by Ryan Fay
For the second time in three seasons, Union is going to the NCAA Hockey Frozen Four.
Top-ranked Union punched their ticket with a 3-1 win over Providence in the East Regional final Saturday at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. The Dutchmen (30-6-4) will face the winner of the Northeast Regional in the national semifinals on April 10 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
“Well, the job’s not done yet,” said Union defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. “But this is a nice feeling.”
Mat Bodie gave Union a 1-0 lead at 2:42 of the first period. He was in the left circle when he received a cross-ice pass from Daniel Carr and fired it over the glove of Providence goalie Jon Gillies.
Providence (22-11-6) didn't lack early scoring opportunities. One of the best chances came at 13:41. Union goaltender Colin Stevens stopped Noel Acciari's wraparound bid, but the rebound popped out to Derek Army in the slot. Army had a great look, but Stevens gloved it.
A few moments later, Stevens was caught out of position. He was rescued by Gostisbehere, who came into the crease and blocked two shots by Connor MacPhee to preserve Union's 1-0 lead.
“That was a massive play in the game,” said Bodie. “I thought it was a goal. But you need those breaks sometimes in these types of tournaments.”
“They had two guys playing goalie there. Gostisbehere made a good save,” said Providence head coach Nate Leaman, who led Union from 2003-2011. “Tonight he was their best goalie... If we get that, it’s 1-1 and we have a little more jump in us.”
Max Novak increased Union's edge to 2-0 at 0:58 of the second. Novak took a pass from Kevin Sullivan, skated in close to the Friars net and unleashed a backhander that Gillies appeared to stop. But the puck trickled through his pads and into the net.
“I knew he was going to go to his backhand walking out of the corner like that. I thought I had the puck in me so I tried to stay dormant and still, but the whistle never blew. As I dropped my leg, a stick got in there. It was a tough one,” said Gillies, who finished with 28 saves.
The Friars picked up their play in the third, outshooting Union 12-9. They broke through when Nick Saracino lit the lamp at 14:55. He fired a shot from the bottom of the right circle that Stevens stopped, but grabbed the loose rebound and roofed it into the net.
Union dashed any hopes the Friars had when Matt Hatch made it 3-1 just 78 seconds later. Novak was behind the Providence net when he passed it to Hatch, who beat Gillies through the five-hole with a blast from the slot.
“We knew we wanted to find the soft spots in the slot,” Hatch said. “That was part of our game plan, and I just kind of got lost and Max made a great pass out.”
Stevens collected 25 saves en route to registering his 26th win of the season, a new single-season program record. He moved past Keith Kinkaid, who won 25 games in 2010-2011.
Novak, who also scored twice in Friday's semifinal win over Vermont, was named the regional's Most Outstanding Player. Joining him on the East Regional All-Tournament Team were Bodie, Gostisbehere and Stevens.
Union's only other appearance in the Frozen Four was in 2012, when it lost 3-1 to Ferris State in the national semifinals.
“I think last time, you kind of get caught up in a lot of things,” Hatch said of the 2012 Frozen Four appearance. “We've got a lot of experience in the locker room and I think that’s going to help us going forward.”
“Well, the job’s not done yet,” said Union defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. “But this is a nice feeling.”Mat Bodie gave Union a 1-0 lead at 2:42 of the first period. He was in the left circle when he received a cross-ice pass from Daniel Carr and fired it over the glove of Providence goalie Jon Gillies.
Providence (22-11-6) didn't lack early scoring opportunities. One of the best chances came at 13:41. Union goaltender Colin Stevens stopped Noel Acciari's wraparound bid, but the rebound popped out to Derek Army in the slot. Army had a great look, but Stevens gloved it.
A few moments later, Stevens was caught out of position. He was rescued by Gostisbehere, who came into the crease and blocked two shots by Connor MacPhee to preserve Union's 1-0 lead.
“That was a massive play in the game,” said Bodie. “I thought it was a goal. But you need those breaks sometimes in these types of tournaments.”
“They had two guys playing goalie there. Gostisbehere made a good save,” said Providence head coach Nate Leaman, who led Union from 2003-2011. “Tonight he was their best goalie... If we get that, it’s 1-1 and we have a little more jump in us.”
Max Novak increased Union's edge to 2-0 at 0:58 of the second. Novak took a pass from Kevin Sullivan, skated in close to the Friars net and unleashed a backhander that Gillies appeared to stop. But the puck trickled through his pads and into the net.
“I knew he was going to go to his backhand walking out of the corner like that. I thought I had the puck in me so I tried to stay dormant and still, but the whistle never blew. As I dropped my leg, a stick got in there. It was a tough one,” said Gillies, who finished with 28 saves.
The Friars picked up their play in the third, outshooting Union 12-9. They broke through when Nick Saracino lit the lamp at 14:55. He fired a shot from the bottom of the right circle that Stevens stopped, but grabbed the loose rebound and roofed it into the net.
Union dashed any hopes the Friars had when Matt Hatch made it 3-1 just 78 seconds later. Novak was behind the Providence net when he passed it to Hatch, who beat Gillies through the five-hole with a blast from the slot.
“We knew we wanted to find the soft spots in the slot,” Hatch said. “That was part of our game plan, and I just kind of got lost and Max made a great pass out.”
Stevens collected 25 saves en route to registering his 26th win of the season, a new single-season program record. He moved past Keith Kinkaid, who won 25 games in 2010-2011.
Novak, who also scored twice in Friday's semifinal win over Vermont, was named the regional's Most Outstanding Player. Joining him on the East Regional All-Tournament Team were Bodie, Gostisbehere and Stevens.
Union's only other appearance in the Frozen Four was in 2012, when it lost 3-1 to Ferris State in the national semifinals.
“I think last time, you kind of get caught up in a lot of things,” Hatch said of the 2012 Frozen Four appearance. “We've got a lot of experience in the locker room and I think that’s going to help us going forward.”
Union owns a 15 game unbeaten streak (14-0-1).
Highlights
Shayne Gostisbehere plays goalie
Follow @UnionHockeyBlog
No comments:
Post a Comment