Schenectady, N.Y. – Union (11-8-4, 4-3-2) scored just 14 seconds in to stun #13 Clarkson (12-7-2, 5-3-1) and never let up on its way to a 5-0 win in ECACHL action at Messa Rink. Goaltender
Kris Mayotte (Pittsburgh, PA) made 33 saves and set a Union College Division I record with his fifth shutout of the season to backstop the Dutchmen and push their home unbeaten steak to 11 games (7-0-4). Union avenged an earlier season loss to the Golden Knights by handing them their worst loss of the season.
Freshman
Chris Potts (Phillipsburg, NJ) gave the opposition little time to settle in by scoring his fourth goal of the season 14 seconds into the game. Defenseman
Michael Beynon (Nepean, ONT) picked up his first of two assists on the play, chipping the puck over the Potts who batted it out of the air and past Clarkson goaltender David Leggio inside the left post.
Before the Golden Knights could recover the Dutchmen struck again at 2:33 when
Scott Brady (Sutton, MA) picked up his first goal of the season.
Jonathan Poirier (St. Jerome, QUE) led Brady from center ice into the Clarkson zone. The junior gathered the puck and skated across the front of Leggio, beating him to his right side.
Clarkson threatened late in the first with less than two minutes to play. Chris D'Alvise tried to jam two shots inside the right post but Mayotte was right there to thwart the attempt.
T.J. Fox (Oswego, NY) scored the lone power play goal of the game against the top penalty killing team in the league at 1:13 of the second period to make it a 3-0 Union advantage.
Augie DiMarzo (West Haven, CT) cycled the puck over to
Olivier Bouchard (Quebec City, QUE) behind the Clarkson goal. Bouchard sent a pass up to the point where Fox fired a shot through traffic and found daylight.
The Golden Knights continued to pressure Mayotte in the second period but came up empty. Mike Willemsen had a turnaround shot in front at 7:40 that was turned away and a succession of power play chances at 17:11. Shea Guthrie had Mayotte beat on the left side but sent his shot wide. Mayotte came up with two saves during the same series. He knocked down a shot through traffic by Grant Clitsome and slid over to his left in time to glove the rebound chance by Shawn Weller. Mayotte made the home crowd nervous earlier in the period when he came out to his blue line to play a loose puck as a Clarkon player charged in. The netminder knocked the puck into the neutral zone and got back to his goal just in time to cover a shot from Clitsome.
Union tacked on two empty net goals in the third period to pull away. Clarkson pulled Leggio on the power play with seven minutes left, allowing
Torren Delforte (Shortsville, NY) to cash in on his fourth goal of the season. Beynon set up Delforte with a pass across the slot right in front for his second assist of the night.
Leggio re-entered the game but came out one more time on another Clarkson power play for the extra attacker. After the power play had expired senior
Scott Seney (Silver Spring, MD) won the puck in the neutral zone and wrapped up the scoring at 19:55. It was his second point of the game after recording the second assist on Brady's goal.
It was the fourth time this season Union scored more than four goals in a game and the most goals allowed by the Golden Knights since surrendering six to Niagara in the season-opener.
Mayotte picked up his 10th career shutout to improve to 11-7-3 on the season. It was his fifth game this season with more than 30 saves.
Leggio stopped 29 shots in the loss and is now 5-3-2 on the season.
Clarkson came into the game ranked third in the league on the power play but finished 0-for-11 while Union was 1-for-11.
Union held a 34-33 advantage in shots.
The Dutchmen are back in action tomorrow to defend home ice against #15 St. Lawrence at 7:00 p.m.
