ITHACA, N.Y. — Experience goes a long way, and Union showed how on Friday night at Lynah Rink, as the Dutchmen cruised past host Cornel 4-2 in Game 1 of the teams’ ECAC first-round series.
After a fairly pedestrian first period, a 10-minute outburst from the Dutchmen was too much to handle for the Big Red. Union’s top two lines provided nearly all of their offense, but Union head coach Rick Bennett shook off the notion that his team had a heightened level of confidence following their national title run last season.
“We were a little too emotional tonight,” said Bennett. “We’ve got to keep our heads. We made some mistakes, but that’s how we grow.”
Bennett also mentioned that his players were “passengers for a while,” during the first period, but a loose-puck scramble shifted the momentum completely in the Dutchmen’s favor seven and a half minutes into the second frame.
Nick DeSimone took a wrist shot from the point that bounded in front and laid on the ice next to Cornell goalie Mitch Gillam. As a Big Red defenseman tried to put the puck underneath Gillam to force a whistle, Max Novak swooped into the crease and pushed the puck to the back of the net. That goal started an offensive wave for the Dutchmen, which overpowered the Big Red.
“You could definitely feel [the momentum] on our bench,” said Bennett in regards to Novak’s tally.
That goal was just the beginning, as a clean faceoff win helped Union claim a two-goal advantage.
With six minutes to play in the second, Mike Vecchione, who ended up winning 14 of his 22 draws on the evening, won a faceoff cleanly back to Matt Wilkins. A split second later, Gillam fished the puck out of the back of the cage after Wilkins ripped a shot past the glove side.
“That was just a freshman mistake there to make it 2-0,” said Cornell coach Mike Schafer in reference to defenseman Dan Wedman, who did not reach Wilkins in time. “Then it’s an uphill climb after that and you’re battling back the rest of the night.”
The uphill climb increased in altitude just two and a half minutes later, when the Dutchmen’s leading goal-scorer Daniel Ciampini found the twine for the 26th time on the campaign.
Ryan Scarfo won a battle at the defending blue line, which set up a two-on-one for the Dutchmen with Novak carrying the puck down ice on the left wing. Novak displayed great patience to wait long enough for Ciampini to come free, who received a backhanded pass, then went backhand as well to pick the top right corner of the net. The Ciampini goal means that he is now just another marker away from tying the school record for goals in a season, currently held by Jeremy Welsh during the 2011-12 season.
Although Ciampini’s goal all but sealed a Union triumph, the Dutchmen were greedy, as Mike Vecchione made a splendid individual effort in the third period to put the nail in the coffin.
With Cornell on the power play, Vecchione pick-pocketed Cole Bardreau at the red line, then came in one-on-one and fired a wrist shot from the right hash mark that eluded the left shoulder of Gillam. The fourth Dutchmen goal spelled the end for the nation’s leading goaltender, as he was lifted in favor of Hayden Stewart.
The Big Red did not go down without a fight following Vecchione’s brilliant goal. Christian Hilbrich’s team-leading 10th goal of the season and a Matt Buckles tally with 30 seconds left to play was the only offense produced on the evening for the home crowd.
Union’s victory on Friday marked their 20th win in their last 22 tries in the postseason, including a run of nine straight victories that dates back to their NCAA tournament final win against Minnesota in Philadelphia that claimed the program’s first national title last spring.
The Dutchmen have the chance to sweep the Big Red when the teams tee it up in Game 2 on Saturday evening in Ithaca.
