Union bears down and dominates Colgate 6-0

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Union's Liam Morgan (24) flips the puck forward while checked by Colgate's Josh McKechney at Messa Rink Saturday.

SCHENECTADY — Darion Hanson enjoyed the goalie equivalent of a lounge chair on the beach with a cool beverage Saturday night.

The Union men’s hockey team allowed scant good scoring chances by Colgate, and Hanson did the rest, posting his second shutout in five days as the Dutchmen dispatched the Raiders with authority 6-0 at Messa Rink.

As he did on Tuesday against RPI in the Mayor’s Cup, Hanson stopped all 20 shots he faced, and even a breakaway by John Snodgrass midway through the third period, with the game well in hand, was of the non-threatening variety.

It was an emphatic departure from a 4-0 loss to Cornell on Friday night, when Hanson played spectacularly at times, but was lifted before the first period was over, having given up three goals with little help from his teammates.

On Saturday, Liam Morgan scored the first and fourth goals for the Dutchmen, Brett Supinski scored the third and sixth and defenseman Vas Kolias had a goal and an assist.

“We hung him [Hanson] out to dry yesterday, for sure,” Kolias said. “He deserved it [shutout]. We’re glad we gave him the good old goose egg. He’s bailed us out of a lot of games, so we figured we owed him.”

“I’m extremely happy for him,” head coach Rick Bennett said. “I can’t give you how many scoring chances they had. Everyone always looks at how many shots you had, and I’m kind of looking at the other side, how many shots we gave up.”

Union improved to 6-7-1 in ECAC Hockey and 13-8-5 overall while moving into a tie for seventh with Brown and gaining a little bit of separation from RPI and Colgate (4-8-2, 7-17-2).

After ripping his team for how they failed to show up with anything resembling a desire to win against Cornell, Bennett was especially encouraged by Union’s third period against Colgate, when, instead of resting on a 3-0 lead, the Dutchmen actually cranked it up even more.

Of Union’s three power-play goals, two came in the third, including Morgan’s eighth of the season at 4:18 to make it 4-0. Greg Campbell and Supinski scored less than two minutes apart midway through the period to bury the Raiders even further.

“In the third period, they just took it to us,” Colgate head coach Don Vaughan said.

“It was about how we played for three periods that was really impressive for the coaching staff,” Bennett said. “Let’s be honest. It was much needed. But they turned it around and brought one of the best games of the year again.

“As a coaching staff, we really liked how they went into that third, with the score where it was, and just shut it down. “

That included Snodgrass’ breakaway, on which he got down the right wing and had a clear shooting lane at Hanson, but had to stay wide because Kolias was rushing down the middle to take away some options for the Colgate player.

Hanson gloved a wrist shot from the right circle without much difficulty.

“When a guy comes in at that angle, you know he’s not going to the far side, so he did what I thought he would do,” Hanson said. “We did have good back pressure, so that cuts the net in half, and I have to fill the other half.

“This one was more relaxing [than the RPI game]. Being up five, six goals, as a goalie, you know you’re probably playing for a shutout there.”

Union took a 1-0 lead at 6:10 of the first period when Cole Maier, camped on the sidewall by the Dutchmen’s left defensive faceoff circle, found Morgan streaking down right wing.

Maier’s backhand pass made it all the way through center ice for Morgan to collect just outside the far blueline, and he snapped a low, hard shot inside the far post.

Kolias made it 2-0 at 10:55 of the second, skating across the blueline and rifling a shot off the upper right corner.

Supinski scored his seventh of the season on a rebound during a goalmouth scramble with Union a man up at 18:32 of the second to make it 3-0.

“Guys were getting pucks to the net and when you’re doing that and getting guys in front of the net with those pucks and screens, good things are going to happen,” Kolias said. “We weren’t trying to make that extra pass, that extra move. Keeping it simple was huge for us, and tonight was proof of that.”

Morgan got his second of the game, and eighth of the season, on the power play early in the third period, with more help from a teammate.

Parker Foo shoved a pass through the crease, and Morgan easily slammed it in while camped on the left post 16 seconds after the start of a power play for a 4-0 lead.

“One word for tonight was ‘disciplined,'” Bennett said. “As you make the push through February, you’ve got to be disciplined.”

“We had to show up tonight,” Hanson said. “The pressure was on a little bit more than it was against Cornell. Probably should’ve felt that pressure both nights, but that’s up to us to keep feeling that pressure, because we’re on the outside looking in.”

Colgate 0 0 0 — 0

Union 1 2 3 — 6

First period — 1, Union, Morgan 7 (Maier, Walker), 6:10. Penalties — Supinski, U (hooking), 13:50.

Second period — 2, Union, Kolias 2 (Adams, Estes), 10:55. 3, Union, Supinski 7 (Morgan, Rinaldi), 18:32 (pp). Penalties — Citron, C (interference), 2:47; Tschumi, C (tripping), 16:59.

Third period — 4, Union, Morgan 8 (Foo, Breault), 4:18 (pp). 5, Union, Campbell 2 (Rinaldi, Foo), (pp), 11:57. 6, Union, Supinski 8 (Kolias, Adams), 13:44. Penalties — Penner, C (interference), 4:02; Lunn, C (hooking), 11:32; Panetta, C (hitting from behind), 18:16.

Shots on goal — Colgate 8-8-4 — 20. Union 15-15-14 — 44.

Power-play opportunities — Colgate 0 of 1. Union 3 of 5.

Goaltenders — Colgate, Benson L, 6-15-2 (40:00, 30 shots-27 saves), Farrier (20:00, 14-11). Union, Hanson W, 7-4-4 (20-20).

T — 2:16. A — 1,813.

Referees — Anthony Dapuzzo, Tom Steinel. Linesmen — Glen Cooke, Patrick Dapuzzo.

Reach Gazette Sportswriter Mike MacAdam at 518-395-3146 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter @Mike_MacAdam.