SCHENECTADY, NY – The Union College men's hockey team scored two late goals but was unable to overcome an early Rensselaer lead as the Dutchmen fell to the Engineers, 3-2, in ECAC Hockey League action at Messa Rink Saturday evening. The loss marks the first in eight games to RPI and the first since 2004.

 

Matt Cook (Belle Mead, NJ) made good use of Union's first shot of the second period with his ninth goal of the season at 15:30 of the frame. Mike Schreiber (Sherwood Park, AB) tipped the puck into the zone on the right side to Jason Walters (Renfrew, ON). Walters carried the puck to the bottom of the right circle, where he passed across to Cook, who slid it past RPI goaltender Jordan Alford.

 

Josh Coyle (Brooklyn, OH) cut RPI's lead to one with his ninth goal of the season midway through the final period. Coyle was digging at a puck at the side of the net, and sent it off an RPI defender between Alford's skate and the right post.

 

Union netminder Justin Mrazek (Regina, SK) came up with a big save with less than six minutes left in the game as he thwarted a Kirk MacDonald short-handed breakaway. MacDonald picked up the puck in the neutral zone and carried it all the way in, but Mrazek snagged the puck out of the air to end the threat.

 

Union (10-10-2, 3-7-0 ECACHL) had several chances to tie, but Alford stymied the Dutchmen. With 30 seconds left, Torren Delforte (Shortsville, NY) was set up to the right of the net and he tipped a T.J. Fox (Oswego, NY) shot from the right circle, only to have it stopped by Alford.

 

The Engineers (6-10-6, 2-5-3 ECACHL) killed off a five-minute major penalty midway through the first period. Jonathan Ornelas put RPI on the board with a wrister from the right circle that beat Mrazek high on the stick side less than a minute after the penalty expired.

 

The Engineers took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission as Seth Klerer poked in his own rebound on a two-man advantage with 0.5 seconds remaining in the first period. In a tangle in front of the net, Union defenseman Sean Streich (Kimberley, BC) blocked a shot by MacDonald. The puck slid to Klerer, whose initial shot was saved, but he scored on the rebound just as the buzzer sounded for his seventh goal of the season.

 

MacDonald gave the Engineers a three-goal lead less than four minutes into the second frame when he beat two defenders and sent his wrister past Mrazek's glove.

 

RPI held a 22-18 shot advantage in the game, and converted one of four power-play opportunities. The Dutchmen were 0-for-4 with the man advantage, but did get four shots off during the five-minute advantage in the first stanza.

 

Mrazek finished the night with 18 saves, including 11 in the final frame. He stands at 9-9-2 on the season. Alford stopped 16 Dutchmen shots for his fourth win of the season (4-3-2).

 

Union is back in action on Friday, January 19, when the Dutchmen host St. Lawrence in an ECAC Hockey League contest at Messa Rink. Game time is 7 p.m.