Dutchmen, Bobcats skate to tie

Box Score

by Ryan Fay

If there was ever a game destined to go into overtime, Saturday's ECAC Hockey clash between Union and top-ranked Quinnipiac was it.

Union's J.C. Brassard had a goal and an assist in

Saturday's 3-3 tie against top-ranked Quinnipiac

at Messa Rink.

(photo: Union College athletics)

The Dutchmen entered play tied for the most overtime appearances in the country with 12. Quinnipiac was tied for second in the nation with 11 overtime contests.

Fittingly, Union (5-8-7 ECACH, 12-11-9 overall) and Quinnipiac went into overtime before settling for a 3-3 draw at Messa Rink.

"I thought we played an excellent hockey game against obviously the No. 1 team in the country," Union head coach Rick Bennett said. "We battled them for 65 minutes. I thought we had some excellent chances."

The tie keeps alive Union's faint hopes of having home ice in the first round of the league tournament. The ninth-place Dutchmen trail eighth-place Clarkson by three points for the last home ice spot with two regular season games left.

"I haven't really looked at standings or win/loss the whole year, but I did reflect on it a little bit this weekend," Bennett said. "I see a lot of to-do about a lot of teams, and they have the same amount of losses and some have one more than us, or two more. I kind of like that we've been low profile this year, especially with a youthful group."

Eli Lichtenwald helped Union force overtime when he tied the game at 3-3 at 13:35 of the third period. After Michael Pontarelli stripped the puck from a Quinnipiac player at the Bobcats blue line, he created a two-on-one chance with Lichtenwald.

By being patient with the puck, Pontarelli drew in a Quinnipiac defender, leaving Lichtenwald alone as he was skating down the right side. Lichtenwald took a cross-ice feed and sent it past Quinnipiac (14-1-5, 23-2-7) goaltender Michael Garteig.

"I had the easy job to shoot it into the net. It was all Mike," Lichtenwald said. "He did a great job causing that turnover. We've been roommates for three years, so I knew it was coming over. We practice it all the time."

Quinnipiac opened the scoring on a tally from Travis St. Denis at 14:02 of the second. Union squared the game at 1-1 with a power play goal at 17:27 after Matt Wilkins fed Mike Vecchione in the right faceoff circle for a one-timer that eluded Garteig.

The Bobcats answered 54 seconds later, grabbing a 2-1 lead on a goal from Connor Clifton. But J.C. Brassard brought Union even again at 4:29 of the third. He collected a loose puck just outside the Quinnipiac blue line before skating in and firing it past a screened Garteig.

"We had great back pressure and were getting all over their guy," Brassard said. "He just coughed up the puck, and I saw there was a chance to jump up into the play. There was a screen by their defenseman. I tried to shoot around him and use him as a screen, and luckily enough the goalie didn't see it."

Quinnipiac was fast to respond again as Soren Jonzzon gave the Bobcats a 3-2 edge at 6:07. Despite another deflating goal by the Bobcats, Union didn't surrender, setting the stage for Lichtenwald's game-tying goal later in the frame.

"We kept up with them the whole game," Brassard said. "We were all over them for some points of the game. We never gave up, and that's been the staple for awhile now."

POSTGAME REACTION

Brassard, Lichtenwald and Vecchione



Bennett



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