Dutchmen Drop First Game at Western Michigan

The #10/12 Union Dutchmen drove 12 hours west to Kalamazoo, Michigan to take on out-of-conference Western Michigan in a pair of weekend games. Western Michigan has been ranked as high as #19 in USCHO.com poll rankings, but is currently on the outside looking in on the top 20. The Dutchmen are 7-1-1 in nine non-conference games this season, and 5-6-2 in games against CCHA teams in eight seasons with Nate Leaman as head coach. This marked the first ever meeting between Union and Western Michigan.


Western Michigan took an early 1-0 lead at 15:01 in the first period on a nifty play in the neutral zone by Broncos defenseman Luke Witkowski to set up a two-on-one. Witkowski deflected the puck off the boards to Chase Bailey to the left of the slot, who then fed Shane Berschbach with a cross-ice pass. Berschbach finished into an open net.


The Western Michigan Broncos would strike again in the second period on the the team's third power play opportunity of the game. With senior forward Andrew Buote in the penalty box for boarding, Shane Berschbach took control of a rebound on a blocked shot from the point and fired a low wrist shot from the circle past sophomore goaltender Keith Kinkaid at 3:36.


Trailing 2-0 in the second period, Union would cut Western Michigan’s lead in half on their second power play opportunity of the night. The man advantage was created by sophomore forward Justin Pallos who was tripped up by Jerry Kuhn while driving to the net at 10:29. On the power play, sophomore forward Jeremy Welsh fed freshman defenseman Mat Bodie with a pass across the point. Bodie’s long wrist shot was deflected in front by freshman forward Daniel Carr past Kuhn at 12:23. The goal was Carr’s 10th of the season and sixth point in the last three games.


Carr also received the best opportunity to tie the game with Union on the power play late in the third period. Carr took a long pass from freshman forward Josh Jooris, and skated in alone on a breakaway. His low shot was stopped by Kuhn with 2:25 remaining in the game.


Despite outshooting Western Michigan 24-17 for the game, and 9-4 in the third period, Union fell 2-1 in a hard fought contest. They will try to split the weekend series in Kalamazoo this afternoon at 4 pm.
You may all listen to the game on TeamLine internet radio: http://www.teamline.cc/free_listen?teamcode=1160&eventcode=25&status=PFU