CORNELL 4, Michigan State 3 … Box Score | Game Recap | Video Highlights
Boston U 3, CORNELL 2 [OT] … Box Score | Game Recap | Video Highlights
It had to happen eventually, but it would have been great to finish my career at the Frozen Four finals. Coming off the ECAC championship in Lake Placid, I couldn’t have been happier with how hard our guys played.
The win over Michigan State was one for the books. To keep coming back against the top ranked team in the country in a rink that was like a home game for them was classic Cornell hockey.
In the first period at 7:20, Michigan State opened the scoring. All season long the Spartans put a lot of shots on goal from everywhere. Their first period goal snapped our six-game streak of scoring first and they out shot us in the game, 37-21.
Later in the first period, at 15:02, sophomore forward Ryan Walsh picked the pocket of a Michigan State player and quickly beat the Spartan goaltender to make it 1-1. With 49 seconds remaining, we were assessed a penalty, and it took them just 20 seconds to regain the lead at 2-1.
We had a tough second period, and didn’t have a shot on goal until half-way through the period and finished with just four shots total. But all was not lost. At 16:30, sophomore forward Charlie Major showed his marksmanship with a one-timer that found the back of the net for a 2-2 tie. But seventeen seconds later, senior goaltender Ian Shane turned the puck over, and Michigan State led again, 3-2. Over their season, the Spartans were 18-0-2 when leading after two periods of play.
In the third period, we were just a team that would not be denied. At 12:38, sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson sent a shot on goal that resulted in a rebound. Walsh, standing on the doorstep, tied the game for the third time with his conversion tally. Ryan has been a tremendous player for us all season long. He’s also tremendous on faceoffs against the best in the country. I think we gave the boys a wakeup call going into that third period, as we outshot Michigan State, 12-7.
With 1:39 remaining, we were awarded our only power-play opportunity on the night, when speedy senior forward Jack O’Leary was pulled down from behind on his way to the net. We really put the pressure on, and with 20 seconds left, Major and senior forward Sullivan Mack exchanged passes about eight feet in front of the net. On the last exchange, Mack fired the puck into the net for the 4-3 win with 10 seconds remaining!
Shane played well in goal with 34 saves, and the Spartan’s netminder stopped 17 shots. Both teams were 1-for-1 on the power play.
The next day was a day of rest before we took on Boston University in the Regional Final. Thank goodness we had that day as a “flu bug” ran through our team. If we had had to play, we would have lost five players. I just can’t believe how well this team has played, despite so many injuries and illnesses.
Against Boston University, we took a 1-0 lead at 7:35 into the game, with Walsh doing the honors once again. Junior forward Dalton Bancroft’s initial shot was blocked, but the rebound hit Walsh and caromed into the net. Initially the goal was called off due to a hand pass, but we challenged the call and were successful. It only took a minute-twelve after our goal for BU to tie the score on a shot that ricocheted off a Cornell skate into the net.
With two minutes remaining in the first period, the referees reviewed a scrum after the whistle and assessed us a five-minute major penalty for grabbing the face mask. Now we were faced with defending the fourth-best power play in D1 for five minutes, and the penalty kill kept them off the scoreboard. The game, up to this point, had been competitive. After two periods, both teams had 23 shots on goal and we had an edge in face-offs won, 16-15.
In the third period, the Boston power play scored 34 seconds in to take a 2-1 lead. We kept pressing and with 5:30 remaining, Jack O’Leary off a great pass from senior defenseman Tim Rego tied the game at 2-2. Each team had a few more chances but the game was destined for overtime.
We had a couple of quality scoring opportunities at the beginning of the overtime period. At 6:25 of the extra session, BU scored the winning goal on a shot from the right point that made it through traffic into the left corner of the goal.
Shane made 40 saves (the second time in his career), and the BU goaltender stopped 37 shots. We were 0-for-3 on the power play, and they were 1-for-4.
I am so proud of the team’s grit and determination. To tie the game showed their perseverance and we had a couple of great chances in the first few minutes of overtime. When the goal was scored, my heart sank. To see that happen to our seniors three years in a row was difficult. They wanted the Final Four so badly. It is hard to put into words what it was like in the locker room. We finished the season 19-11-6 and won the ECAC Tournament Whitelaw Cup for a second year.
It has been an honor and privilege to coach these players and so many others before them. I have been blessed with so many great assistant coaches and volunteers that I wouldn’t know where to start to thank all the great people who have impacted my life and helped Cornell hockey be so successful.