CORNELL 5, Yale 1 … Box score | Game Recap | Video Highlights
Saturday night was not an easy game, like our year! We started strong, had a little lull, but kept the pressure on into the third period and broke the game open. During the first two periods, we hit posts and cross bars five times. In the third period, we broke through on the power play that failed us many times during the year. We scored early in the first period. At 2:30 senior defenseman Tim Rego (who had a great game and was named ECAC Defenseman of the Week) made a great move to get into position and ripped a shot past the Yale goaltender. We led 1-0 until 16:27 of the second period, when Yale tied the game with a nifty move that put senior goaltender Ian Shane out of position.
At 9:02 of the third period, senior forward Ondrej Psenicka picked up the puck in the slot and scored a power-play goal for a 2-1 lead. Our power play worked well all night. The next goal came quickly, just 37 seconds after the Psenicka goal. Senior forward Kyle Penney deflected sophomore defenseman Hoyt Stanley’s shot into the net.
With 5:19 remaining in the game, Yale challenged a contact-to-the-head penalty, and we were assessed a 5-minute major. But two minutes into their power play, Yale was called for interference, and we played 4-on-4. At 16:51, Rego scored his second goal to make it 4-1. Junior forward Nick DeSantis scored an empty net goal with 14 seconds remaining to finish the 5-1 win.
Shane made 18 saves, and the Yale netminder stopped 28 shots. We were 1-for-4 on the power play, and they were 0-for-4. The game on Saturday night was at ‘playoff pace’ and may give us an advantage Friday night at Colgate in the best-of-three series. It helps that we’ve already played this type of hockey and faced elimination.
It’s a good memory that the last game I coached in Lynah Rink ended in a win. The seniors can also leave Lynah on a high note. We look forward to seeing many of the Lynah Faithful in Hamilton on Friday night. Your support on the road is unsurpassed by anyone in the league.