#9 CORNELL 4, #6 North Dakota 1 …Box Score | Game Recap | Video Highlights
#9 CORNELL 5, #6 North Dakota 3 …Box Score | Game Recap | Video Highlights
Obviously, we were very pleased with our effort this past weekend. I was happy with our special teams even though our power play didn’t score. But our penalty kill was outstanding (0x7) against a team that came into Lynah Rink converting 90% of their power play opportunities (#1 nationally in that category).
On Friday night, we started quickly, but didn’t manage pucks very well in the neutral zone, and our turnovers caused us to lose momentum. Junior forward Nick DeSantis opened the scoring with a wrap-around shot that beat the ND goaltender to his left pad side at 1:39 of the first period. That got the sold-out crowd on its feet and roaring. But the Fighting Hawks capitalized on a neutral zone turnover and tied the score at 3:53. Then less than two minutes later (5:15), we regained the lead, when sophomore forward Tyler Catalano redirected a shot by sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson. We scored again at 12:32 when freshman defenseman Nicholas Wolfenberg fired the puck from the right point into the back of the net for his first collegiate goal.
The second period was scoreless with each team credited with ten shots on goal. More of the same in the third period until senior forward Sullivan Mack scored with four seconds left into an open net to ice the victory.
It was a nice opening game victory, but it’s tough working out all those early season lessons against one of the best teams in the country (ranked No. 6 coming in). Senior goaltender Ian Shane picked up where he left off last year with a well-played game of 23 saves to 17 for a pair of Fighting Hawks net minders.
On Saturday night, we played better but made a couple of mistakes in the second period, and they capitalized. North Dakota had the first two shots of the first period (1:12), but we then held them to no shots for 13:42 and did not yield a shot on goal. As on Friday night, we opened the scoring first at 2:59. After two shots on goal were stopped, sophomore forward Jake Kraft converted the second rebound to give us a 1-0 lead. In the second period, we had a defensive breakdown while on the power play that led to a breakaway. Shane was equal to the task and preserved a 1-0 margin.
Crowd favorite, senior forward Jack O’Leary, made it 2-0 midway through the second period. North Dakota scored 14 seconds later, narrowing the gap to 2-1, then tied score at 2-2 at 16:20 and took the lead, 3-2, at 18:29. We went into the third period down a goal for the first time on the weekend.
Our guys showed resilience, and we came out in the third period with confidence. Fifty-two seconds into the third period, Kraft intercepted a pass and sent the puck to sophomore forward Ryan Walsh who tied the game at 3-3. The winning goal was tallied by senior defenseman Tim Rego on a wrap-around shot, as he converted a shot by defenseman Michael Suda, with freshman forward Charlie Major the recipient of his first collegiate assist. Senior captain Kyle Penney sealed the win with 1:26 left in the game an empty-net goal, with the assist to Walsh.
Shane made 25 saves, breaking his tie with Brian Cropper ’71 for the sixth most wins among Big Red goaltenders. The visitor’s goaltender stopped 23 shots. Both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play.
The boys are excited, but need to stay grounded this week to prepare to open ECAC play. Yale comes into Lynah Rink on Friday night, followed by Brown on Saturday. The rink was loud this past weekend, and we hope everyone liked what they saw, and will be back to support us opening the ECAC schedule.