HAMDEN, Conn. -Junior forward Mike Vecchione (Saugus, Mass.) recorded his 100th career point as the Union College men’s ice hockey team skated to a 4-4 tie with Princeton, Friday night at Hobey Baker Rink in ECAC Hockey action. The Dutchmen, who are unbeaten in their last 13 games against Princeton (10-0-3), go to 9-7-5 overall and 2-6-2 in ECAC Hockey, while the Tigers move to 4-12-2 overall and 3-7-2 in conference play.
Vecchione assisted on Union’s first goal of the game, becoming the fastest player in program history to reach the 100-career point mark, accomplishing the feat in just 96 games. He is Union’s 13th 100-career point scorer in its Division I era and the 26th in program history. Vecchione leads the team with 11 assists on the season and currently ranks seventh on the program’s all-time assist list with 62.
Sebastian Vidmar led Union with the first multi-goal game of his career. Brett Supinski and Ryan Scarfo each added a goal, while Spencer Foo chipped in with a pair of assists for his sixth multi-point game of the season. In goal, Jake Kupsky had a career-high 28 saves on 32 shots.
Kyle Rankin, Max Becker, Garrett Skrbich and Josh Teves each tallied for Princeton. In goal, Colton Phinney stopped 24 of 28 shots.
Union got out to a 1-0 lead for just the first time in its last six games, as Vidmar collected a drop pass from Foo and snapped a shot from the slot, beating Phinney high on the blocker side at 10:19 of the first.
Rankin drew Princeton level before the end of the period, skating through the middle of the Union zone and firing home a wrist shot at 18:35.
The Tigers continued to build on their momentum at the start of the second, pulling ahead at 5:23 on Becker’s second goal of the season.
Vidmar answered for the Dutchmen with a power play goal just under five minutes later, walking in from the left faceoff circle before firing home a wrist shot high on the glove side at 10:14.
Union regained its one-goal advantage at 16:48 on Supinski’s fourth career goal. After a failed clearing attempt, Supinski collected the loose puck and beat Phinney with a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle.
Skrbich knotted things up for Princeton 1:32 later, jamming in a rebound from right in front of the Union goal, sending the game into the third at 3-3.
Teves gave the Tigers a 4-3 lead at 13:53 of the third after making a diving play to clear trickling puck out of the Tigers crease and deny Union a scoring chance earlier in the shift. Teves cut in from the left wing and ripped a shot high blocker side for his second of the year.
The Dutchmen continued to battle, finding their way back into the game with 3:01 left in regulation. After a scramble in front of the Princeton goal, Scarfo punched in a loose puck for his team-leading 11th goal of the season to force overtime.
Matt Wilkins has Union’s best chance of the overtime period, but his wrist shot sailed over the crossbar in the game’s final seconds.
Princeton outshot Union 32-28. The Dutchmen were 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Tigers were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
Union returns home for the first time since Dec. 20 next weekend for a pair of ECAC Hockey contests. The Dutchmen welcome Colgate at 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 15 before taking on #9 Cornell at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 16.
NOTES:
Union’s nine overtime games this season is tied for the most in Division I, while its five ties on the season are tied for third.
