HAMDEN, Conn. – The Union College men's hockey team closed out the road portion of the 2022 calendar year with an 8-1 loss to #2/3 Quinnipiac on Saturday at M&T Bank Arena.

"Honestly, its pretty frustrating," said head coach Josh Hauge. "I'm really proud of that first period from the guys. I know people will look at the score and think it was 3-0, but it was back and forth and we were right there with them. We didn't finish when we had chances and they did and that was the difference maker."

Junior Mason Snell scored the lone goal for Union with seniors Matt Allen and Chris Theodore tallying assists.

The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead, finding the back of the net only 44 seconds into the contest. Union put on the pressure on throughout the first, but two goals 1:10 apart gave the hosts a 3-0 lead going into the second period.

TJ Friedmann converted on a penalty shot 1:25 into the second period, marking the first penalty shot for a Union opponent since Nov. 5, 2021 when Clarkson's Ayrton Martino attempt was saved by senior goaltender Connor Murphy. Collin Graf potted his first of the game a minute after the penalty shot, prompting a goalie change for the Dutchmen. The Bobcats put two more past first-year netminder Kyle Chauvette to take a 7-0 lead going into the third.

Union broke the shutout bid at 10:21 in the third period. Theodore sent a cross-ice pass from the right-wing boards to Snell on the left side, who took it up the middle and fired one from high in the slot to beat Quinnipiac netminder Yaniv Perets. The Bobcats got one back late in the frame.

Five different netminders saw action in the game tonight. For the Dutchmen, Murphy made 12 saves in 22:25 while Chauvette stopped 19 shots in 37:35 minutes of play. For the Bobcats, Perets made 17 saves in 54:06. Chase Clark (4:04) and Noah Altman (1:50) made two saves each in the third period.

Union is off for the next two weeks for the holidays before returning to the ice on Dec. 30 against the University of New Hampshire. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Messa Rink and fans are invited to stick around after the game to skate with members of both Union hockey teams.