A bid to knock off the number-eighth/ninth ranked team in the country came up short for the Clarkson University Hockey team as Cornell defeated the Golden Knights 3-1 before 2,768 fans in ECAC Hockey action at Cheel Arena on Friday night.
Playing for the first time since January 3, the Big Red (9-4-2, 7-2-1) scored twice while on delayed penalties and added their third goal in the final minutes to break the Golden Knights’ modest two-game unbeaten streak (1-0-1).
Although Clarkson did not score in the first period, the Knights set the tone for a solid effort throughout the game by dominating Cornell in the opening stanza. The Green and Gold held an 8-2 advantage in shots through the first 10 minutes, and a 9-6 margin for the period. Cornell had two power plays over the final 10 minutes of the period, but Clarkson’s defense shut down the Big Red by limiting the visitors to just one shot on the man-advantage opportunities.
Cornell came out stronger in the middle frame and grabbed the initial lead when sophomore Locke Jillson (Dallas, TX) knocked in a rebound off a shot by senior Justin Krueger (Dusseldorf, Germany) 1:25 into the period. Riley Nash (Kanloops, BC) also assisted on the goal which came as the Big Red were skating on a delayed penalty.
The Knights came right back to tie when sophomore Corey Tamblyn (Bobcaygeon, ONT) took a pass form junior defenseman Bryan Rufenach (Cameron, ONT) and fired in a shot from the bottom of the right circle for his third goal of the season at 2:29. Sophomore Julien Cayer (Longueuil, QUE) also assisted.
Audio Tamblyn Goal
Cornell scored twice in the third period to pull out its second straight win. Just as the Knights were being called for a penalty, junior Patrick Kennedy (Dorchester, ONT) tallied the game-winner at 10:18 off assists from Nash and senior Blake Gallagher (Dartmouth, NS). Cornell’s senior captain Colin Greening (St. John’s NF) sealed the visitors’ victory with a quick shot from the high slot with 1:35 remaining in the game for his seventh goal of the year.
Cornell out shot Clarkson 23-19. Sophomore Paul Karpowich (Thunder Bay, ONT) posted 20 saves for the Knights, while senior Ben Scrivens (Spruce Grove, ALB) made 18 stops for the Big Red.
Cornell, which had the first four power plays in the game, went 0-of-7 with the man-advantage. Clarkson was 0-of-2 on the power play.
Clarkson, at 5-13-3 overall and 1-6-2 in ECAC Hockey action, host Colgate on Saturday in a 7:00 p.m. game.
