TROY, N.Y. – Senior Zachary Emelifeonwu scored both goals to lead the Union College men's hockey team to a 2-1 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), on Saturday night at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Dutchmen improve to 1-7-0 overall (1-1-0 ECAC Hockey), while the Engineers drop to 3-3-0 (1-1-0 ECAC Hockey).
Emelifeonwu (Kingston, ON/Kingston Voyageurs) got the visitors on the board first, late in the opening frame, off a center feed from classmate Vas Kolias (Shaumburg, IL/Youngstown Phantoms). Camped out at the right side of the RPI net, Emelifeonwu was able to stuff home the first of two on the night, with the secondary assist going to freshman Owen Farris (Dallas, TX/Muskegon Lumberjacks) – his first collegiate point.
Senior captain
Will Reilly nearly tied the game early in the second, but his shot from the left circle found the left iron after the Engineers worked the puck quickly around the offensive zone on the power play.
RPI outshot the Dutchmen 12-3 in the middle frame for a 21-17 edge overall after two complete.
Just 57 seconds into the third, Union doubled its lead, as Emelifeonwu was able to redirect a puck past sophomore goaltender
Owen Savory (Cambridge, ON/St. Catharines Falcons) from close range. The tally, which was assisted by senior Josh Kosack (Oakville, ON/Green Bay Gambers) and Farris, was just Emelifeonwu's fifth goal in 87 career games.
The Engineers battled their way back to within a goal at 16:40 of the third, when Reilly was able to bury a shot from the same spot that he had missed earlier. Once again taking a cross-ice feed from classmate
Chase Zieky (Avon, CT/Salmon Arm Silverbacks), Reilly ripped home his second goal of the weekend and third of the season on the power play.
RPI lifted Savory for an extra attacker with 1:10 remaining, but could not sneak as second puck past Union junior netminder Darion Hanson (East Bethel, MN/Vernon Vipers), who finished with 25 saves on the night to earn his first victory (1-7-0) of the year. Savory (2-2-0) also had 25 stops at the other end of the ice. The Engineers finished 1 for 3 on the power play, while Union was 0 for 4.a
The Engineers are idle next weekend, but return to action on November 8 and 9, when they host St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University, respectively, at the Houston Field House. Union travel to Canisius College for a pair next weekend.
