PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Efficiency on special teams and a 20-save shutout by Darion Hansen lifted Union (14-12-1, 10-4-0) to their third consecutive victory on Saturday night as the Dutchmen knocked off Brown at Meehan Auditorium to secure a four-point weekend.
Two goals on the power play by senior assistant captain and forward Ryan Scarfo, both assisted by senior defenseman J.C. Brassard, were all that Union needed to get out of Providence with the victory.
“J.C. and Ryan are experienced players,” said head coach Rick Bennett. “Both guys give us solid production night in and night out and they certainly provided us with that tonight with good execution on special teams. I though they both played with an edge.”
Union’s penalty kill finished the game four-for-four, also drawing praise from Bennett.
“The PK guys really stepped up tonight I thought,” said Bennett. “We did well at getting into the shooting lanes and clearing pucks out and not allowing those initial scoring opportunities. We’ll have to look at the tape because there are definitely some things we want to clean up but when you keep the other team’s power play off the score sheet you give yourself a great opportunity to win.”
On the other side, Brown head coach Brendan Whittet acknowledged his team’s lack of special teams success and lamented that his group needs to be better.
“Special teams won the hockey game for them and lost it for us,” said Whittet. “When you do have a chance on the power play, you have to capitalize. I thought our guys tonight tried to be a little too perfect rather than getting pucks to the net. We had two power plays in the first period tonight and we went 0 for 2 with zero shots on net, and that’s just demoralizing, we need to be better.”
Jack Adams nearly gave Union at 1-0 lead with less than three minutes to play in the first period when the freshman forward and Detroit Red Wings draft pick shot just wide of the near-side post on a two-on-one, keeping the game scoreless at the first intermission.
A little under three minutes into the second period, Luc Brown almost drew first blood for Union when the sophomore rang a wrist shot off the cross bar. At 5:33, Brown defenseman Max Gottlieb went off for a trip, giving Union its first power play opportunity of the night. Just 31 seconds into the man-advantage at 6:04, the Dutchmen cashed in as defenseman J.C. Brassard fired a one-timer on net that was kicked away by Brown goaltender Luke Kania. However, puck bounced right onto the tape of Ryan Scarfo, who deposited home the rebound into a wide-open cage to give Union a 1-0 lead.
With just under six minutes to play, Kania stoned Adams on a breakaway with the right pad to keep the deficit at a single goal for Brown at the second intermission.
“Luke has been very good for this last stretch here, he’s been excellent and he’s given us the opportunities to win hockey games,” said Whittet about his goaltender Luke Kania. “His save percentage is going up and I didn’t think either goal tonight was really his fault. He’s big, he’s confident, and those are great attributes for a goaltender to have.”
At 8:27 of the third period, Alex Brink was given the gate for checking from behind, which gave the Dutchmen a five-minute power play with the chance to double their lead and try to seal the win. After Brown killed off the majority of the five-minute major, Union broke through with 32 seconds remaining on the man advantage as Scarfo potted home his second of the night, again firing home the rebound of a shot from the point by Brassard to give the Dutchmen a 2-0 lead with 7:04 to play.
Brown pulled Kania from the net for an extra attacker with a little over two minutes to play, but Union thwarted any sort of significant scoring opportunity and repeatedly cleared the puck back into the Brown end without taking an icing. After nearly two minutes of six-on-five, the clock struck zeros and Union prevailed by the 2-0 final.