Box Score / Game Highlights / Post-Game Comments

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Union College scored two power play goals and held Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) scoreless with the man-advantage as the #8 Dutchmen captured Game 1 of the best-of-three ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals, 3-2, at Messa Rink. The second game of the series takes place on Saturday night at 7pm in Schenectady.

With the victory the Dutchmen, the top seed in the league playoffs, improve to 21-7-7 and will advance to Championship Weekend with another win. The Engineers, the 10th seed, falls to 12-23-3 and must win on Saturday to stave off elimination.

RPI needed just 42 seconds to get on the scoreboard as sophomore Matt Tinordi (Severna Park, MD/Olds Grizzlys) snapped off a hard wrist shot while driving hard down the right side for his sixth goal of the year. Classmate Guy Lebeouf (West Palm Beach, FL/Cornwall Colts), who connected with Tinordi when he was in the neutral zone, earned the primary assist, while senior Patrick Cullen (Washington, DC/Indiana Ice) had the secondary.

Union knotted the score at 6:22 of the first when freshman Max Novak (Oak Ridge, NJ/New Jersey Hitmen) collected the puck just after his penalty expired, skated hard to the net down the right side of the ice and scored. Matt Hatch (Massena, NY/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) and Nolan Julseth-White (Chilliwack, BC/Langley Chiefs) had the assists.

The Dutchmen capitalized on its first power play to take a 2-1 lead when Wayne Simpson (Boxborough, MA/Lawrence Academy) took a feed from Kyle Bodie (East St. Paul, MB/Powell River Kings) and snapped off his 17th goal of the season just nine seconds into the extra-man advantage. Kelly Zajac (Winnipeg, MB/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) won the faceoff to also earn an assist.

Union finished the period on its second power play, while RPI was 0 for 3 with the man-advantage in the frame.

The home team took advantage of the late first period power play when it scored on the extra-man opportunity to open the second period. Junior Greg Coburn (Saskatoon, SK/Yorkton Terriers) jammed at a loose puck and it slid underneath RPI netminder Bryce Merriam (Bethel Park, PA/Topeka RoadRunners) at 1:43 of the second period. Bodie and Zajac had the assists.

The Engineers sustained strong pressure for much of the period from that point on but could not beat Union's Troy Grosenick (Brookfield, WI/Cedar Rapids Rough Riders).

Rensselaer pulled to within one goal when senior Alex Angers-Goulet (St. Augustin, PQ/Langley Chiefs) scored a shorthanded goal at 10:32 of the third period.

Merriam finished with 24 saves, while Grosenick stopped 21 shots. RPI finished 0 for 4 on the power play and the Dutchmen were 2 for 5.