WEST POINT, N.Y. – John Simpson (Boxborough, Mass.) scored his first career goal midway through the third period to lift the Union College men's hockey team to a 3-2 non-conference victory over Army Saturday night. The Dutchmen wrap their non-league portion of the season at 5-5-1, and improve to 6-8-3 overall.

 

Justin Pallos' (Glastonbury, Conn.) shot from the right circle found Army netminder Jay Clark's pads, but Torren Delforte (Shortsville, N.Y.) found the rebound and skated it back behind the net before centering it to Simpson. The freshman placed his shot past Clark's blocker for his first career goal at 12:37.

 

Jason Walters (Renfrew, Ontario) picked up two helpers for his second-straight multiple-point game while Josh Coyle (Brooklyn, Ohio) had a goal and an assist.

 

Army held a 1-0 first period lead after notching a power-play tally less than five minutes into the game. Union was whistled for a slashing minor at 3:13, but the Dutchmen dominated the first minute of the penalty kill. But Army regrouped in the latter portion of its power play, taking the lead on Eric Sefchik's first career goal at 4:44. Ken Rowe dug the puck off the right boards and slid it to Jeff Fearing, who fired from the right circle. Union goaltender Corey Milan (Great Barrington, Mass.) saved the puck but Sefchik knocked in the rebound for the lead.

 

Coyle evened the score late in the period as the Dutchmen found their stride as the game progressed. Walters dug the puck out of the left corner to Coyle who was waiting at the doorstep. The senior flipped the puck inside the left post at 16:48 to knot the game at 1-1.

 

Union held a 13-10 shot advantage after the first period, but struggled to get shots on net in the middle frame; Army outshot the Dutchmen, 15-6, in the second and took advantage of a breakaway early in the stanza to hold a 2-1 lead.

 

Drew Pierson blocked a shot by a Union defenseman just inside the Army zone before skating the puck all the way down on a breakaway. Pierson made a couple of moves to draw Milan to the left before placing his shot just inside the right post at 3:28.

 

Army controlled most of the period, but the Dutchmen gained momentum from an extended two-man penalty kill midway through the frame, and put five shots on net as the period was winding down.

 

Matt Cook (Belle Mead, N.J.) knotted the game right at the start of the third period by potting a rebound on the first possession of the frame. Walters fired from the right faceoff dot, but Army goaltender Jay Clark stopped the puck. When Clark went to cover it, the puck scooted loose. Walters collected his own rebound behind the net before centering it to Cook for his fourth goal of the season just 13 seconds into the third.

 

Milan finished with 28 saves while Clark stopped 25 in the loss.

 

Union returns to ECAC Hockey play for the remainder of the season, starting with home games against Colgate and Cornell on January 11 and 12.