Lake Superior State tops Dutchmen, 3-2 (w/ videos)

by Ryan Fay

Lake Superior State topped #15/16 Union, 3-2, in non-conference action Saturday at Messa Rink.

The Lakers won behind the efforts of goaltender Kevin Kapalka, who stopped 46-of-48 shots on a night when Lake Superior State was out-shot 48-to-17.

Colin Campbell's tip-in goal at 12:56 of the second period proved to be the eventual game-winner for the Lakers, who go back to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan with a two-game sweep of the Dutchmen and a 4-0-0 overall record.

The two-game weekend sweep marked the first time Union (1-2-1) went winless in a weekend series at home in nearly a year. The last time that happened was Nov. 30-Dec. 1 of last year, when they lost to Quinnipiac and tied Princeton.

Lake Superior State struck first when Dan Radke's slap shot hit off the post and went into the back of the net at 19:22 of the first period to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead.

Daniel Vernace upped the Lakers edge to 2-0 at 8:23 of the second period.

Just under three minutes later, Matt Wilkins picked up his first goal of the season when he recorded a power play goal for Union on a breakaway to make it a 2-1 game. Wilkins, who was set up by Mat Bodie, had missed the previous two contests with an upper-body injury.

After Campbell made it a 3-1 Lakers lead, Union head coach Rick Bennett pulled goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos, who allowed three goals on 11 shots. Sakellaropoulos was replaced by third stringer Dillon Pieri, who went on to stop all six shots that came his way in his first appearance since last November.

Michael Pontarelli collected a power play goal at 19:04 of the second period to make it a 3-2 game, but that's as close as Union would get. Bodie drew down Kapalka on a fake shot, then passed to the freshman forward who picked up his team-best fourth goal of the season.

Union finished the night 2-for-6 on the power play, and went a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

The Dutchmen will look to get back in the win column when they travel to Connecticut for a non-conference game set for 7:00 p.m on Friday.

Box Score

Postgame videos from Saturday's 3-2 loss to Lake Superior

Union head coach Rick Bennett 



Union goaltender Dillon Pieri and defenseman Mat Bodie 



Lake Superior head coach Jim Roque

Dutchwomen fall on late goal

by Ryan Fay

Laura Bowman collected a power play goal at 14:31 of the third period to lift the Penn State Lady Nittany Lions to a 2-1 win over visiting Union in non-conference action Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena.

Bowman (PSU)

Bowman potted her third goal of the season just three seconds before a Kelly McGrath elbowing penalty was set to expire. The tally was Penn State's only power play goal of the afternoon as the team finished 1-for-3 on the man advantage.

The win salvages the weekend for Penn State, which dropped a 2-1 decision to Union on Friday. The Lady Nittany Lions improved to 2-3-1 while Union fell to 3-4-0.

The contest got off to a rocky start for the Dutchwomen. Union was out-shot 12-to-1 in the first period, and fell behind 1-0 at 12:34 on Jill Holdcroft's first goal of the season.

Penn State's 1-0 lead stood until Courtney Turner recorded her fourth goal of the year, a power play tally at 17:42 of the second period to even the score. Turner, who leads Union with eight points, was assisted by Bryanne Panchuk and Maddy Norton.

Both goaltenders turned in strong showings. Union's Shenae Lundberg kicked aside 32-of-34 shots while Penn State's Celine Whitlinger stopped 20-of-21 shots.

The Duchwomen struggled to win draws as Penn State went 39-20 in the faceoff battle. Turner was the only Union player effective on faceoffs, going 13-9. Sarah Nielsen led the way for Penn State by winning 12-of-17 draws.

Union continues non-conference action next Saturday with a trip to Syracuse. Faceoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

Box Score

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Dutchwomen top Penn State, 2-1 (UPDATED)

by Ryan Fay

The Dutchwomen played the role of spoiler on Friday night.

The Penn State Lady Nittany Lions were playing their first game in the newly-opened, state-of-the-art Pegula Ice Arena. But the Dutchwomen put a damper on the festivities by skating away with a 2-1 non-conference road win.

The Dutchwomen and the Lady Nittany Lions battle Friday
at the Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, PA
photo: Mark Selders

With the game tied 1-1, senior forward Stefanie Thomson struck on the power play just over four minutes into the third period to provide the eventual game winner. Thomson's tally, which was assisted by senior defenseman Ashley Johnston and junior forward Christine Valente, was her first of the season.

The win snapped a three game losing streak for the Dutchwomen, who improved to 3-3 on the season.

Union's special teams were firing on all cylinders, going 2-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Union sophomore forward Courtney Turner opened the scoring with a power play tally at 14:48 of the first period. It was her third goal of the year, and it was assisted by senior defenseman Maddy Norton and junior forward Bryanne Panchuk.

The Dutchwomen's lead would stand until 3:57 of the second period, when Penn State sophomore forward Shannon Yoxheimer potted a goal to tie the game at 1-1.

Yoxheimer's goal was her team-best third of the season, and it was the lone Penn State shot to elude Dutchwomen junior netminder Shenae Lundberg, who stopped 23-of-24 shots. The Deerfield Academy product lowered her goals against average to 2.45, and increased her save percentage to .922.

Nicole Paniccia put aside 24-of-26 shots for the Lady Nittany Lions.

Penn State (1-3-1) gets another crack at the Dutchwomen when the two teams square off again on Saturday. Gametime is 2:00 p.m.

Box Score

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Union sweeps away Dartmouth, 5-2 (with 3 videos)

BOX SCORE

by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- Union completed an ECAC Quarterfinals sweep of Dartmouth with a 5-2 win in front of 1,835 fans Saturday night at Messa Rink.

The win advances the defending Whitelaw Cup winners from Schenectady to the league semifinals on Friday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Union's opponent will be determined following the completion of the quarterfinal round on Sunday.

“It was nice,” Union head coach Rick Bennett said of advancing. “I was thinking about it today, the fact that we wanted just to tell those seniors that they were the first team [here] to get to our league [final] four in back-to-back seasons. That’s something they should be proud of.

“There’s been some ups and downs. But I tell you what, it seems like every article that comes out always starts out that Union is having an up-and-down season. But we still have 19 wins. To me, that’s a heck of a season.”

Junior forward Matt Hatch made a heck of a pass to Kevin Sullivan, who one-timed it past Dartmouth goaltender Charles Grant to give Union a 1-0 lead at the 1:32 mark of the first period.

“The first goal was all Hatch,” Sullivan said. “It was a great forecheck by him. I got a good a piece of it on the one-timer. It was a great feed by him.”

Kyle Bodie's ninth goal of the season pushed the lead to 2-0 when his blocked shot rebounded back to him and he sent it past Grant at 2:37 of the middle period.

“Quite honestly, I don’t even know how the puck ended up in the slot there,” Bodie said. “Yeah, that first one got blocked. It landed flat. I just got it on net. There was probably two or three of our guys alone in front of the net. It kind of had eyes, and found its way through.”

19th-ranked Union quickly increased its lead to 3-0 just over two minutes later when defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere launched a rocket into the back of the net.

“The goal that 14 [Gostisbehere] scored, I don’t think any goalie has that puck, not at the college level,” said Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet.  “It’s a great play. When they wheel around, they are a very good team.”

Gostisbehere's goal chased Grant from the game, and Gaudet turned to Cab Morris the rest of the way. Grant stopped 12-of-15 shots before being relieved.

"[Grant] did a real good job for us," Gaudet said. "It was one of those nights where they shot it where he wasn't."

Dartmouth (15-14-5) got on the board, 3-1, at 9:20 of the second period when Eric Neiley scored a shorthanded goal following a hooking penalty to Rick Pinkston. Neiley pickpocted Josh Jooris, capitalized on a two-on-one, and beat Troy Grosenick low.

Jooris redeemed himself when he upped Union's lead to 4-1 after he beat Morris high at the 11:15 mark of the third period.

A Gostisbehere turnover led to Dustin Walsh giving Dartmouth a little hope when he lit the lamp at 15:02 to make it a 4-2 game. But Sullivan's second goal of the night with a minute to play iced the series for the Dutchmen, who didn't trail at any point over the weekend.

“[Daniel] Carr took a one-timer, and I think his stick broke,” Sull­ivan said of his second goal. “He whiffed on it, which is pretty rare. I just got a lucky tip.”

PAIRWISE UPDATE
When the smoke cleared Saturday, Union (19-12-5) remained 15th in the Pairwise.

MR. CLUTCH
Sullivan, who scored two goals in Saturday's quarterfinal clinching game, also scored two goals in last year's quarterfinal clinching win over RPI.

ON THE ROAD
Union is offering ticket and transportation packages to Atlantic City. For more information, click here.

THREE STARS

1. Sullivan, Union - Scored two goals and added an assist.

2. Grosenick, Union - Backstopped Dutchmen to Atlantic City with 28 saves.

3. Hatch, Union - Great feed lead to Union's first goal.

POSTGAME VIDEOS

Union 4, Clarkson 0 - postgame blog (with 2 videos)

by Ryan Fay

BOX SCORE

IN A NUTSHELL
Union blanks Clarkson, 4-0, in the regular season finale in front of 2,371 fans at Messa Rink.

BYE, BYE, BYE
With the win, Dartmouth's 4-1 loss to Quinnipiac, and RPI's 4-1 victory over St. Lawrence, the Dutchmen clinched a first round bye and enter the league playoffs as the fourth seed behind Quinnipiac, RPI, and Yale. Union returns to Messa Rink to face a yet to be determined opponent during the weekend of Mar. 15-17.

"It's one of those where anyone would take it," head coach Rick Bennett said of picking up the bye. "It means we can get some players back healthy. Everybody has played so much this year, so it's refreshing to have it. We have to make the best use of it. I thought we did last year, but we have to continue to do what has worked for us this year. Last year is last year, so we have to worry about this year."

RISING TO THE OCCASION
With Troy Grosenick on the sidelines following an injury sustained in Friday's 5-1 win over St. Lawrence, sophomore Colin Stevens stepped in and stopped all 24 shots that came his way. It was Stevens' third shutout of the season and first since blanking Penn State, 2-0, on Nov. 24.

Grosenick was listed first on the line chart released earlier Saturday, which usually indicates a start, but Bennett said Stevens was the guy all along.

"I had a pretty good idea that I was going to be playing after what happened [to Grosenick] last night," Stevens said. "I went about it like any other game. Preparation is huge and I'm glad we got the two points."

Grosenick's status for the playoffs is to be determined.

LIGHTING THE LAMP
With five goals Friday and four more Saturday, Union scored nine goals over the weekend. It marked the best offensive output for a single weekend since scoring 11 goals in a sweep of RPI Nov. 2-3.

"Overall balance on the lines," Bennett said when asked about the increased offensive production. "It was really nice to get three lines going and the fourth line put up some productive shifts. [Fourth liner] David Roy is going to be a heckuva player for us. Once he gains a step here and there, it's really going to help us for the future. [Fourth liners] Sam [Coatta] and Cole [Ikkala] did a tremendous job."

100 POINT CLUB
With an assist on Josh Jooris' third period goal, junior Daniel Carr became the 10th player in the program's Division I era to reach the 100 career points milestone. Senior Wayne Simpson joined the exclusive club earlier this season.

SENIOR NIGHT
Postgame ceremonies were held for the five seniors on the roster. Greg Coburn, Wayne Simpson, Kyle Bodie, Ryan Forgaard, and Shawn Stuart will be graduating this spring. With two more wins, the group will go down as the winningest class in program history.

"Since I've been here, it seems like senior night has been a great night all around," Bennett said. "It's nice that our guys played so tremendously hard for our seniors. That's what we ask as a coaching staff -- to play as hard as you can for them. Not that you're playing any different, but there's always something extra you like to give seniors... a nice going away present, per se."

WEEK TO WEEK
Sophomore defenseman Charlie Vasaturo was injured in the first period of Friday's win and is considered to be "week to week." The blueliner has two goals and two assists in 20 games this season.

PLAYOFF TICKETS
Information on playoff tickets can be found here.

THREE STARS
1. Stevens - The Niskayuna native came through in a pinch and helped Union clinch a first round bye in the ECAC playoffs.

"He had a great game tonight and I'm really happy for him," Bennett said.

2. Kevin Sullivan - The junior scored two goals for his first multigoal game of the season. Sullivan played his best hockey as the regular season drew to a close with three goals and three assists over the final nine contests.

"The first [goal] was basically all Hatch using his speed coming in," Sullivan said. "Just threw it in front and luckily it went on my stick. I took a couple whacks and it went in."

As for the second goal, "Carr and Jooris were working it pretty well up top," Sullivan added. "I just got a lucky bounce on my stick."

When asked for a reason behind the late season scoring surge, the forward said "bigger games, I guess."

3. Carr - The forward had two assists, both in the third period. The second helper was the 100th point of his Union career.

POSTGAME

Colgate downs Dutchmen, 4-1

The following was provided by the Union College Sports Information Office:

==========

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HAMILTON, NY – Sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere scored a power play goal, but No. 20 men’s ice hockey (15-11-5, 8-7-3 ECAC Hockey) fell, 4-1, to Colgate (14-13-4, 6-10-3 ECAC Hockey) in front of 1,903 fans at Starr Rink.

Colgate’s Kurtis Bartliff scored on the Raiders’ first shot of the night, Spiro Goulakos and Taylor Spink scored power play goals in the second and third period, and Robbie Bourdon added an empty net goal for Colgate, which snapped a six game winless streak.

Colgate’s Eric Mihalik made 35 stops in net for the Raiders, who were outshot 36-32 for the night by the Dutchmen.

The Raiders finished the night 2-for-5 on the man advantage, while the Dutchmen went 1-for-4 on the power play.

Colgate got off to a fast start, scoring on its first shot of the night in the opening minutes. Thomas Larkin fed Bartliff in the slot, and Barliff beat junior goaltender Troy Grosenick (28 saves) from three feet out at 2:58 to put the Raiders up 1-0.

Union controlled play for much of the frame before and after Colgate’s opening goal, establishing their forecheck early on in the contest.

Minutes after Bartliff’s goal, Colgate’s Joe Wilson tripped up Mat Bodie in the Union zone, giving the Dutchmen their first power play opportunity of the night. Union would take advantage, as senior forward Kyle Bodie fed cross-ice to sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.

Gostisbehere fired over the shoulder of Mihalik at 6:56 to tie the game at 1-1.

Union continued to carry the play, as senior defenseman Greg Coburn hit the post on a one-timer off a feed from junior forward Josh Jooris at the 9:00 mark, and later in the period, Mat Bodie fired into the chest of Mihalik as the trailer on a Union odd-man rush.

Early in the second period, Colgate regained the lead after Jooris was sent to the penalty box for charging in the opening minute. Colgate’s Spiro Goulakos fired a slapshot from straightaway past Grosenick in the final second of the man advantage at 2:37.

Union’s best chance to even the score came at the 9:13 mark after good sustained pressure by the fourth line. Sophomore forward Sam Coatta fired a low turnaround shot from the slot on net, and freshman forward David Roy had his rebound chance deflect high over an open goal.

Grosenick was at his best on another Colgate power play later in the period, with Jooris again in the penalty box. Grosenick kicked his right pad out to make a stop on Colgate’s Kyle Baum, then stopped a long drive by Goulakos after the Jooris penalty expired at 17:00.

Colgate went on an early power play in the third period, as Mat Bodie went to the box for interference at 3:24. Tylor Spink was at the goal mouth to put in a rebound of a Jeremy Price shot from the point at 4:30, giving Colgate a two goal lead.

Union’s best chance to cut into Colgate’s lead came with 5:57 to go, as junior forward Josh Jooris put a rebound of a Charlie Vasaturo shot into the pads of Mihalik.

Union will take on Cornell tomorrow night at Lynah Rink in a contest that starts at 7:00 p.m.

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.

==========

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

Saturday in Union Hockey

by Ryan Fay

Some thoughts on a sour Saturday in Union hockey....

CLARKSON 3, DUTCHWOMEN 2

The Dutchwomen's 3-2 loss to Clarkson ranks as one of the most heart-breaking hockey losses I've ever experienced first hand.                

Clarkson entered the game ranked sixth in the country but the Dutchwomen had a 2-1 lead with under 10 minutes left in regulation. The win would have been Union's first league win of the year and undoubtedly the biggest win in the program's Division I history.

There was a sense in the rink that something special was about to happen. When Kelly McGrath gave Union a 2-1 at 14:57 of the second period, just 25 seconds after Clarkson's Erin Ambrose tied the game, there was a sense that maybe this was Union's day. As minutes began to vanish off the clock in the third period, that sense grew stronger.

But Danielle Skirrow tied the game at 11:15 of the third period and Vanessa Gagnon delivered a dagger through the hearts of Union fans with the game winning goal with 13 seconds left in the third period. It was one of the most deflating goals I have seen in a long time. A game that seemed destined to be one to remember ended up being one to forget.

"That goal at the end was unfortunate. I think it tipped up, but accidentally," said Union head coach Claudia Asano Barcomb. "Our kids had a great night. It was a great game from the beginning to the end. In the last two periods they were even in shots and chances."

Jessica Kaminsky began the scoring with a power play goal at 6:45 of the second period.

The Dutchwomen, who were outshot 34-24, hit the road next weekend and take on Brown and Yale. The Dutchwomen tied Yale, 1-1, on December 7th. The next day, Union dropped a 1-0 decision to Brown.

"They're both playing well," Barcomb said of Brown and Yale. "I've seen some scores with Brown and the games will be battles. But we're looking forward to it."

ST. LAWRENCE 4, DUTCHMEN 2

With first period goals from Greg Carey, Tommy Thompson, and Gunnar Hughes, St. Lawrence stormed out to a 3-0 lead and 18th-ranked Union never recovered.

Union, which outshot St. Lawrence, 41-28, didn't hit paydirt until 15:34 of the second period when Mat Bodie scored on the power play. Freshman David Roy picked up an assist on the goal for his first collegiate point.

Bodie collected his second point of the night on Daniel Carr's power play goal at 2:25 of the third period. The point was the 79th of his Union career, tying him with Lane Caffaro for the most career points by a Union defenseman.

When Carr's power play goal made it a 3-2 game, it seemed as if Union might have a comeback in them. But Jeremy Wick's power play goal increased the lead to 4-2 at 9:46 of the third period and that's how it ended.

Union's penalty kill continued to be leaky. The Dutchmen allowed three power play goals for the first time since Feb. 25th 2012 against Colgate. Over the past three games, the Union penalty kill has allowed six goals on 14 chances, a rate that won't win anyone many games.

Union played without Shawn Stuart, who suffered a lower-body injury in Friday's loss at Clarkson. He missed five games in January with an upper-body injury.

The revolving door in goal continued as both Troy Grosenick and Colin Stevens saw action for the second straight night. The former stopped 23 of 26 shots and the latter stopped 1 of 2 shots.

The Dutchmen, who have slipped to seventh place in the league standings, return home to face Yale and Brown next weekend. When Union traveled to Brown and Yale on Dec. 7-8, the Dutchmen skated to back to back ties. A 3-3 tie at Brown preceded a 4-4 tie at Yale.

Union, Dartmouth skate to 2-2 tie (with 2 videos)

For postgame press conference videos, scroll down or click here. There's two from tonight. One combined video from the Union side with Rick Bennett, Mat Bodie, and Kevin Sullivan. The other is Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet.

=========

by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- Considering #18 Union and #16 Dartmouth (11-7-3, 7-5-2) entered play tied with 15 points in the ECAC standings, it was only fitting that the two teams skated to a 2-2 tie on Friday in front of 2,271 fans at Messa Rink.

But Union (13-8-5, 6-4-4) was minutes away from coming away with two points instead of one. 

With Union protecting a 2-1 lead, Daniel Ciampini took a tripping penalty at 14:41 of the third period. Dartmouth's Rick Pinkston quickly tied the game at two 24 seconds into the power play when his shot hit the post, bounced off Troy Grosenick, and into the net.

"I wouldn't say it was the hardest working penalty," said Union head coach Rick Bennett. "We've gotten away with some lucky ones with too many men and haven't gotten punished for it. But maybe this is like a justification. Yeah, it was lazy. We've got to curb it."

The game-tying tally was the second power play goal allowed by Union's usually unbreakable penalty kill (89.3%), which allowed more than one power play goal in a game for the first time this season.

Dartmouth's Eric Neiley tied the game at one on the power play at the 9:25 mark of the middle period. Neiley's one-timer from the left faceoff dot came mere seconds into a power play chance generated by a tripping penalty on Kyle Bodie.

Union's country-best power play, which finished 1-for-5, had a golden opportunity in overtime when Eric Robinson went off for elbowing 20 seconds into the extra frame. But outside of a jam attempt by Josh Jooris, the Dutchmen manufactured little on the man advantage.

"Our specialty teams let us down tonight. That's the bottom line," Bennett said. "We had some passengers in the top six forwards. At this time of the year, you can't have that. You just can't. All those guys have been given a great opportunity."

Added defenseman Mat Bodie, "special teams has been a huge part of our team identity so far this year. Tonight, we just didn't get it done. With regards to the power play, we were trying to force some plays. We didn't keep it simple and that's what cost us getting the win."

Following a busy-but-scoreless first period, Kevin Sullivan opened the scoring with his first goal of the year at the 3:25 mark of the second period. Matt Hatch sped down the left wing, went behind the net, and found Sullivan in front.

"I didn't have to do much there," Sullivan said in reference to his goal. "Hatch made a great play. He drove wide and Jooris went to the net. I was just lucky to be driving the net in that spot."

Mat Bodie's power play goal broke a 1-1 tie at 13:25 of the second period when he fired a pass from Matt Wilkins that went over the shoulder of Dartmouth goaltender Cab Morris and into the back of the net.

"Wilkins made a great pass to me and I believe him and Novak were in front of the goalie screening," Bodie said. "Assistant coach Jason Tapp said high on (Morris) from the point, so I shot high. It had eyes."

Since the calendar flipped to 2013, the Dutchmen have scored three or fewer goals in eight of their nine games. Bennett knows what has to change.

"I wish we would have that pack of wolves mentality around the net a bit more," he said. "That's why we're scoring two, three goals. It hasn't been four or five."

Union, which outshot Dartmouth, 39-26, resumes play on February 8th at Clarkson. The Golden Knights tied Colgate, 4-4, on Friday.

POSTGAME VIDEOS





Hockey Game Box Score (Final)
2012-13 Union College Men's Hockey
#16 DART vs #18 Union (Feb 01, 2013 at Schenectady, NY)

DART (11-7-3 (7-5-2 ECACH)) vs. Union (13-8-5 (6-4-4 ECACH)) Date: Feb 01, 2013 Location: Schenectady, NY Arena: Messa Rink Attendance:2271 Start time:7:40 pm End time:10:10 pm Total time:2:30  Goals by Period  1st  2nd  3rd  OT  Total  DART   0  1  1  0  2  Union   0  2  0  0  2  Scoring Summary #  Prd  Time  Team  Type  Scored by  Assists  Visitor on ice  Home on ice  1.  2nd  03:25  UNION   EVEN  Sullivan, Kevin/1  Hatch, Matt/2  14,25,5,4,12  16,15,6,7,3                    Coburn, Greg/13        2.  2nd  09:25  DART   PP  NEILEY, Eric/5  BULLOCK, Ryan/4  11,23,16,9,25  18,9,22,28                    SIKURA, Tyler/17        3.  2nd  13:01  UNION   PP  Bodie, Mat/3  Wilkins, Matt/6  5,4,8,29  22,9,7,18,19                    Carr, Daniel/11        4.  3rd  15:05  DART   PP  PINKSTON, Rick/3  KEENAN, Mike/9  19,7,27,22,21  18,9,16,22                    WALSH, Dustin/7

Dutchwomen fall to RPI, 2-1 (with video)

by Ryan Fay

SCHENECTADY -- The Dutchwomen dropped a 2-1 decision to RPI Friday night at Messa Rink.

The game was tied at one going into the third period, but Taylor Horton's second goal of the night at 5:24 proved to be the game winner for RPI (7-15-3, 5-7-1). Horton also opened the scoring with a powerplay tally at 15:35 of the first period.

"We had a breakdown and I think it hit off a kid," Union head coach Claudia Asano Barcomb said of the game winning goal. "We didn't have [someone] on the back door. We usually don't have those kind of breakdowns, but that shouldn't be the game-winner. We should have answered back and put another one in."

The Dutchwomen (7-15-3, 0-10-3) nearly did when they strung together a few good chances at the end of the game.

"I wish we had a couple more minutes because I thought we really put pressure on them at the end," Barcomb said.

The comeback attempt was hampered when the team was forced to kill a tripping penalty on Nicole Bartlett with 24 seconds left in regulation.

"It was tough," Barcomb said of the penalty. "She was trying and making all the efforts to try to help us put the puck in the net. You can't blame a kid for trying."

Kelly McGrath notched Union's lone goal with a game-tying powerplay tally at 14:09 of the second period. Aside from the powerplay goal, Union's special teams killed four of five RPI powerplays, including back to back chances in the second period.

The Dutchwomen, who were outshot 30-24, picked up 28 saves from Shenae Lundberg.

The two schools meet for the third time this season at RPI at 3:00 pm. The winner will take the season series as Union won the first game, 3-2, on October 20th. That game was a non-league affair.

For more from Barcomb, watch my postgame interview with her. If you can't see the embedded player below, click here to watch.

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