Gostisbehere nets first pro goal

by Ryan Fay

Gostisbehere

Former Union defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere notched his first pro goal on Wednesday to help lead the American Hockey League's Lehigh Valley Phantoms to a 5-1 win over St. John's.

The goal, a power-play tally, was a laser from the center-point at 17:25 of the second period that pushed the Phantoms lead to 4-1.

In addition to the goal, Gostisbehere finished with an assist and a plus-2 rating. He was named the game's third star.

After missing nearly all of last season with a torn ACL in his left knee, Gostisbehere is off to a promising start this year with a goal and three assists in seven games.

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Gostisbehere on Hobey Baker fan ballot

by Ryan Fay

Junior defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is on the fan ballot for the 2014 Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

Gostisbehere

The award is given annually to the nation's top college hockey player.

Gostisbehere, an alternate captain for the sixth-ranked Dutchmen, has six goals and ten assists in 20 games this season.

Fans can help determine this year's winner by voting at the Hobey Baker website. Fans can vote once every 24 hours.

Phase one of fan balloting runs through March 9. The second phase of fan balloting will begin March 20, when the top 10 finalists are announced.

Fan voting accounts for 1 percent of the total ballot in each phase of selecting the winner.

The winner will be chosen from a field of three finalists on April 11 during the NCAA Frozen Four in Philadelphia.

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Dutchmen not looking past Dartmouth

by Ryan Fay

It would be easy to see why Union might overlook Wednesday's home game against Dartmouth.

Union had little trouble dismissing Dartmouth earlier this season, beating the Big Green, 7-2, at Thompson Arena on November 1. Besides that, the Dutchmen will be boarding a plane at dawn Thursday for a two-game series at top-ranked St. Cloud State December 13-14.

But the 10th-ranked Dutchmen didn't look past a decimated Princeton team last Friday ahead of a matchup against then fifth-ranked Quinnipiac the next night. They're not getting too far ahead of themselves this time, either.

"It's going to be a good game," said junior defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who had three assists in the earlier win at Dartmouth. "It's an ECAC game and they are always close. We're definitely not looking past them to St. Cloud State. We know we have a big one [Wednesday] and we're looking to take care of business."

Taking care of business might not be as easy this time around. Since starting the season 0-8-0 (0-6-0 ECAC), the Big Green have started to resemble the team picked to finish in fifth place in the preseason ECAC media poll.

They have won two of their past three games, including a convincing 4-1 win at then eighth-ranked Yale last Friday.

After allowing five or more goals in five of their first seven games, Dartmouth has been more stingy of late, surrendering three goals or less in four straight contests.

Goaltender Charles Grant, who permitted five goals before being pulled against Union, has a 1.65 goals against average in his last three outings. He was named ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week on December 3.

"It's a Dartmouth team that was supposed to be a top team, which I think is coming over the past few games," said Union head coach Rick Bennett. "We're not going to take Dartmouth lightly. They have a lot of extremely skilled forwards. They have some skilled defenseman, and the goaltending is getting much, much better."

Bennett knows Union has to come out strong.

"We're going to be facing a team that's very hungry," he said. "We have to be ready to go. [Dartmouth] is a prideful bunch. If we're not ready to go, it's not going to be pretty."

Aside from extending their winning streak to eight games, a win would give the Dutchmen (10-3-2, 7-1-0 ECAC) sole possession of first place in the ECAC standings. Union tied Quinnipiac for first-place after a 6-4 win over the Bobcats on Saturday at Messa Rink.

"It's definitely a big motivation," Gostisbehere said of taking control of first-place. "Getting that many wins early in the season helps a lot and it makes our job easier for later in the year."

Gametime is 7 p.m.

Ikkala day-to-day

Assistant captain Cole Ikkala, who missed last weekend's tilts with Princeton and Quinnipiac, remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He didn't practice on Tuesday, but Bennett said "that doesn't mean a thing."

Bennett said everyone else is good to go.

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Gostisbehere named ECAC Hockey Player of the Week

by Ryan Fay

Gostisbehere (Union)

Union defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Week on Tuesday.

The junior recorded four points in Union's weekend sweep of Capital District rival and tenth-ranked Rensselaer.

He picked up two assists in Friday's 4-3 win at Messa Rink and collected two third period goals that helped secure Saturday's 4-1 victory at Houston Field House. Gostisbehere fired 14 shots on goal in the two-game series.

After Saturday's game, Rensselaer head coach Seth Appert called Gostisbehere "the best player in the country."

Gostisbehere has 12 points (4 g, 8 a) in 11 games this season.

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Gostisbehere named 6th best Flyers prospect

by Ryan Fay

Corey Pronman of Hockey Prospectus/ESPN has named junior defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere as the sixth-best prospect in the Philadelphia Flyers organization.

Gostisbehere, who was drafted by the Flyers in the third round of the 2012 NHL draft, has been one of Union's best blueliners the past two seasons. The 20-year-old has piled up 48 points (13 goals, 35 assists) 77 games played with Union.

Here's Pronman's report on Gostisbehere (used with author's permission) -

6. Shayne Gostisbehere, Defense
2011-12 Ranking: 3rd
Date of birth: 04/20/1993
Age: 20
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 170
Shoots: Left
Statistics: 41 GP, 5 G, 22 P (Union College, NCAA)
Acquired: Third round, 78th overall in 2012 by Philadelphia

Year in Review: Gostisbehere was a very good offensive player in college, on top of being a solid asset for Team USA at the World Juniors, where he won a gold medal. He did receive a suspension at that tournament, however.

The Good: Gostisbehere is a toolsy offensive defenseman who can make many things happen with the puck. "He has a great offensive mind for the game," said one NHL source, as Gostisbehere is a creative puck handler who can move the puck very well. Combine that with his great speed and he can be a catalyst for a team's offense, whether in breaking out of his zone, off the rush, or along the blue line on the power play. He has upside, and he can flash top-end skill.

The Bad: Gostisbehere still has to round out his game while simplifying it. He can be too aggressive with his attacks and plays with the puck. His defensive game can be solid at times, and other times he can be a liability in his own end. He is a little small, although to my eye, he looks bigger than his listed measurements indicate.

Projection: He could be a top-four defenseman.

Dutchmen in NHL Prospect Camps

by Ryan Fay

A list of current Dutchmen participating in NHL prospect camps this summer:

D TIM BOYLE
Ottawa Senators prospect camp... was Ottawa's fourth round draft pick last year... also participated in Senators prospect camp last summer. Ottawa's camp began today and runs through July 9th.

D SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE
Philadelphia Flyers prospect camp .... was Philadelphia's third round draft pick last year .... also participated in Flyers prospect camp last summer.... Philadelphia's camp begins July 8th.

F JOSH JOORIS
Calgary Flames prospect camp.... participated in Vancouver Canucks camp last summer. Flames camp begins July 9th.

Simpson among award winners

by Ryan Fay

Senior forward Wayne Simpson, who led the Dutchmen with 36 points and seven game winning goals, was named the team MVP at the annual Union hockey awards banquet Sunday night.

Other award winners include:

Sophomore Daniel Ciampini walked away with the most improved player award. The forward scored 21 points this past season, 15 more than he did in his freshman campaign. His goal total jumped from three to 11 and his assist tally increased from three to 10.

Freshman Matt Wilkins, who led all Union freshmen with 16 points, was named the rookie of the year. The forward was especially good after the first of the year, as 12 of his 16 points came after the calendar flipped to 2013.

The coaches award went to the three captains, seniors Kyle Bodie and Greg Coburn, and junior Mat Bodie.

Sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere picked up the 7th player award, chosen annually by the fans. It is awarded to the player who fans feel, with extra effort and skill, consistently creates excitement and aggressive play, resulting in a team advantage. Gostisbehere finished second among Union defensemen with 26 points, trailing only the 28 posted by Greg Coburn.

Junior forward Cole Ikkala picked up two awards, the Charlie Morrison award for community involvement and the Scott Richardson Unsung Hero award.

Theo DiPauli, a freshman forward, was awarded the VanArden Dukehart award for team's highest GPA.

Gostisbehere named an All-American

by Ryan Fay

Sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was named a 2013 Second Team CCM Hockey All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association on Friday.

The Margate, Florida native played in 36 games this past season, finishing second among Union defenseman with 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists). He averaged 0.72 points per game, tenth best in the country among defenseman.

Gostisbehere was even better in ECAC play, leading Union defensemen and finishing third in the league with 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) on the way to picking up an All-ECAC second team honor.

The defenseman missed four non-conference games while helping Team USA win a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia. He had a goal and an assist in six tournament contests.

Gostisbehere, who turns 20 next week, was a third round draft pick (78th overall) of the Philadelphia Flyers last June. He is the second Division I era Union defenseman to be named an All-American. Mat Bodie, a second team selection last year, is the other.

Gostisbehere watch begins

by Ryan Fay

One of the biggest offseason storylines will be the status of sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.

The blueliner could return for his junior season or he could be wooed into the pro ranks by the Philadelphia Flyers, who picked him in the third round of last year's draft.

But Philadelphia Daily News writer Frank Seravalli reported the Flyers have no plans to try to lure Gostisbehere away... at least for now.

"According to a source, the Flyers do not have plans 'at this time' to try and convince top defensive prospect Gostisbehere to leave college early and turn pro," Seravalli wrote.

Gostisbehere had another strong season. He piled up 26 points in 36 games for Union and added a goal and an assist for Team USA during its gold medal run at the World Junior Championships.

Union, Boston College aren't strangers

by Ryan Fay

Tonight's opening round East Regional game between Union and Boston College (9 PM, ESPNU/WatchESPN) will mark the first meeting between the two schools.

But that doesn't mean players on both teams aren't already familiar with one another.

Wayne Simpson played prep hockey with Boston College's Steven Whitney for three years at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts. Simpson and Whitney served as two of the team's three captains during their senior year.

Whitney has gone on to post impressive numbers for Boston College. His 26 goals rank second in the country this season behind St. Lawrence's Greg Carey, who netted 28. Whitney's 45 points are second-best in Hockey East, and he eclipsed the 100 career point plateau earlier this year. Entering play this weekend, the senior has 128 points in 159 contests for BC.

Whitney (Hockey East)

"He's a great player," Simpson said of Whitney. "He's been playing real well and that doesn't surprise me. He has a very good shot and if he finds ice just one time it could kill us. We have to be extra aware of him. It's going to be important to shut him down this weekend."

Doing that will be easier said than done.

"It's tough," Simpson admitted. "We just have to know when Whitney is out there. We have to be physical, make it hard for him to earn his ice, and wear him down."

The only player in Hockey East with more points than Whitney this year is teammate Johnny Gaudreau, who has 50. There are two Union connections to Gaudreau.

Defenseman Charlie Vasaturo, who is out for the year with a knee injury, goes way back with Gaudreau as the two are from neighboring parts of New Jersey. Shayne Gostisbehere played with Gaudreau during the recent World Junior Championships in Russia, where Team USA captured a gold medal.

Gaudreau, also known as "Johnny Hockey", was a major reason why. He led the field with seven goals, including a hat trick, and tied for the team lead in points with nine.

"Gaudreau is an excellent player and he's very shifty," Gostisbehere said. "Even as small as he is -- 5-foot-8, 150 pounds -- it doesn't matter. He's a great player. He has great hands and eyes. He's a playmaker out there."

The best example of that playmaking ability came in last year's national championship game victory over Ferris State. With the Eagles leading 2-1 in the third period, Gaudreau picked up a loose puck at his own blue line and after escaping from Ferris State's Kyle Bonis, he weaved around Bulldogs defenseman Brett Wysopal and roofed a backhander past goalie Taylor Nelson. Whitney added an empty netter to ice the 4-1 win.

Gostisbehere said Gaudreau, a Hobey Baker finalist this season, can be contained if Union does a couple things.

"Just don't look at the puck and keep him in front of you if you can," he advised. "He gets lost very easily and the next thing you know he's putting the puck in the back of your net."

That's one thing the Dutchmen won't want to see.

Flyers' Pryor dishes on Gostisbehere

by Ryan Fay

Much of the credit for getting Shayne Gostisbehere on the radar of the Philadelphia Flyers goes to John Riley, one of their many scouts.

"Riley saw him quite a bit the previous two seasons and was really high on him," said Flyers director of hockey operations Chris Pryor. "As last year went on, it was evident that Gostisbehere was playing better and better. He had a good end of the year run as Union went to the Frozen Four and he was a big reason why."

That prompted the Flyers to draft the 19-year-old in the third round of last year's draft (78th overall) because it's hard to pass up a talent possessing a skill set that doesn't come around everyday.

"It's the way he makes plays, sees the ice, gets to pucks, and finds the open man. That skill set is hard to find," Pryor said. "He moves well at the offensive blueline and he can hold pucks for a split second longer and make those little plays. It's hard to find guys that can do that. His head and his hands are exceptional."

Gostisbehere, who led ECAC defensemen with 15 assists in league play, has a pretty good shot as well. In a recent playoff game against Dartmouth, he launched a rocket past Big Green goaltender Charles Grant.  Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet opined afterwards that there wasn't a goaltender at the college level who would have stopped it.

"It's almost like a golf analogy," Pryor said. "You watch some of these golfers hit the ball and they're not very big guys but they drive the ball. It's almost like Gostisbehere -- for a slight guy right now, he's very deceptive. He has a hard shot, he gets it off quick, and it's pretty accurate."

Gostisbehere (NHL)

Pryor, who is in charge of Philadelphia's amateur and pro scouting departments, said the organization has had eyes on Gostisbehere at several points since drafting him last June. Philadelphia has seen Gostisbehere progress from prospect camp last summer, to the World Junior Championships at the turn of the year, to the season at Union, and will be monitoring him in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

"As with any other young man, as he gets older and more mature, his game matures," Pryor said. "Shayne has a year under his belt and he's more confident. He has gotten a lot of notoriety in the past year and rightfully so. He was on a big stage at the World Juniors against the best players in the world and he handled himself real well. He's feeling good about his game as are we."

Though the native of Margate, Florida has developed nicely in the past year, there are areas where he can still improve.

"Shayne would probably be the first to say he has to fill out physically," Pryor said of 5'11, 170 pound defenseman. "Part of that is you have to let nature take its course, but we're going to be patient with him. He has to learn the game in that every level is an adjustment from college to pro. He has a good head on his shoulders and he'll figure it out."

Pryor said it's premature to make predictions on when the budding prospect might jump to the next level.

"It's too early to say how many years Shayne will need in college hockey," Pryor said. "We'll keep monitoring him from year to year, and as with all our kids, we'll make evaluations at the end of the year to see where we're at and where they're going."

Pryor was hesitant to compare Gostisbehere to another player -- "expectations get blown out of whack when you do that" -- but he said Philadelphia is excited about the long term upside of the Union star.

"Whenever we draft a player, we like to think he has a special quality that can help him play at the NHL level," Pryor said. "We think Shayne has those qualities. No disrespect to the college game, but at the NHL level, he would be playing with the best players in the world. When he's surrounded by better players, his game will maximize.

"We're excited to think that he could be one of those offensive type defensemen down the road. We envision him playing with the Claude Giroux's and the Jake Voracek's."

However, Pryor said it's important for the blue-chipper not to look too far ahead.

"He should be more concentrated on helping Union enjoy the success they're having right now."

Union, fresh off winning its second consecutive league championship, opens the NCAA tournament on Saturday at 9 pm against defending national champion Boston College.

Union players receive honors

by Ryan Fay

Three Union men's hockey players received distinctions on Thursday.

Sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, a 2012 Philadelphia Flyers third round pick, received second team All-ECAC honors. The native of Margate, Florida has 7 goals and 17 assists in 32 games and also earned a gold medal while playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championships at the turn of the year.

Forward Daniel Carr, who ranks third on the team with 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists), was named to the All-ECAC third team. The junior recently became the 10th Division I era Union player to reach the 100 career points milestone.

Defenseman Mat Bodie joined Carr on All-ECAC third team. With 24 points (6 g, 18 a), the junior is tied with Gostisbehere and senior Greg Coburn for the team lead in points by a defenseman. Bodie, who hails from East St. Paul, Manitoba, recently surpassed Lane Caffaro as the program's Division I era points leader among defensemen. He has 85 career points (20 g, 65 a) entering tomorrow's ECAC semifinal game against Yale.

CLOSE CALLS

Coburn (8 g, 16 a) was a finalist for the league's best defensive defenseman award, but lost to Quinnipiac senior Zach Davies.

The men's hockey program was a finalist for the Turfer Athletic award, but Dartmouth walked away with it. The award is presented annually to an individual, coach or team who best represents the core values of Turfer Athletics: tenacity, commitment and innovation.

Junior goaltender Troy Grosenick also came up short. He was a finalist for the ECAC's student-athlete award, but Clarkson's Matt Zarbo was the winner.

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 5, St. Lawrence 1 - postgame (with 2 videos)

by Ryan Fay

BOX SCORE

IN A NUTSHELL: Union jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 4:05 of the first period and never trailed en route to a commanding 5-1 win over St. Lawrence Friday night at Messa Rink.

Some thoughts:

PLAYOFF POSITIONING
At the worst, the win clinched home ice in the first round of the ECAC playoffs.

But a top four finish and a first round bye are still possible. Yale is in third place with 23 points while Union, Dartmouth, and St. Lawrence are in a three way tie for fourth with 22 points.

To get a first round bye, Union has to win tomorrow night against Clarkson and then get some help.

According to Jason Klump, if Union wins, they need one of following two things: a Yale loss/tie or a Dartmouth loss/tie.

If Union ties, Klump says, they need two of the following three things to happen: a Yale loss, a Dartmouth loss, or a St. Lawrence loss or tie.

Klump added, "I haven't gone through every iteration yet, but I'm pretty confident Union wins a two way tiebreak over St. Lawrence."

Yale, which squeaked out a 4-3 overtime win against Colgate on Friday, hosts Cornell tomorrow. Dartmouth hosts Quinnipiac after tying Princeton 2-2 on Friday. St. Lawrence travels to RPI.

EARLY DEPARTURES
Defenseman Charlie Vasaturo left the game in the first period and never returned while netminder Troy Grosenick was relieved by Colin Stevens in the third. When asked for details, head coach Rick Bennett said both Vasaturo and Grosenick are "hurt" and are "very questionable" for tomorrow's season finale against Clarkson.

QUICK START
After falling behind 3-0 in the first 10 minutes at Cornell last Saturday, it was imperative for the Dutchmen to get off to a better start Friday. And they did - Vasaturo's second goal of the season opened the scoring only 45 seconds into the game. Just over three minutes later, Matt Hatch pushed Union's lead to 2-0 and the tone was set.

"Something we worked on in practice was coming out hard. When we played them, they came out hard against us," Hatch said, referencing St. Lawrence scoring three first period goals in a 4-2 loss on Feb. 9. "We knew we needed to match or better their tempo starting [off]. Getting those two quick goals was pretty key."

The first period was night and day compared to the effort last Saturday at Cornell. The Big Red held Union to six shots and no goals in the opening frame last Saturday, but the Dutchmen fired 17 shots on Saints goaltender Matt Weninger and put two of them by him.

STRONG FINISH
The third period has been a problem for Union at several points throughout the season, but not Friday. The Dutchmen scored two third period goals and outshot St. Lawrence, 15-8, in the final 20 minutes.

BENNETT PLEASED
Bennett was mostly pleased with the effort he saw Friday.

"I'm not going to say it's the best we're going to get because hopefully there's a lot more in the tank and I believe there is," he said. "But it was a nice effort tonight and a great team effort. A lot of guys showed a lot of heart tonight."

EVEN STRENGTH
All five Union goals came on even strength, marking the most even strength goals Union has racked up in a single game since beating Harvard, 6-2, on Nov. 9.

POWER(LESS) PLAY
If there was one area of concern on Friday, it was the power play. Union's usually strong power play unit went 0-for-6 on the night.

Mat Bodie thought the unit was "maybe" a bit discombobulated.

"There were a couple turnovers in the offensive zone where we fanned on a pass or something like that," he said. "That's something we'll clear up moving forward. [The power play] is usually one of the strengths of our team, so we'll work on that in practice some more."

THREE STARS
1. Shayne Gostisbehere - The sophomore picked up three assists and finished with a +4 rating. With a goal and five assists in his last four games, Gostisbehere is playing his best hockey from a statistical standpoint since returning from the World Junior Championships in early January.

2. Mat Bodie - The junior defenseman "sealed the deal" when his fifth goal of the year put Union up 4-1 at 13:01 of the third. The goal came just under four minutes after Chris Martin put the Saints on the board to make a 3-1 game.

"I thought it was a big goal," Bodie said of his tally. "There were around six or seven minutes left in the game and that's when you're going to get a late push by a team, especially when they're down by two. Shayne made a great play and I just saw [St. Lawrence goaltender Wenninger] was leaving that side a little bit open and luckily it went in."

3. Wayne Simpson - The senior responded to his one game benching and scored the game's final goal at 18:13 of the third period.

“He played better than he has recently,” Bennett said of Simpson. “That’s what we’re looking for.”

UP NEXT
Union closes out the regular season Saturday night at 7 pm against Clarkson, which lost 5-0, at RPI on Friday night. According to the RPI blog Without A Peer, the last time RPI blanked Clarkson was 1954.

The Golden Knights previously beat Union, 2-1, in Potsdam on Feb. 8.

Senior night ceremonies will be held after the game for Kyle Bodie, Ryan Forgaard, Wayne Simpson, Shawn Stuart, and Greg Coburn.

Time Warner Cable Sports will carry the game live.

POSTGAME VIDEOS

Union players (Gostisbehere, Hatch, M.Bodie)



Union head coach Bennett

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.

Union Hockey Notebook - 1/21/13

by Ryan Fay

The 19th-ranked Dutchmen return to action tomorrow night when Harvard comes to Messa Rink for a 7 pm faceoff. It will be the third home game in five days -- Union lost to Cornell, 3-2, on Friday and beat Colgate, 2-1, on Saturday.

All this following 48 day stretch with no home games.

DUTCHMEN VS HARVARD: THE BIG GAME THAT ISN'T

Before the season, tomorrow's game looked like a much bigger game. Union was fresh off an appearance in the Frozen Four while Harvard looked like a team on the precipice of bigger things following a 3-1 loss to Union in the ECAC Championship game. Both were picked to finish in the top three in preseason league polls - Union first, Harvard third.

This year hasn't gone quite as well for either school. What looked like a potential key late midseason league game between two schools figuring to be chasing a Cleary Cup has instead turned into a tilt between two teams looking to regain momentum.

After a strong start to the season, which included a 6-2 win at Harvard on November 9th, Union has struggled in the past two months. The Dutchmen are 3-6-3 since November 30th and had a stretch in that period with one win in eight games. In six games since the calendar flipped to 2013, Union has scored more than two goals in a game just once (3 vs Princeton). Despite the slump, the Dutchmen remain well in contention for a first-round bye in the ECAC playoffs, but thoughts of a third straight Cleary Cup are a thing of the past.

Harvard, which was ranked as high as #13 in the USCHO poll earlier this season, has suffered a similar fate. After picking up wins in four of their first six games, the Crimson have only one win since mid-November, a 6-5 overtime win in non-conference play against Boston University on January 9th. The Crimson have dropped six straight league games and currently sit in the ECAC basement with six points.

Playing shorthanded hasn't helped Harvard. Three defenseman (Max Everson, Patrick McNally, and Mark Luzar) were removed from the roster in early December. Harvard never provided a reason for their removal, but it's widely believed it was in connection with an academic cheating scandal that rocked the campus.

The loss of the three defenseman (two of whom are NHL draft picks) has left Harvard with just six defenseman on the roster. McNally, a fourth round selection by Vancouver in 2010, had 28 points in 34 games last year and three in seven contests this season. Everson, who played in Harvard's first seven games this year, was selected in the seventh round by Toronto in 2011. Luzar had yet to play this year.

(ecachockey.com)

Playing shorthanded on defense has showed. Harvard has allowed at least five goals in five of its last eight games going back to early December. In that eight game stretch, the fewest goals allowed in a game was three.

A fourth player, backup goaltender Steve Michalek, left the program in November but later admitted his departure was due to the cheating scandal. A sixth round draft choice of Minnesota in 2011, Michalek had yet to see ice time this season prior to his exit.

Even short-term losses have hurt the Crimson. Star freshman Jimmy Vesey missed three games (all losses) while he was playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championships earlier this month. The forward, who leads Harvard with six goals, went 66th overall to Nashville in last year's draft. Union can sympathize, as they lost a standout of their own to the WJC. Shayne Gostisbehere missed four games and the Dutchmen lost three of them.

Union enters tomorrow's tilt as the favorite. With Harvard's recent penchant for allowing goals, it's a game you'd like to see Union get the offense going and get four or five goals on the board. That's possible, and I'm going to say Union comes away with a 4-1 win. What's your prediction?

DUTCHWOMEN ALMOST DID IT

The Dutchwomen nearly made headlines on Saturday, but came up just short.

Playing at #2/3 Harvard, the Dutchwomen lost, but it was only a 1-0 game. Had they won, it would have easily been the biggest win program history as well as Harvard's first loss in league play this year.

Despite the loss, there was plenty to be optimistic about. It was a significantly better showing than the 9-0 thrashing Harvard delivered at Messa Rink earlier this month. The one goal Harvard had on Saturday tied their lowest single game goal output this season. The Crimson rank fifth in Division I women's hockey at 4.06 goals a game, so a lot of credit is due to the Dutchwomen defense and goaltender Shenae Lundberg (34 saves).

The Dutchwomen remain in search of their first league win this season, but they have seven wins in non-league play, their best single season win total at the Division I level. And with near upsets like the one this weekend, it's a program slowly moving in the right direction.

The biggest improvement going forward has to come on offense. The team generated just seven shots in the loss to Harvard and rank last in Division I women's hockey at 1.33 goals a game.

The team resumes play Friday night at Messa Rink against RPI, a team they beat in a non-league game (3-2) back in October. Gametime is 7 pm.

POLLS RELEASED

After splitting the weekend, Union fell two spots to #19 in this week's USCHO poll. Other ECAC teams in the poll were Quinnipiac (2nd with two first place votes), Yale (8th), Dartmouth (12th) and Cornell (18th). Colgate fell out of top 20 but received six votes.

Union remains unranked in the latest USA Today / USA Hockey magazine poll. The team received 7 votes, but that wasn't nearly enough to crack the top 15. Quinnipiac (second with three first place votes), Yale (7th) and Dartmouth (13th) were the ECAC teams ranked. Cornell was in consideration with 14 votes.