NEW HAVEN, CONN. – The Union College men's hockey team battled back from a one-goal deficit to hand Yale a 2-1 loss Friday night in ECAC Hockey action at Ingalls Rink. Union improves to 15-11-6 overall and 10-6-5 in league play, and stands with 25 points and holds firm in the top four in ECAC Hockey with one game remaining in the season. Union can still finish anywhere from third to fifth, and can clinch a first-round bye with a win at Brown on Saturday.

 

The Dutchmen fought off a pair of penalties in the first period, but then generated some potent offense on their lone power play late in the first. Yale came alive as time was expiring with its best chance of the frame. Broc Little attempted a wrap-around and his rebound bounced out to Matthew Thomey who fired high, but Union netminder Corey Milan (Great Barrington, Mass.) made the quick glove save to keep the Bulldogs off the board headed into the locker room.

 

The Bulldogs (12-12-4, 8-9-4) struck first in the second frame when Chris Cahill completed a three-on-two rush with a high shot off the feed from Mark Arcobello at 8:22..

 

Union came back with a pair of goals, first when John Simpson (Boxborough, Mass.) redirected a shot from the blue line by Mike Harr (Norwood, Mass.). Mike Schreiber (Sherwood Park, Alb.) slipped the puck out to Harr from the right circle before the junior wound up. Simpson was set up to the right of the net and got a solid stick on it to redirect it into the upper corner at 9:37.

 

Michael Beynon (Nepean, Ont.) gave Union the lead with a power play score at 13:28. Lane Caffaro (Slave Lake, Alb.) fired the puck from the right point across the slot to Mario Valery Trabucco (Montreal, Que.) below the goal line on the left. The sophomore slipped it back out to Beynon in the high slot for the senior to wrist it past Yale goaltender Billy Blase.

 

The third period offered few offensive chances either way, but Caffaro looked to give Union a cushion midway through the stanza. Jason Walters (Renfrew, Ont.) won the draw to the left of Blase back to Caffaro at the blue line, allowing the junior time to wind up and fire, but Blase halted the Dutchmen's attempt.

 

Union killed off a late five-on-three, during which Milan came up big for the Dutchmen, including saving a shot from the point by Backman with his facemask. The Dutchmen survived a late extra attacker attempt by the Bulldogs, when they pulled Blase with just over a minute left.

 

Milan finished with 28 saves, while Blase made 15 saves in the loss.

 

Union closes out the regular season Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. game at Brown.