change for the final twenty minutes. For senior defenseman and team captain Mat Bodie, it was about finding the right energy.
“I think just sticking with it and creating our own energy [was key],” Bodie said. “It was kind of a quiet night throughout. On the bench, on the ice, guys weren’t really talking. In between the second and third, we wanted to make that adjustment. I thought just supporting each other through talking, that was a big difference.”
The Dutchmen came to life in the third and Nick Cruice's fourth of the season tied the game at 9:39. The sophomore slid a backhander under the pads of Dartmouth goaltender Charles Grant following a series of nifty passes with Daniel Ciampini and Nick Cruice.
“It definitely was one of the best birthday presents I got,” said Cruice, who turned 21 on Wednesday. “It happened off of the forecheck. ‘Champ’ and ‘Novs’ did a great job of moving the puck. We just kept it simple. Luckily, we got a bounce.”
After Shayne Gostisbehere drew a hooking penalty on Dartmouth's Brandon McNally, Michael Pontarelli recorded the game-winner on the power play at 16:14.
The play began when Michael Vecchione won a faceoff and the puck came to Jeff Taylor at the right point. Taylor's shot deflected off a player in the slot before landing at Pontarelli at the left of the net. Pontarelli then sent the puck into the back of the Dartmouth cage.
“ ‘Vechs’ did a tremendous job of winning a faceoff, just like [against] Quinnipiac,” Pontarelli said. “He always finds a way to just win it back. Jeff did a good job of taking a shot. I don’t know who it hit in front, but it kind of found its way back door. I just took a whack at it.”
The Dutchmen came to life in the third and Nick Cruice's fourth of the season tied the game at 9:39. The sophomore slid a backhander under the pads of Dartmouth goaltender Charles Grant following a series of nifty passes with Daniel Ciampini and Nick Cruice.
“It definitely was one of the best birthday presents I got,” said Cruice, who turned 21 on Wednesday. “It happened off of the forecheck. ‘Champ’ and ‘Novs’ did a great job of moving the puck. We just kept it simple. Luckily, we got a bounce.”
After Shayne Gostisbehere drew a hooking penalty on Dartmouth's Brandon McNally, Michael Pontarelli recorded the game-winner on the power play at 16:14.
The play began when Michael Vecchione won a faceoff and the puck came to Jeff Taylor at the right point. Taylor's shot deflected off a player in the slot before landing at Pontarelli at the left of the net. Pontarelli then sent the puck into the back of the Dartmouth cage.
“ ‘Vechs’ did a tremendous job of winning a faceoff, just like [against] Quinnipiac,” Pontarelli said. “He always finds a way to just win it back. Jeff did a good job of taking a shot. I don’t know who it hit in front, but it kind of found its way back door. I just took a whack at it.”
If not for the play of Union goaltender Colin Stevens, the game might have been out of hand going into the third. Stevens, the reigning ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week, finished with a career-high 37 saves, including 25 through the first two when the Dutchmen couldn't find a rhythm.
“I thought he kept us in the game,” Union head coach Rick Bennett said. “He really battled, and that’s all we ask, for guys to battle."
Dartmouth (2-8 ECAC, 2-10 overall) opened the scoring at 3:22 of the first when Tyler Sikura fired a shot from the top of slot that beat Stevens over the glove.
Daniel Carr's eighth goal of the season cut the lead in half at 17 seconds into the second. But Union's momentum was short-lived as the Big Green retook the lead 43 seconds later when Ryan Bullock's one-timer found the back of the net.
"A couple of tough breaks went against us, our team played really hard," Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet said. "It's one of those games with the bounce of the puck. I thought we had a chance to go up 3 or 4 to 1 in the second but it didn't happen for us."
Dartmouth (2-8 ECAC, 2-10 overall) opened the scoring at 3:22 of the first when Tyler Sikura fired a shot from the top of slot that beat Stevens over the glove.
Daniel Carr's eighth goal of the season cut the lead in half at 17 seconds into the second. But Union's momentum was short-lived as the Big Green retook the lead 43 seconds later when Ryan Bullock's one-timer found the back of the net.
"A couple of tough breaks went against us, our team played really hard," Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet said. "It's one of those games with the bounce of the puck. I thought we had a chance to go up 3 or 4 to 1 in the second but it didn't happen for us."
Union will have little time to celebrate the win. The Dutchmen are boarding a plane at dawn Thursday for a two-game non-conference series at top-ranked St. Cloud State. Game one is set for 8:37 p.m. ET Friday with game two scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET Saturday.
Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet
Union head coach Rick Bennett
Union's Michael Pontarelli, Mat Bodie, and Nick Cruice
Follow @UnionHockeyBlog
No comments:
Post a Comment