NEW HAVEN, CT -- Sophomore
Luke Cain caused some havoc and registered a goal and an assist along the way, but the 18th-ranked Union College men's ice hockey team lost to sixth-ranked Yale, 4-3, on Friday night at Ingalls Arena. Yale (12-5-3) takes over the top spot (along with Cornell) in ECAC Hockey standings with a 8-2-3 conference mark, while Union (13-6-5) relinquishes first place with a 7-3-3 record.
Yale's victory didn't come without controversy as its third goal of the game sent the officials into the back room for a second look. After several minutes of video replay, they concluded that junior Brendan Mason's shot crossed the line before the whistle blew.
The goal came minutes after senior
Jon Lareau knotted things up, 2-2, at 3:03 of the second. Cain's diving backhand through the crease left Lareau a tap in goal -- the first tally of his career.
The assist marked the second point of the night for Cain, who registered his third and fourth points in the last five games. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native opened the scoring for Union after falling behind 1-0. Senior
Jason Walters caused a turnover in the offensive end, Cain turned and fired beating Yale freshman Nick Maricic along the ice at 3:05 of the first.
The Dutchmen attempted a comeback with 1:01 remaining in the game when junior
John Simpson threw a shot that was deflected in off a Yale player. The goal was Simpson's fourth of the season and 14th of his career.
The first six minutes of the game showcased Union and Yale's offensive power with three goals on four shots. The Dutchmen entered 10th in the nation in scoring, averaging 3.42 goals, while Yale was first with a 4.16 mark.
Yale jumped out to a 1-0 lead only 45 seconds into the game after Yale freshman Andrew Miller blocked a shot and senior Sean Backman raced the other way for his 12th goal of the season, which came on a backhanded deke.
Cain's goal followed, but the Bulldogs regained the lead at 5:56 after a Dutchmen defensive-zone miscue. Sophomore Brian O'Neill scored short side after receiving a pass from freshman Andrew Miller.
In the third period, the Bulldogs added to their lead with a goal at 6:44 off the stick of Mason.
Between the pipes, freshman
Keith Kinkaid made 36 saves in his 14th start of the season. At the other end, Maricic turned away 22 shots.
Both penalty kill units excelled at the Dutchmen killed off six-of-seven penalties, while the Bulldogs fought off two.
Union completes the road trip at Brown on Saturday, Jan. 30 at Brown at 7 p.m. contest.
