Sullivan peaking late for Dutchmen

By Ryan Fay

When Union brought winger Kevin Sullivan into the program three years ago, they were hoping to get a go-to guy.

Sullivan's prep hockey statistics certainly hinted at that kind of potential. In his senior season at the Berkshire School, he was the leading scorer in the New England Prep League with 66 points (21 g, 45 a). He was a first-team All-New England and was named Berkshire's Most Valuable Player.

Sullivan in action last season

For the most part, though, the first few years of Sullivan's collegiate career didn't match the hype. Through his first 85 games with Union, the Darien, Connecticut native registered just 30 points (9 g, 21 a)

But Sullivan has become what Union was hoping for in the latter stages of his Dutchmen career.

The 22-year-old was a big force behind Union's postseason run last season, scoring nine points (5 g, 4 a) in eight March contests.

The momentum has carried over into his senior season, as he leads the team with eight points (all assists) through four games. He didn't record his eighth point until his 29th game last season and the eight assists are currently tops in all of Division I.

Sullivan credited finding the right lines as a difference maker. As his numbers spiked this past March, the one constant was being on the same line in every game as winger Matt Hatch and center Max Novak.

"That line had pretty good chemistry," remembered Sullivan.

He's still skating with Hatch, but with Novak sidelined with a lower-body injury, highly-regarded freshmen Alex Gonye and Michael Vecchione have taken turns centering Sullivan's line. The mix has gelled as the line has produced three goals and three assists through four contests.

"It has been clicking pretty well," said Sullivan, who also has five assists on the power play. "We've been grinding teams down, and keeping it simple.”

Union head coach Rick Bennett said Sullivan's play this season can also be attributed to a strong offseason.

“I thought he paid the price over the summer,” Bennett said. “He went to [NHL skills coach] Paul Vincent's development camp, and it's really helping him a ton. He put the effort in, and he's building off last year's playoffs.”

Sullivan's late development may be traced to making the big leap from prep hockey to college hockey. Some players do a year or more of junior hockey in between to get ready for the collegiate game.

"He was young," Bennett said of Sullivan, who debuted at Union when he was 19-years-old. "He came right from prep school. Could he have done another year [before coming here]? I guess that's open for debate. But he has matured through school and through hockey. He's just a more confident guy."

Considering Union lost four 25-plus point producers after last season (forwards Josh Jooris, Wayne Simpson, and Kyle Bodie plus defenseman Greg Coburn), Sullivan's senior season breakout couldn't have come at a better time.

"It's huge for us," said linemate Hatch. "Some of our younger guys can take their time and get into it a little bit easier. Being a veteran and coming in and stepping up like this makes it easier for everyone."

Sullivan said he wants to end his Union career on a high note.

"We've come up short each year of one of our main goals, which is to win a national championship," he said. "We have a couple ECAC championship banners hanging from the rink here, but it would be really nice to leave a national championship."

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Saturday in Union Hockey

(Unfortunately, I wasn't at the game, so no postgame videos tonight).

by Ryan Fay

DUTCHMEN 2, BROWN 0

Brown's three game unbeaten streak against Union came to an end following a 2-0 loss Saturday night at Messa Rink.

The game was scoreless until 9:30 of the second period when Max Novak's even strength goal gave the Dutchmen a 1-0 lead. It was the sophomore's second goal in as many nights.

Kyle Bodie's empty net tally at 19:41 of the third period made it a 2-0 lead.

The Dutchmen set a season high in shots with 48, two more than the previous high set on Nov. 25 vs Penn State. Saturday's win marked the first 2-0 weekend for Union since the Penn State weekend Nov. 24-25.

After coughing up five goals and getting yanked in a 5-1 loss to RPI on Friday, Brown's Anthony Borelli rebounded and set a career high with 46 saves.

One night after taking eight penalties against Yale, Union's lone penalty was a holding the stick call against freshman David Roy at 2:56 of the second period.

Troy Grosenick stopped all 23 shots that came his way for his first shutout of the season.

With the win, and Yale's 4-1 loss at RPI, Union moves into a tie for third place with St. Lawrence. The Saints clipped Princeton, 3-2.

The Dutchmen (15-10-5, 8-6-4) travel to Colgate and Cornell next Fri-Sat. Both games start at 7 pm.

DUTCHWOMEN 1, YALE 1

Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, the Dutchwomen still have some fight in them.

Rhianna Kurio's goal with 16 seconds left in the third period forced an eventual 1-1 tie at Yale (4-19-3, 3-13-3).

Yale's only goal came from Kate Martini at 5:33 of the third period.

Drawing her first collegiate start, Maddie Dahl collected 21 saves prior to being relieved by Shenae Lundberg late in regulation.

The Dutchwomen (7-21-4, 0-16-4) outshot Yale, 32-27, and return to Messa Rink to close out the season against Cornell and Colgate next Fri-Sat.

Dutchmen skate by #9/10 Yale, 4-2 (with 3 videos)

Postgame videos below - Union head coach Rick Bennett, Union players Max Novak, Matt Hatch, and Mat Bodie, plus Yale head coach Keith Allain.

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by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- Union snapped a three game winless streak after skating past #9/10 Yale, 4-2, Friday night at Messa Rink.

Yale (13-8-3, 9-7-1) struck first when Tommy Fallen scored an unassisted power play goal at 17:36 of the opening frame. Fallen picked off a clearing attempt by Matt Hatch and beat Troy Grosenick.

“I was calling for the puck there because Coburn had a lot of pressure,” Hatch said. “He gave me a soft chip. I just flubbed it. I had one guy pressuring me, but I didn’t see the other guy. I gave it right to [Fallen]. I couldn’t get out to block it. Just a little misfire in the corner there.”

The Dutchmen (14-10-5, 7-6-4) came to life after and never trailed again.

With Shayne Gostisbehere in the box for indirect contact to the head-elbowing, sophomore Max Novak evened the game with an unassisted shorthanded goal at 8:25 of the second period. Novak's backhander bounced off the right pad of Yale goaltender Nick Maricic and scooted through the five hole.

"I thought Novak's goal was one of the biggest of the year," Union head coach Rick Bennett said. "It got us going, but it's what we've been preaching. Drive wide, put pucks on the net, and good things are going to happen."

Added Novak, "I had a little bit of room on the penalty kill. I skated up and heard guys yelling drive wide, so I took it hard to the net. Luckily, it went in."

With assists from Kevin Sullivan and Josh Jooris, Hatch's improbable angle shot made it a 2-1 Union lead at 16:00 of the middle period. The junior fired from below the goal line and his shot bounced off Maricic and into the net.

“Our line had a good forecheck going,” Hatch said. “Sullivan passed the puck to Jooris. I was putting it on net, just trying to hit [Maricic’s] stick and get some guys crashing the net. He put it in himself. It was a pretty lucky goal. I was pretty shocked, but it was a good-time goal and our line deserved the goal.”

After allowing two soft goals, Yale head coach Keith Allain yanked Maricic and inserted Connor Wilson.

Changing goaltenders didn't help the Bulldogs. Wayne Simpson's power play goal, his team-best 13th goal of the season, pushed Union's lead to 3-1 just 31 seconds into the third period. Kyle Bodie fired a shot that Wilson stopped, but Simpson cashed in on the rebound.

"We just happened to be at the right place at the right time, which was nice for once," Bennett said.

Junior defenseman Mat Bodie picked up an assist on Simpson's goal. The point was the 80th of his Union career, breaking Lane Caffaro's record for points by a defenseman in the program's Division I era.

"I haven't thought too much about it," Bodie said of the record. "It's an achievement, but maybe something I'll appreciate more in the future. It's a testament to the guys I've played with. I've had some real good goal scorers that I give the puck to and they can do a lot with it."

Jooris picked up his second assist of the night on Daniel Carr's goal at 9:00 of the third. Carr's one-timer beat Wilson and increased Union's lead to 4-1.

After Simpson went off for interference at 9:40, Yale cut the lead to 4-2 when Andrew Miller scored on the man advantage at 11:09. The Bulldogs, who were outshot 42-39, never made it closer.

Grosenick, who was pulled in both losses last weekend, rebounded with a 37 save effort.

"I thought he played like he practiced and he practiced extremely well," Bennett said. "He came prepared all week and worked really hard. He was rewarded for that."

The Dutchmen played with fire by taking eight penalties, including four in the first period alone. The penalty kill stopped Yale on six of the eight chances, but Bennett wasn't displeased with the repeated trips to the box.

"I don't have a problem with hitting too hard," Bennett said. "I don't know what those calls were, but we're going to keep using our shoulder pads. I'm not complaining about the officiating, but we're not stopping."

The coach was just as pleased to see the team follow through on pregame benchmarks.

"They were given a couple staples to follow through for each period. Outside of the first period with shots, they met them all tonight," Bennett said. "It was great to see guys blocking shots and sacrificing themselves. That's what you need -- that ice bag mentality."

With the win, the Dutchmen moved into a tie for fourth place with St. Lawrence. The Saints handed Quinnipiac its first league loss of the season Friday night, 2-1. With Union's victory over Yale, the Bobcats managed to clinch the Cleary Cup despite the loss.

The Dutchmen return to Messa Rink tonight to host Brown (9-10-5, 5-7-5) at 7 pm. The Bears were routed by RPI, 5-1, Friday evening in Troy.

ETC... Defenseman Shawn Stuart, who suffered a lower-body injury in last Friday's loss at Clarkson, is considered "doubtful" for tonight's game, according to Bennett.... The Dutchwomen fell, 2-1, at Brown on Friday. Their playoff chances are out the door.

POSTGAME VIDEOS








Hockey Game Box Score (Final)
#9 Yale Bulldogs vs Union Dutchmen (Feb 15, 2013 at Schenectady, N.Y.)

Yale Bulldogs (13-8-3, 9-7-1 ECAC) vs. Union Dutchmen (14-10-5, 7-6-4 ECAC) Date: Feb 15, 2013 Location: Schenectady, N.Y. Arena: Messa Rink Attendance:2085 Start time:7:07 pm End time:9:29 pm Total time:2:22  Goals by Period 1st 2nd 3rd Total Yale Bulldogs 1 0 1 2 Union Dutchmen 0 2 2 4 Scoring Summary # Prd Time Team Type Scored by Assists Visitor on ice Home on ice 1. 1st 17:36 YALE PP Fallen, Tommy/9 - 22,18,11,7,20 20,15,14,12 2. 2nd 08:25 UNION SH Novak, Max/5 - 18,6,7,22,20 18,3,9,20 3. 2nd 16:00 UNION EVEN Hatch, Matt/7 Sullivan, Kevin/3 28,18,21,14,17 15,6,22,19,7 Jooris, Josh/12 4. 3rd 00:31 UNION PP Simpson, Wayne/13 Bodie, Kyle/21 17,22,21 21,12,22,14,9 Bodie, Mat/15 5. 3rd 09:00 UNION EVEN Carr, Daniel/11 Jooris, Josh/13 21,20,11,26,22 9,7,6,22,19 Vasaturo, Charlie/2 6. 3rd 11:09 YALE PP Miller, Andrew/11 Agostino, Kenny/16 17,18,22,7,6 18,22,6,9 Wilson, Stu/4

Jooris returns tonight vs RPI

After missing one game with an upper-body injury, junior forward Josh Jooris returns to the lineup for tonight's Mayor's Cup game against RPI. Jooris will be centering a line with Matt Hatch on the left and Kevin Sullivan on the right.

Daniel Carr moves from the Kyle Bodie and Wayne Simpson line to the Matt Wilkins and Max Novak line. Daniel Ciampni will be with Bodie and Simpson instead of Wilkins and Novak.

Troy Grosenick starts in goal and defenseman Shawn Stuart remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. It will be Stuart's fourth consecutive game missed.

RPI has also released their lines, but without a designated starting goaltender.

Union uses late surge to beat Harvard, 4-1

For postgame videos, scroll down or click here. There's four: Harvard coach Ted Donato, Union coach Rick Bennett, Union player Wayne Simpson, and Union players Mat Bodie and Matt Wilkins.

==========

by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- Forget about collapsing in the third period.

On Tuesday night, Union saved its best for last.

The Dutchmen scored three goals in the final period to roll to a 4-1 win over Harvard at Messa Rink. Union, which won its second game in a row, had gone six games without even one third period goal.

Before Union broke out in the third, their powerplay opened the scoring late in the second. Harvard's Luke McGregor was called for holding at 16:19 and Max Novak cashed in at 17:27 to make a 1-0 game.

"Novak was real patient and made a great play with that spinaround shot," said Union defenseman Mat Bodie, who picked up his first of three assists on the goal. "It was Matt Wilkins in front and I don't think their goalie saw it."

The Union powerplay, which ranks first in the country at 26.4%, hit paydirt again on Union's first goal of the third. Union had a 5-on-3 opportunity at 7:36 when Luke Greiner was whistled for high sticking on a delayed hooking penalty on Mitchell Everson.

Wayne Simpson capitalized and made the Crimson pay, putting Union ahead, 2-0, at the 8:12 mark. It was his team-leading twelfth goal of the season and eventually proved to be the game winner.

"Not many players can make the play Mat Bodie did to get it to me," Simpson said of his teammate. "He drew some of the guys out, so it was pretty much me. I was looking for the pass initially, but I found a spot to put in, and luckily it just snuck in the corner."

Jimmy Vesey, Harvard's star freshman, made it a 2-1 game with just over nine minutes left in regulation.

"There was a little life on the bench when we scored," Harvard head coach Ted Donato said.

But Union's lead quickly grew back to two, 3-1, when Wilkins provided some breathing room with his second goal of the month at the 13:35 mark.

"Like my first goal, it was kind of weight off the shoulder," the freshman said after the game. "It's not as if I've been lacking opportunities, but they haven't been going in. Hopefully this one will get me going."

Said Bodie of the goal, "it was huge for us. I think that was the one where we felt 'alright, I think we have this one under control.'"

Bodie, who is four points from setting the school record for points by a defenseman, drew praise from Union head coach Rick Bennett.

"He's been doing the little things that the coaching staff has been showing and that tells what type of leader he is," Bennett said. "His defensive play the past two games has been dynamite. And his offense tonight was the benefit of that."

What wasn't praiseworthy was Union drawing a penalty for too many men on the ice for the third straight game.

"One of our guys had a foot over," Bennett said. "He was coming back hard, but our guy jumped forward. It's going to be a tough skate on Thursday -- for the coaching staff as well. It's a team penalty and the coaching staff is going to be held accountable just as much as the players are."

Daniel Carr's empty net goal with 19 seconds left in the game made it a 4-1 lead for Union, which outshot Harvard, 38-23, on the night. Troy Grosenick added 22 saves in the winning effort.

The Dutchmen resume play on Saturday night in a non-league contest against rival RPI at the Times Union Center.

JOORIS UPDATE

Don't expect injured forward Josh Jooris to play in Saturday's game.

"It doesn't look great," Bennett said after the game.

Jooris was banged up in the third period of Saturday's win over Colgate and missed his first game of the year on Tuesday.

"It's upper-middle body. Could be lower-body for all I know. It's somewhere in the body. That's all I know at this time," Bennett coyly added.


Hockey Game Box Score (Final)
Harvard vs #19 Union (Jan 22, 2013 at Schenectady, NY)

Harvard (5-11-1 (3-9-0 ECACH)) vs. Union (12-8-4 (6-4-3 ECACH)) Date: Jan 22, 2013 Location: Schenectady, NY Arena: Messa Rink Attendance:1624 Start time:7:00 pm End time:9:04 pm Total time:2:04  Goals by Period 1st 2nd 3rd Total Harvard 0 0 1 1 Union 0 1 3 4 Scoring Summary # Prd Time Team Type Scored by Assists Visitor on ice Home on ice 1. 2nd 17:37 UNION PP Novak, Max/4 Bodie, Mat/10 63,38,9,5 18,22,24,9,19 Gingras, Sebastien/3 2. 3rd 08:12 UNION PP Simpson, Wayne/12 Bodie, Mat/11 63,5,9 21,22,14,12,9 Gostisbehere, Shayne/11 3. 3rd 10:54 HARV EVEN Vesey, Jimmy/7 Blackwell, Colin/4 9,63,19,39,5 16,15,14,20,10 4. 3rd 13:35 UNION EVEN Wilkins, Matt/2 Bodie, Mat/12 7,5,20,38,13 19,22,9,10,3 Carr, Daniel/10 5. 3rd 19:41 UNION EN Carr, Daniel/9 Bodie, Kyle/19 39,5,63,9,26,19 9,21,14,20,12 Simpson, Wayne/14

POSTGAME VIDEOS