Box Score

SCHENECTADY, NY – Freshman forward Sam Coatta scored his first collegiate goal and sophomore defenseman Mat Bodie added another score, but the Union men's ice hockey team settled for a 2-2 tie against Western Michigan (2-0-1) in its home opener in front of 1,318 fans at Messa Rink.

Sophomore goaltender Troy Grosenick stopped 32 of 34 shots, while Western Michigan goaltender Nick Pisellini made 30 saves in net for the Broncos.

Union (1-0-1) took an early lead in the contest on a strange bounce, as Coatta scored his first career goal at 2:03. Coatta fired a shot wide of the net on the rush, but the puck bounced off the boards and back towards the net, and Pisellini pushed it in, giving Union a 1-0 lead.

The Broncos tied it up late in the period on a two-on-one rush. After a failed Union pinch, Western Michigan's Jordan Oesterle found Greg Squires streaking up the right wing. Squires skated into open ice and beat sophomore goaltender Troy Grosenick high at 17:54 to tie the game at 1-1.

The Dutchmen had a chance to take the lead in the second period on a golden opportunity for sophomore forward Daniel Carr. With senior defenseman Nolan Julseth-White in the penalty box for charging, junior defenseman Greg Coburn found Carr skating along across the middle of the ice.

Carr skated in on a shorthanded breakaway, but his shot from the hash marks was gloved by Western Michigan goaltender Nick Pisellini at 17:16.

Union would take the lead early in the third period. After sustained pressure in the offensive zone, senior forward Kelly Zajac found sophomore defenseman Mat Bodie at the point. Bodie fired a soft wrist shot through traffic and beat Pisellini over the shoulder at 2:57 of the third period.

With Union protecting a one-goal lead, Western Michigan generated multiple chances on the rush, breaking through for the game-tying score at the 12:47 mark.

Squires corralled a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated in alone down the right side for a partial breakaway, beating Grosenick high to tie the score at 2-2 and send the game to overtime.

In overtime, Western Michigan's Luke Witkowski was called for hooking at 1:30, giving the Dutchmen their fourth power play opportunity of the night. Union was unable to generate many chances until late in the man advantage, when Pisellini stopped two shots from Carr to keep the score tied.

Union went 0-for-4 on the power play for the evening, while Western Michigan was 0-for-3 with the man advantage on the night.

The Dutchmen will host Western Michigan in the series finale at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night at Messa Rink.