SCHENECTADY, NY – The Union College men's hockey team opened ECAC Hockey play with a 2-2 draw with Brown University Friday night at Frank L. Messa Rink. Freshman Luke Cain (Thunder Bay, ON) registered a goal and an assist for the Dutchmen, who outshot their visitors, 35-18, and improve to 2-2-1 and 0-0-1 in ECAC Hockey. Brown drops to 0-1-1 and 0-0-1 in the league.

 

Mario Valery-Trabucco (Montreal, QC) connected on Union's first power-play of league play to give Union an early lead with his second goal of the season. Cain passed from the low left corner to Mike Schreiber (Sherwood Park, AB), who was at the right point. Schreiber spied Valery-Trabucco at the bottom of the right circle, and fed his classmate after surveying the options. Trabucco fired a quick wrister from below the circle, placing his shot in the far upper corner at 7:29.

 

On Union's only man-down situation of the first stanza, freshman John Simpson (Boxborough, MA) stripped a point man of the puck and started a quick forecheck. Simpson maneuvered around a defender at Brown's blue line and carried it into the zone on a two-on-one with senior Sam Bowles (Davidsonville, MD). Simpson slid the puck across to Bowles, but the assistant captain was taken down by a Brown defender.

 

The play killed over 20 seconds of Brown's man advantage, but with just one second remaining, the Bears evened the score. Paul Baier's shot from the point sailed into the upper left of the net, past starting goaltender Justin Mrazek (Regina, SK) with seven minutes left in the first. Devin Timberlake found Baier at the right point, after converting feed from Matt Vokes from down low.

 

The Dutchmen held a 13-5 shot advantage into the second period, but it was the Bears who took the lead just 41 seconds into the middle frame. Eric Slais picked the puck out of a scramble and passed to Jeff Prough before connecting with Sean McGonagle for his first goal of the season.

 

Freshman netminder Corey Milan (Great Barrington, MA) took to the net after Brown's second goal on only six shots, and made 12 saves through the rest of the game. Milan came up big midway through the second period when Chris Poli's shot went wide, but McGonagle found the rebound at the far post. Milan deftly slid over in time to make the leg save.

 

Cain evened the score at 13:22 with his second goal of the season. Chris Potts (Phillipsburg, NJ) forced a Brown turnover deep in the zone and chipped the puck toward the center of the ice where Cain collected the puck.

 

The Dutchmen outshot their visitors, 13-8, in the third period, including three on a late power play, but couldn't solve Brown netminder Dan Rosen. Simpson again sparked offense on the penalty kill, one of two in the third period, when with six minutes left, he carried the puck up the right boards on a two-on-two rush with Torren Delforte (Shortsville, NY). Simpson connected with the senior, but Delforte's slapper was blocked by a defender.

 

Milan showed his speed in net in the third, making a split save early in the period on a McGonagle shot, and while still down, snatched a Sean Hurley shot from mid air.

 

Brown started the overtime period with a spark, tallying the first three shots of the extra frame and holding the play deep in Union's zone. After a time out with 1:38 remaining, however, the momentum shifted Union's way, as the Dutchmen pressed hard in the Bears' zone.

 

Union's shots came late in OT, first from Josh Coyle (Brooklyn, OH), who fired at the doorstep only to be denied by Rosen. Valery-Trabucco's redirect was also handled by Rosen before Coyle was whistled for roughing with two seconds left in the game. The ensuing faceoff was moved outside the Brown zone, but the Bears didn't have time to generate a play.

 

Mrazek made four saves in 20:41, and Milan finished with 12 in his first career decision. Rosen stopped 33 Union shots.

 

The Dutchmen continue ECAC Hockey play on Saturday, November 3, in a special 7:30 p.m. start against Yale. The Dutchmen will rename their Unsung Hero Award in honor of Scott Richardson '86 in the first intermission of the game. During the second intermission, Union will recognize 2007 Union Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee Steve Baker '85.