Union Clinches First Regular-Season Title
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 05:14 | PP - Carr, Daniel (Union) |
| 1st - 10:47 | PP - Cain, Luke (Union) |
| 1st - 19:31 | Carr, Daniel (Union) |
| 3rd - 09:51 | PP - Boileau, Stephane (Union) |
| 3rd - 13:25 | SH - EN - Simpson, John (Union) |
| Princeton | Union |
|---|---|
|
G:
N/A
A: N/A Sh: Derrick Pallis - 6 Sv: Mike Condon - 23 |
G:
Daniel Carr - 2
A: Mat Bodie - 3 Sh: Daniel Carr - 5 Sv: Keith Kinkaid - 34 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Princeton | Union |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 0 for 4 | 3 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties (min) | 6 (23) | 6 (12) |
| Shots on Goal | 35 | 28 |
| Face Offs Won | 35 | 26 |
SCHENECTADY, NY - No. 5/5 Union (25-7-4, 17-3-2
ECAC Hockey) clinched its first ever Cleary Cup with a 5-0 win over
Princeton (16-11-2, 11-9-2 ECAC Hockey) on a night when it
recognized eight seniors on Senior Night at Messa Rink. Three
senior forwards, Luke
Cain, Stephane Boileau and John
Simpson scored, and freshman forward Daniel
Carr added a pair of goals to lead the
Dutchmen.
Union got off to a quick start, scoring three first period goals
to gain a comfortable lead it would protect the rest of
the evening. Using their potent power play to their advantage,
the Dutchmen, who finished the night 3-for-4 on the power play,
scored the first two goals of the contest with a Princeton player
in the penalty box.
With Taylor Fedun in the box for cross-checking, freshman
defenseman Mat
Bodie fed freshman forward Daniel
Carr down low. Carr fired a wrist shot past Princeton
goaltender Mike Condon to give Union at 5:14 to give Union an early
lead.
Union enjoyed a five-minute power play after Alec Rush was
whistled for a five-minute contact to the head penalty and a game
misconduct after a hit on John
Simpson. With the Dutchmen on the power play once
again, sophomore defenseman Shawn
Stuart fired a shot from the point that Cain
redirected past Condon to put Union up 2-0 at 10:47.
Carr would strike again late in the first period after a nice play
from linemate Josh
Jooris. The freshman forward stole the puck at the
blueline, creating a two-on-one down low. Jooris' shot was stopped,
but Carr crashed the net for the rebound at 19:31, his second goal
of the night. Carr's goal was his 20th of the season, tying Chris
Ford (1993) for the school freshman goal-scoring record in the
Division I era.
The Dutchmen protected their lead in the second period, when
Princeton outshot Union 17-9. Sophomore goaltender Keith
Kinkaid came up with two big stops in an early
sequence in the period. First, Kinkaid stopped a deflection
from Eric Meland in front, then seconds later, the
sophomore goaltender smothered an Andrew Calof wrist shot
from the circle at 5:02 to keep Princeton off the
board.
Union sealed it in the third period with its third power play goal
of the evening. Carr's initial shot from straightaway was stopped
by Condon, but Boileau fired a wide angle shot into the net for his
fourth goal of the year at 9:51.
Simpson added a shorthanded empty netter at 13:25 to cap off his
best season at Union, recording his eighth goal and 24th point of
the year.
Kinkaid made 34 stops on 34 shots, and senior goaltender Corey
Milan stopped one shot in the third period to combine for
Union's fourth shutout of the season.
Union will enjoy a first round bye in the ECAC playoffs before
hosting a best-of-three series, beginning on Friday, March 11 at
Messa Rink.
