Dutchmen, Black Bears fit to be tied (with postgame audio)

Box Score

Union freshman Brendan Taylor scored his first
collegiate goal on Friday.
(credit: Union College Sports Information)

by Ryan Fay

A roundup of Union's 1-1 non-conference tie against Maine Friday at Messa Rink.

TAYLOR GETS FIRST GOAL

A Union player had an important milestone on Friday: freshman forward Brendan Taylor registered his first collegiate goal.

The former Nanaimo Clippers star accomplished the feat at 4:27 of the second period. The tally came shortly after Taylor served a tripping penalty, and it gave Union a 1-0 lead that held up until Maine buried the equalizer in the latter stages of the third.

"Lich' [Eli Lichtenwald] had taken it to the net, and the puck just kind of popped out onto my stick," said Taylor, who also has an assist in three games this season. "I think the goalie still thought the puck was with him, and I kind of just wrapped it into the net."

The assists on Taylor's goal went to his new linemates, Lichtenwald and Tyler Hynes.

MAKING AN IMPRESSION

For the second straight game, that trio was put on the same line by Union head coach Rick Bennett.

Appropriately, they have been called the B-L-T line.

Serving as the fourth line on Friday, they were one of the brighter spots of the night for the Dutchmen. In addition to producing Union's only goal, they brought a lot of energy to the ice.

"They work extremely hard, and they got rewarded tonight," Bennett said. "[Hynes] drew a penalty, and they scored tonight. They get rewarded for hard work."

“We like to work hard and get in there,” Lichtenwald added. “We’ve got some good chemistry. All of our chances come from the forecheck. It started last week, and it’s carried over into this week.”

SPECIAL TEAMS A MIXED BAG

Union's penalty killing unit couldn't be off to a better start this season. The group has gone 11-for-11 in three games, including a 6-for-6 effort on Friday.

"The PK has been good to this point," said Hynes, a Guilderland native. "We've been putting a lot of work in on it, disrupting them a little bit coming up the ice and not letting them set-up."

On the other side of the equation, Union's power-play has struggled. The Dutchmen have cashed in once on 15 power-play chances this season. On Friday, their power-play unit went 0-for-5 while generating just five shots on the man advantage. They spent too much time passing the puck, especially late in the game.

“It’s simple hockey,” Bennett said. “It wasn’t simple tonight. We didn’t want to chip it in. We were looking for the pretty goal. I’m not sure who we’re trying to impress. We didn’t impress anybody. It’s as simple as that.”

"SAK" SOLID AGAIN

Union netminder Alex Sakellaropoulos had another strong outing on Friday.

He stopped 12-of-12 power play shots, and finished with 32 saves overall. His only blemish was Brian Morgan's game-tying goal from the right circle at 14:04 of the third.

"He played a great game," said Lichtenwald. "Everyone should be thanking him for the tie tonight."

Sakellaropoulos was elevated from backup to starter following the graduation of Colin Stevens in June. The junior has started all three of Union's games this season, going 1-0-2 with a 1.58 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.

RANDOM STAT
With the tie, Union is now 13-1-1 in their last 15 games against Hockey East opponents.

UP NEXT
A rematch with Maine awaits tonight at 7 at Messa Rink.

POSTGAME AUDIO

Bennett

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Lichtenwald, Hynes and B.Taylor

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