ATLANTIC CITY, NY – Sophomore forward Max Novak scored two goals and junior goaltender Troy Grosenick made 32 saves to lead the Union College men’s hockey team to a 3-1 victory over Brown and the 2013 ECAC Championship at Boardwalk Hall. Union also receives the Whitelaw Cup for the second straight season.
Union (21-12-5) became the first school since St. Lawrence in 2000-01 to win back-to-back ECAC Hockey Championships. The Dutchmen received the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Championships, the third straight NCAA appearance. The field will be announced Sunday night at 9 p.m. live on ESPNU, and information will be posted at UnionAthletics.com. Brown finishes with an overall record of 16-14-6.
The teams had combined for just five shots on goal through the first 10 plus minutes of the period. At 2:06, Brown’s Dennis Robertson had a shot from the left point almost tipped in by a teammate. Union was held to one shot through 10:17. The second shot came at 10:18. That shot came from Daniel Carr and found twine for a 1-0 Dutchmen lead. Sebastian Gingras’s shot from the point was stopped by Bear netiminder Anthony Borelli, but the rebound came to Josh Jooris, who fed across the crease to Carr. Carr deked and tucked in his 16th of the season.
Borelli made a nice left pad stop on Max Novak, who broke in and was denied by the left pad of the Brown goalie. In the final two minutes, Troy Grosenick made a quick right pad save off a close shot from Jeff Ryan.
The Dutchmen made it 2-0 with just 13.2 seconds remaining in the second period. Novak notched his eighth of the season after passes from Matt Hatch and Kevin Sullivan and fired from between the circles. It was a high quick shot that went off the crossbar and high to the blocker of the Bear goalie. Brown outshot Union, 10-7 in the period.
The Dutchmen came out flying in the second with four straight shots. The fourth made it 3-0 on Novak’s second of the night. After pressure from the point and assists from Greg Coburn and Kevin Sullivan, Novak beat Borelli for his ninth tally of the season.
Brown got a power play at 6:19, and Grosenick made a low glove save on a Matt Lorito shot at the top right circle. But with 21 seconds left on the man advantage, Brown got on the board. Dennis Robertson’s shot from the right point went through a crowd and screen in front at 7:57 for his third of the season.
In the final four minutes there were chances on both ends. Brown’s Joe Prescott got a pass on the left circle from Garnet Hathaway on a two-on-one and his drive was just wide of the right post. With 1:23 left, Nick Lappin got in close to the left of Grosenick and the goalie came up big on a high right shoulder stop. Shots in the second period were 14-12 Union and 22 for Brown, 21 for Union.
At 5:28 of the third period, Brown got a power play and pressured, with the best chance coming on a drive from the left point by Matt Wahl that was stopped by Grosenick. Similar to the start of the game, the third period featured limited chances in a fast paced period, with Brown having just five shots and Union one with 6:01 left in the period.
The third period shots were 11-1 Brown and the final shots were 33-22 Brown. Grosenick was steady in keeping Brown at bay in the final stanza. He stopped 32 and Borelli made 19 saves.