The Union Dutchmen went into this weekend with a 2-game set in one of the loudest rinks in all of college hockey, and against the #11-ranked Michigan Wolverines. Union won the first game on Friday 4-3, and lost on Saturday by a score of 4-0. There are many positives to be taken out of this series for the Dutchmen.
Union fell behind early 2-0, as the Wolverines got a goal from Sam Piazza 9 minutes into the game, and a shorthanded goal from Tony Calderone 3 minutes later. The busy first period would continue when Spencer Foo sniped a wrister past Michigan goalie Zach Nagelvoort with just under 5 minutes remaining in the first. Foo would score again off a pass from behind the net by Brett Supinski 3 and a half minutes later to tie the game at 2-2. Michigan would strike early in the second period, as Will Lockwood scored on an odd-man rush a minute and a half into the frame. There would be no more scoring until pre-season all-ECAC forward Mike Vecchione scored on the power play for Union with 5 minutes remaining in the game to tie it 3-3. The Dutchmen would take their first lead with 2:09 remaining in the game when Jeff Taylor one-timed the puck past Nagelvoort. They would hold on and win it 4-3. Union goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos, who was recently named to the Richter Award watchlist, made 20 saves in the contest. Nagelvoort made 36 stops. Union outshot Michigan 40-23, and went 2-for-6 on the powerplay.
Saturday’s contest would be much less forgiving for Union. Both teams opted to change their goaltenders for the game, with Michigan sending out Hayden Lavigne and Union putting Jake Kupsky between the pipes. Michigan struck quickly off a goal from Niko Porikos, and scored again late in the first period off the stick of Sam Piazza. James Sanchez scored the final two goals of the game for Michigan, leading them to a 4-0 win. Wolverines goalie Hayden Lavigne stopped 31 shots for his first career shutout, and Jake Kupsky stopped 23 of 27 shots. Union went 0-for-5 on the powerplay.
For the Dutchmen, it was an encouraging start for several reasons. First, they held Michigan to 7 goals over 2 games. The Wolverines averaged nearly 5 goals per game last year, and have a solid offense again this year. They played great on the powerplay in Friday’s game, going 2-for-6. Michigan is one of the best teams in the nation, and Union should definitely gain some confidence from this series. However, as every team does, they still have things to work on. They couldn’t take advantage of any opportunities on Saturday, losing 4-0 despite outshooting Michigan 31-27. Some of this can be credited to the great play of goalie Hayden Lavigne, but they also went 0-for-5 on the powerplay. Michigan dropped from #11 to #13 in the rankings after the series, and Union received 5 top-20 votes. Michigan will play at Ferris State on Friday, and Union will travel to face AIC on Friday, and go to Bridgeport, Connecticut to face Sacred Heart on Saturday. Both teams are 1-1-0.
