Garnet Hockey Report: Union advances to quarterfinals, 7-0

Box Score

by Ryan Fay

ITHACA, N.Y. -- How sweep it is!

Tenth-seeded Union advanced to the quarterfinal round of the ECAC Hockey tournament following a 7-0 rout of Cornell on Saturday at Lynah Rink. The victory completed a two-game sweep of the seventh-seeded Big Red (11-14-6) and gave the Dutchmen their first-ever road postseason series win.

Union (18-16-2) will travel to top-seeded Quinnipiac for a best-of-three series next weekend. Game one will be Friday at 7 p.m. and game two will be Saturday at 7 p.m. Game three, if necessary, would be Sunday at 4 p.m.

Colin Stevens blanked Cornell with 29 saves
to help Union advance to the ECAC Hockey
tournament quarterfinal round.

Dutchmen goaltender Colin Stevens finished with 29 saves en route to notching his second shutout of the season and the 11th of his career. The 11 shutouts are tied Kris Mayotte for the most in program history.

Matt Wilkins had a goal and three assists for Union, which also got multi-point efforts from Michael Pontarelli (goal, assist), Spencer Foo (two goals), Jeff Taylor (two assists), Mike Vecchione (goal, assist) and Sam Coatta (goal, assist).

Twelve of Union's 18 skaters recorded at least one point.

Union buried the Big Red with three first period goals. Foo put the Dutchmen on the board at 9:38 of the first when he knocked home a rebound of a Wilkins shot. Pontarelli gave Union a 2-0 lead less than two minutes later when Coatta's shot from the right circle deflected off his skate and in.

The Dutchmen went up 3-0 at 16:02 after Eli Lichtenwald scored a power play goal following a feed from Daniel Ciampini.

Cornell head coach Mike Schafer pulled goalie Hayden Stewart at the start of the second. He was replaced by Mitch Gillam, who started Friday's game. But it didn't matter.

Vecchione extended Union's edge to 4-0 at 5:25 after he slipped through two defenders and put a backhander into the back of the net. Foo added his second of the night when he struck on the power play at 16:25 to push Union's lead to 5-0.

Wilkins notched a power play goal of his own midway through the third. Coatta tacked on a tally in the closing minute.

Union, which has won four straight games, finished 3-for-9 on the man advantage.

Dutchmen head coach Rick Bennett moved to 14-0 all-time in ECACH tournament action and 20-2 overall in postseason play.

Highlights