Dutchmen Mount Comeback to Tie Dartmouth

Boxscore

HANOVER, NH - A dramatic 2-0 comeback by the Union College men's ice hockey team forced overtime and secured one league point as the Dutchmen tied Dartmouth 2-2 on Saturday night at Thompson Arena. Union moves to 12-12-2 and 5-8-1 in ECAC Hockey, while Dartmouth goes to 11-7-3 and 8-4-2.

The Dutchmen started its comeback after it was given a 5-3 power play with less than three minutes remaining. Head coach Nate Leaman decided to pull sophomore goaltender Corey Milan. After junior forward Jason Walters and senior defenseman Lane Caffaro moved the puck around the point, Caffaro fired his sixth goal of the season.

Moments later, while still on the power play, Walters and Caffaro continued to control the puck at the point. This time though, Caffaro found senior forward Matt Cook on the right boards for a one-timer. The goal was Cook's seventh of the season and second in as many games.

The Dutchmen controlled by at both ends of the ice for the majority of the first period, which was highlighted by the team's second power play at 14:26. The Union special teams until kept the pressure on, not allowing Dartmouth to clear the zone for the first 1:10 of the advantage.

Despite going 0-2 on the power play in the first, the Dutchmen appeared to be heading into the locker room with the momentum, but a Peter Boldt goal with just 10 seconds remaining gave the Big Green a 1-0 advantage. The power-play goal was setup by sophomores Scott Fleming and Edam Estoclet.

The second period mirrored the first, with Union dominating most of the action and Dartmouth coming on strong near the end. Walters almost registered his ninth goal of the season after sophomore left-winger Adam Presizniuk slide a sneaky pass from the right goal post. Walters cut through the crease, but the right leg of O'Neill denied his shot.

Milan used his athleticism to keep it a one-goal game. He denied freshman Troy Mattila with 4:02 remaining with a split save on a rebound to his right. Union was charged with a penalty immediately after, but had an answer on the penalty kill.

Another power-play tally put the Big Green up 2-0 at 5:52 of the third period. Senior Rob Pritchard tipped in freshman Doug Jones' shot. Sophomore Evan Stephens picked up the second assist.

Union now turns its attention to its cross-town rival RPI. The Capital Skates Trophy will be on the line as the Dutchmen travel to Troy, NY on Friday, Feb. 6 and then host the Engineers on Saturday, Feb. 7. Both contests are slated for a 7 p.m. start.