BOX SCORE
PRINCETON, NJ – Junior forward
Mario Valery-Trabucco had two goals and sophomore forward
Adam Presizniuk registered his school-record 38th point of the season as the Dutchmen forced a game three with a 5-2 win at No. 11 Princeton on Saturday night. Union, which was facing elimination, earned its undisputed Division I program record 19th win of the season to go to 19-16-3. With the lost, Princeton moves to 21-10.
Valery-Trabucco opening the scoring early in the first after junior forward
Jason Walters caused a turnover deep in Union's offensive zone and found a streaking Valery-Trabucco cutting in front of the net. The puck bounced before reaching Trabucco's stick, but the junior adjusted and backhanded the puck out of midair over the glove of Princeton goaltender Zane Kalemba 6:41 into the period. The goal was his career-high 14th of the season, giving him 28 points on the year.
He added his second goal for his sixth multi-point game of the year at 12:49 of the third. Moments after he struck the iron while on the power play, Valery-Trabucco's attempt was deflected off the leg of a defensive player and into the net, giving Union a 4-0 lead. Presizniuk earned the school record with an assist on the goal
Earlier in the game, the Dutchmen moved ahead 2-0 at the 9:01 mark, when freshman forward
Kelly Zajac won a face off back to senior forward
Matt Cook, who dished to senior defenseman
Brendan Milnamow at the point. The senior than sent a wrist shot threw a crowd and into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season.
Union went up 4-0 at 3:05 of the second, when junior forward
Jason Shaffer notched his first goal of the season with a sharp angle shot that beat Kalemba.
Princeton clawed back with a pair of goals by Dan Bartlett, but Cook finalized the score with an empty net goal with 2:14 remaining in the game.
The Dutchmen's power play produced for the fourth straight game by going 1-for-2 and the penalty kill shut down the Tigers on all five of their opportunities.
Between the pipes, sophomore
Corey Milan turned away a season-high 46 shots for his 19th win of the season, while Kalemba made 17 shots.
Cook registered two points in the game with his goal and an assist on Milnamow's goal, while linemate and freshman forward
Kelly Zajac produced his 19th point of the year with an assist on the same goal.
Presizniuk earned the school record with an assist on Valery-Trabucco's second goal
The two teams, which at times flashes some animosity towards each other, will meet for the deciding game on Sunday, Mar. 15 at 7p.m. The winner will punch their tickets to Albany and the ECAC Hockey Final Four.
