Clarkson's Season Ends at Union

Photo by Gary Mikel

Boxscore

SCHENECTADY, NY -- A three-goal, first-period deficit was too much for the Clarkson University Hockey team to overcome as the Golden Knights eventually lost to Union College 7-2 in Game 2 of the ECAC Hockey first-round playoff series at Messa Rink in Schenectady, NY on Saturday night. Clarkson, which fell 5-3 in Game 1 of the series on Friday, closes out the 2008-09 campaign with a 10-19-7 overall record.

Union (18-15-3) control the first period taking a commanding 3-0 lead. The Dutchmen’s leading scorer Adam Presizniuk opened the scoring, capitalizing on a Clarkson turnover for an unassisted goal at 3:27. Eight seconds into the first power-play of the game Union made it 2-0 on Brendan Milnamow’s goal at 16:01. With 36 seconds left in the period, Chris Potts took advantage of a misplay by the Knights’ freshman goaltender Richie LaVeau (Arlington Heights, IL) at the side of the net and netted a shorthanded goal to give the home team the three-goal lead.

Clarkson got on the scoreboard early in the middle frame with a historic goal by sophomore Scott Freeman (Whitby, ONT). Just 35 second into the stanza, Freeman connected on the power-play for the Clarkson Hockey program’s 10,000th all-time goal. The Knights’ point leader, Freeman knocked in a rebound off sophomore defenseman Bryan Rufenach’s (Cameron, ONT) shot from the circle for his sixth goal of the season to give the Green and Gold some momentum. Senior Chris D’Alvise (Mississauga, ONT) also assisted. With just seven shots in the first, Clarkson increased its pressure in the second with 13 shots, but could only get one by Union goaltender Corey Milan.

Midway through the third period, Union regained a three-goal lead on Chris Potts score at 11:20. With freshman goaltender Paul Karpowich (Thunder Bay, ONT) out for the extra attacker, and skating on the power play, Clarkson made it 4-2 as senior Shea Guthrie (Carleton Place, ONT) tallied at 14:34.

The Dutchmen, however, scored twice into an empty net, at 15:11 and 17:42, and added their seventh goal with 42 seconds remaining to gain their first ever playoff series victory.

Union out shot Clarkson 40-34. Karpowich played the final two periods posting 22 shots while allowing two goals. LaVeau made 11 first-period stops on 14 shots.

The Knights went 2-of-4 on the power play, while Union was 2-of-5 with the man-advantage along with scoring two shorthanded markers.