ITHACA, N.Y.-Five players recorded multi-point games to lead the Union College men’s ice hockey team to a 5-1 ECAC Hockey win against 16th-ranked Cornell, Friday night at Lynah Rink. The Dutchmen, who tied a season high with five goals, go to 13-11-9 overall and 6-9-6 in ECAC Hockey, while the Big Red moves to 13-9-6 overall and 8-8-5 in league play.
The four-goal win marked Union’s largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent since a 5-1 win over then No.6 Boston College in the NCAA East Regional on March 30, 2013.
Cole Maier produced his first career two-goal game, Eli Lichtenwald tied a career-high with two goals, Ryan Walker had a career-best two helpers, Matt Wilkins had a goal and an assist and Mike Vecchione extended his point streak to seven games with two assists for Union. In goal, Alex Sakellaropoulos tied a season-high with 36 saves, including 16 in the first period.
Christian Hilbrich scored the lone goal for Cornell. In goal, Mitch Gillam made 22 saves on 26 shots.
Union got on the board 38 seconds into play when Wilkins jammed home a loose puck on a scramble in front of the Cornell goal for his sixth of the season.
Lichtenwald doubled the Dutchmen’s lead at 8:42 with his third goal in as many games, converting on a one-timer from the slot after Michael Pontarelli caused a turnover in Cornell’s defensive zone. The assist extended Pontarelli’s point streak to three games.
Hilbrich cleaned up a rebound in the slot to cut the Big Red’s deficit in half at 6:04 of the second, but Union restored two-goal lead before the end of the frame.
Vecchione caused a turnover in the neutral zone and carried the puck in on goal before sliding a pass to Maier, who tapped the feed past Gillam at 18:39.
Maier extended the lead at 13:47 of the third, carrying the puck into Union’s offensive zone before beating Gillam with a wrist shot high on the blocker side. J.C. Brassard pushed his point streak to three games with an assist on the goal and Walker was also credited with a helper.
Lichtenwald made it 5-1 at 15:01 with an empty-net goal for his second of the contest and his eighth of the season with an assist from Walker.
Union, which will be the nine seed in the ECAC Hockey playoffs, takes on Colgate at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 27 in its final regular season game.
