Union turned things around on Nebraska-Omaha, winning the 2nd game of the
series 6-3 after losing game 1 6-3. UNO continues it's .500 play at home,
and also continues the streak where whichever team scores first, will win.
UNO is now 5-0 when scoring first and 0-7 when their opponent scores first.
 
Union got things going early with a goal in the opening minute and a half.
They added another by the 3:30 mark, and pulled ahead 3-0 on a "rookie" (for
lack of a better word) mistake by UNO Goalie Kendall Sidoruk when he went
out to get the puck and a Union player came up from behind and stole it.
 
UNO finally got on the board in the second when Andrew Tortorella scored his
4th power play goal of the year. Then in a span of what seemed like 5
minutes to me, later in the second, Union got a power play goal after
killing off a 4 minutes UNO power play, UNO came back and Billy Pugliese got
his 8th goal about a minute later, then Union pulled back ahead 5-2 to end
the scoring in the 2nd. This period was UNO's chance to get back in it,
especially with what turned out to be a 3:54 power play, and they just
couldn't capitalize.
 
UNO came out dead in the third, and basically did all they could to keep it
from becoming 6-2 or worse. With about 5 mintues to go the crowd started to
empty out, but those of us who stayed got a last piece of action. UNO pulled
Sidoruk with about 3 to go, and it paid off, UNO pulled to 5-3. But alas, it
was too little too late. Highlight of the 3rd came when a UNO player saved
an empty net goal thru sheer hustle, the puck was rolling about a foot from
the net when he chased it down, which with the exception of Andrew
Tortorella, was about the biggest show of energy out of a Maverick player
thru the whole night. With 15 seconds left Union managed to get the empty
netter, and the final was 6-3.
 
While I haven't seen UNO goalie Rodney McLeod in person yet, I have seen
Jason Mitchell and Sidoruk, and I think Mitchell is a solid #1 goalie for
the Mavs. Sidoruk did have some defensive breakdowns in front of him and
can't be blamed for those, but when you're down 2 to zip you shouldn't be
the sole cause of the back breaking 3rd goal.
 
UNO must rebound quickly as they start the toughest part of their schedule
and make their first WCHA road trip to Minn-Duluth, then come back to the
friendly confines of the Civic in 2 weeks when they take on Michigan Tech. I
won't be at any UNO games personally til New Year's Eve when UNO takes on
New Hampshire at the Civic.
 
UNO went 1-7 on the power play giving up a shorthanded goal
Union went 1-3 on the pp
 
Some of this info may be wrong (as there was in my UNO recruiting
update-sorry to anyone offended by those minor mistakes. :-) ), but the
score itself is right, and that's what matters!
 
Ben
U!-N!-O! U!-N!-O!
<insert opponents name here> is full strength! "WHO CARES!"
 
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