RANK SCORES TWO, SAINTS TOP UNION 5-2

Feb. 17: Senior Kyle Rank snapped a 2-2 tie with a shorthanded goal at 7:51 of the third period and added an empty net goal with 27 seconds left as 15 th-ranked St. Lawrence University skated to a 5-2 ECAC Hockey League win over Union at Appleton Arena Saturday night.

 

Rank, who had three goals and an assist in the two weekend games, was named ECAC Hockey League Player of the Week for the third time this season on Monday.

 

The Saints swept their ECACHL weekend series with Rensselaer and Union and hold a three point lead on Clarkson in the ECACHL standings with two games to play. The Saints, 19-11-2 overall and 15-4-1 in league play, can finish no lower than second and can clinch the top spot with one more win or two ties in its final two games. Union is 13-16-3 overall and 6-13-1 in league play.

 

Rank scored the eventual game winner after senior defenseman Drew Bagnall blocked a Union shot and headed up ice with Rank on a two-on-one. Bagnall took the initial shot which Union goalie Justin Mrazek kicked out, but Rank pounced on the rebound and tucked it back into the empty net for his 13 th of the year and second game-winner.

 

St. Lawrence continued a string of successful outings on its “Senior Night” and is 7-0-1 in its last eight as all four senior players in the lineup had at least one point.

 

“It was a good way to finish off the regular season at home,” said Saint coach Joe Marsh. “We certainly had to work for everything we got in both games this weekend, but we received a solid effort all the way through the lineup. We had one of our better home league seasons ever at 10-1, and that is a tribute to the way different guys stepped up at key times.

 

“Hopefully we will get our injured guys back for next weekend and be able to continue to build momentum heading into the playoffs.”

 

While the Saints had a 13-6 edge in shots on goal in the first period, it ended in a scoreless tie thanks to some big saves by Mrazek.

 

The Saints broke through with two seconds to play on a power play early in the second period as junior wing Jordan Hack was right in front of the net and freshman center Jeremiah Cunningham found him with a pass from behind the net. Hack scored his fifth of the year at 4:32 for a 1-0 lead, but Union came back to tie it on a power play seven minutes later.

 

Freshman Jeff Christiansen scored his fifth of the year when he picked up a rebound of a shot by Mario Valery-Trabucco and tucked it inside the far post before Saint goalie Alex Petizian could get back across the crease to stop the shot at 11:38.

 

The Dutchmen took a 2-1 lead at 2:53 of the third as Chris Potts was wide open in the slot and slid one along the ice between Petizian and the post, but Saint rookie Jeremiah Cunningham tied it with his sixth of the year at the five minute mark, beating Mrazek with a rising shot under the crossbar.

 

Rank then scored his shorthander and Alex Curran scored his second of the year at 14:37 to give the Saints a two goal cushion. Rank hit the empty net at 19:33 to complete the scoring, picking up his own rebound after banking the first shot off the side of the net. Classmates Andrzej Sandrzyk and Max Taylor assisted on the goal, a fitting end to their final home regular season game.

 

“We received points from three of the four lines tonight and the line that didn’t score put pretty good pressure on a number of times,” said Marsh. “When you can play four lines for a whole game and have them produce for you, it really makes it tough on the opposition.”

 

Mrazek finished with 30 saves for the Dutchmen while Petizian had 21 in his 15 th win of the season.