PRINCETON, N.J. – Union College men's hockey junior
Tyler Dunbar delivered the game-winning goal in the Garnet Chargers' comeback 4-2 victory over #20/19 Princeton University on Saturday night at Hobey Baker Rink, delivering the Tigers their first loss in their home barn and snapping their six-game winning streak.
After falling to #8 Quinnipiac 7-2 on Friday night, Union (13-6-2, 4-5-1 ECAC Hockey) had several trends working in its favor as it suited up against Princeton (11-5-0, 7-3-0 ECAC Hockey) for the second time this season. The Garnet Chargers entered the evening 3-1-1 coming off a loss and 7-1-2 on Saturdays. Union also had not lost the season series to Princeton since the 2000-01 season.
However, Princeton had several numbers of its own to point to in its own favor, riding a six-game winning streak that began with a 5-1 win over Union on Dec. 5 and a 9-0 record on its home ice.
The Tigers may have sealed their own fate when they scored first at the 8:48 mark of the opening period. Union is now 6-3-2 (.636) when its opponent scores first.
Sophomore Ben Muthersbaugh scored the first game-tying goal of the game for Union nearly three minutes after Princeton opened the scoring. The sophomore jumped on an errant clearing pass from deep in the Princeton zone and redirected it on target. He followed up his shot and buried the rebound, notching his ninth goal of the year. He has now scored at least one point in 13 of Union's 21 games.
The second period was shaping up to be a big one for the Garnet Chargers as they had 35 seconds left of a penalty to start the period and earned 4:24 of a 5-on-4 later in the frame after David Ma was sent to the box for kneeing.
The Garnet Chargers could not score on six shots during their extended power-play chance, then Princeton retook the lead with 3:34 before the second intermission.
In the early goings of the final stanza, first-year Etienne Lessard and Dunbar set up a promising possession for Union at the top of the zone. Dunbar let one fly from the point, and senior Brandon Buhr took several whacks at it along the goal line, eventually tucking it away to tie things up once more, this time at 2-2.
Shortly after, at the 6:03 mark, Dunbar corralled the puck following senior Nate Hanley's faceoff win. Dunbar was able to skate uncontested to his left and snipe one past Princeton's goaltender to put Union in front for good.
Saturday's contest featured all four of ECAC Hockey's players of the month from December: the Goalie of the Month Arthur Smith, the Forward of the Month Kai Daniells, the Rookie of the Month Brayden Gillespie, and the Defender of the Month Dunbar. Union's pair of award winners ended up making more of a difference as Dunbar earned his second game winner and sixth multi-point game of the season, and Gillespie remained undefeated in the net, making 21 saves. While Smith did make 27 denials for Princeton, he was handed his first loss since Nov. 7. Daniells was held without a point for the first time in five games and only the sixth time all season.
Hanley added an empty-net score with less than a minute left in the game, and even though the Tigers pulled their goalie again after going down 4-2, they were unable to mount the comeback against the Garnet Chargers in the waning seconds.
Union improves to 8-1-2 on Saturdays, 4-1-1 after a loss, and 6-3-2 when its opponent scores first. The Garnet Chargers also have not lost a game in which Buhr records a point. In fact, Union is 13-0-1 when its alternate captain gets a goal or assist and 0-6-1 when he is held without a point.
The Garnet Chargers host Brown University on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.
