CORNELL 4, @Colgate 1 … Box Score | Game Recap | Video Highlights
CORNELL 3, @Colgate 0 … Box Score | Game Recap | Video Highlights
We returned to playing great Cornell hockey this past weekend. This is what we anticipated all season, but due to many injuries, we hadn’t been able to put it all together. We’re healthy now and looking forward to playing next Friday in the ECAC semifinals in Lake Placid. When you only give up two goals in three playoff games, you are clicking on all cylinders!
On Friday night, play was at a standstill in the early going of the first period. But, at the 14:25 mark, senior captain Kyle Penney chipped a pass to first-year forward Charlie Major in our defensive zone. Major carried the puck into the Colgate zone on a 3-on-2 break. From the left faceoff circle, Major found Penney at the top of the slot, and Kyle banged the puck home to give us a 1-0 lead.
With a little less than nine minutes left in the second period, we increased the score to 2-0. Sophomore defenseman Hoyt Stanley sent a shot towards the net, the Colgate goalie stopped the initial shot, but senior forward Jack O’Leary put the rebound inside the right post. Colgate scored a power-play goal at 18:16 of the second period. It was the Raiders’ only power-play opportunity of the night.
We got our two-goal lead back at 8:08 of the third period. Sophomore forward Jonathan Castagna converted at rebound, with Penney and Major credited with assists. In the waning minutes of the game Colgate was assessed a penalty (too-many-players) and still pulled their goaltender. We went on the power play and senior forward Sullivan Mack scored into an empty Colgate net.
Senior goaltender Ian Shane had 21 saves and the Colgate netminder stopped 24 shots. We were 1-for-4 on the power play, and the Raiders were 1-for-1.
Winning the first game of a three-game series gives a team a gigantic boost and we took advantage. Saturday night was a gritty win for us, and we really shut down their offense. Shane has stepped up and played well over the last three games. He seems to have regained his rhythm at the right time.
We jumped in front at 6:37 of the first period, when Sullivan Mack executed a spin move in the Colgate end to get the puck past the Raiders goalie. Offense was limited both in the first period and into the second. In the second period there were several penalties; we killed off two and Colgate one. A total of 20 minutes of penalties were assessed on Saturday night.
At 4:11 of the third period, we scored with two seconds left on our third power play of the night. Charlie Major scored with a shot from the bottom of the faceoff circle, beating the goaltender to his short side to increase our lead to 2-0. It was the Skaneateles native’s fifth point vs. Colgate in four games.
We had to kill off four Colgate power plays over the rest of the third period, and our penalty killers rose to the occasion, playing stingy defense. Later in the third period, we were assessed two overlapping penalties and Colgate elected to pull their goaltender for a six-on-three advantage. We held the fort.
Our final goal was unusual. With the Colgate goalie pulled and 28 seconds remaining, junior forward Dalton Bancroft had a breakaway on the empty net. A Colgate player jumped off the bench to stop Bancroft, and the Raiders were assessed an illegal substitution, and Bancroft was awarded the goal.
Shane, who really stepped up this weekend, made 21 saves, and the Raider’s goalie stopped 19 shots. We were 1-for-3 on the power play, and they were 0-for-7. We have scored a power play goal in three straight games. The highlight of the weekend was killing off the 6-on-3 power play in the second game.
So, it’s back to Lake Placid next weekend, and because we seed fourth, we face first-seed #12 Quinnipiac at 4 p.m. on Friday. Second-seed Clarkson and third-seed Dartmouth play at 7. This is why we play the game to get into postseason action. I’m really pleased how this team has battled so much adversity this season, and that we’re headed to Lake Placid again.
I know that our most loyal fans will join us for the early Friday competition, and we thank you for your support all season long.