The game-winning goal was right there for Union forward Kelly Zajac.
But Brown goalie Mike Clemente robbed him.
Clemente made an incredible pad save on Zajac’s one-timer with 32 seconds left in overtime while Union was on the power play, helping the Bears to a 2-2 ECAC Hockey tie with the 18th-ranked Dutchmen Saturday at Meehan Auditorium.
Even though the Dutchmen (7-3-4 ECACH, 13-7-6 overall) are now 0-3-1 in their last four games, they gained some ground in the standings and are in a three-way tie for second place with St. Lawrence and Yale. The Saints beat Colgate, 3-2, in overtime, while the Bulldogs dropped a 4-0 decision to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Union, St. Lawrence and Yale are two points behind league-leading Cornell.
Zajac, who scored two dramatic game-winning goals last season against Army with two-tenths left in regulation and an overtime one against RPI, got to the net when Presizniuk got him the puck. He put a hard shot on net, but Clemente beat him.
“I just went to the net hard, and ‘Preszie’ made a great pass,” Zajac said. “I tried to get it up, but the goalie came across quick and made a great save. He did a great job on that.
“Those are the type of goals players want. You have to bear down on those.”
The Dutchmen got the power play when Brown forward Harry Zolnierczyk was called for roughing goalie Keith Kinkaid. Zolnierczyk was driving to the net with the puck and had his shot stopped.
After the shot, he barrelled Kinkaid, knocking off his mask.
It was one of several times that Brown players took shots at the freshman goalie. Zolnierczyk was called for interference midway through the second period when he skated through the crease to knock over Kinkaid.
Kinkaid started complaining to referee Tim Benedetto, who was in the right-wing corner and didn’t make the penalty call, and he also started talking back to Kinkaid. Chip McDonald, who was at center ice, called the penalty.
“Their first goal, there was a guy standing in the crease who has his foot on Keith’s pads, so he can’t make the save,” Union coach Nate Leaman said. “It is what it is. . . . I talked to Keith, and I told him you can’t get frustrated with it. You have to keep playing the game.”
The Dutchmen came out with more fire against the Bears (5-7-2, 7-12-2) than they showed in Friday’s 4-3 loss to Yale. They drew four penalties against Brown, and it resulted in two power-play goals.
Mike Schreiber got the first one at 6:23. He skated in from the left point and one-timed a pass from Adam Presizniuk, who was to the right of the goal, past goalie Clemente.
Greg Coburn tallied on Union’s third power play, firing a wrist shot from the top of the left circle over Clemente’s glove with 3:09 left in the period.
“It was really important,” Coburn said. “After a big loss at Yale, we knew we had to come out and really work hard. We had a good start, but couldn’t finish at the end.”
The Dutchmen suffered a letdown in the second period, and it cost them the lead.
Jack Maclellan scored just over four minutes into the period and as a penalty to Schreiber had expired. Tyler Fernandez tied it with 7:09 left in the second.
“It just fell apart a little bit,” Schreiber said. “I took a penalty, and it cost our team a little bit. They’re a hard-working team, and we were having a little bit of trouble when they were cycling the puck.”
Union 2 0 0 0 — 2
Brown 0 2 0 0 — 2
First Period — 1, Union, Schreiber 6 (Presizniuk, Zajac), 6:23 (pp). 2, Union, Coburn 2 (Boileau, J. Simpson), 16:51 (pp). Penalties — Russell, Bro (tripping), 6:05; Brown bench, served by Pietrus (too many men), 7:09; Timberlake, Bro (hooking), 16:28; McMonagle, Bro (tripping), 18:02; Welsh, Uni (hitting from behind), 18:20.
Second Period — 3, Brown, Maclellan 9 (Smith, Pietrus), 4:15. 4, Brown, Fernandez 1 (Zolnierczyk, Van der Linden), 12:51. Penalties — Schreiber, Uni (interference), 2:15; Zolnierczyk, Bro (goalie interference), 9:48; Wakita, Uni (holding), 13:23.
Third Period — None. Penalties — None.
Overtime — None. Penalty — Zolnierczyk, Bro (contact to head-roughing), 3:06.
Shots on Goal — Union 11-10-10-2 — 33. Brown 12-10-8-4 — 34.
Power-play opportunities — Union 2 of 5; Brown 0 of 3.6
Goalies — Union, Kinkaid 7-4-3 (34 shots-32 saves). Brown, Clemente 7-8-2 (33-31).
A — 1,317. T — 2:16.
Referees — Tim Benedetto, Chip McDonald. Linesmen — Chris Piti, Brett Reed.
Categories: College Sports
