ITHACA, NY - In a game that went down to the wire, a disputed late goal by the Knights turned out to not cross the line in time and Cornell escaped with a 2-1 win to open the series on Friday night at Lynah Rink.
Clarkson would go on the penalty kill early in the game as
Luke Mobley was called for a cross-check as he dumped the puck in. The call on the ice was a 2-minute penalty, but a Cornell challenge, allowed the referees to review and change the call to a 5-minute major and a game misconduct. On the ensuing power play, Cornell would strike early as Gabriel Seger was able to convert at 6:01. With the major penalty still on the board, the Knights still had over 3 minutes on the power play to kill off. Some timely saves and selfless shot-blocking kept the Big Red off the board for the rest of the major penalty.
The Knights were able to come back with some shifts that generated good pressure and some good chances on net, the best probably with under 20 seconds when
Mathieu Gosselin got the puck on net and a rebound popped out to
Alex Campbell, but he couldn't quite get the handle on the shot.
In the 2nd period the Knights turned the tide their way by out shooting and out chancing the Big Red, but could not solve Ian Shane.
In the 3rd period, Cornell would take a 2-0 lead at 1:13 when Michael Suda would tuck a wrap-around shot in the net. Clarkson responded quickly when a delayed call was coming to Cornell and with the extra attacker,
Mathieu Gosselin was able to put the Knights on the board at 5:15. The Knights would also get the power play but were not able to convert. Clarkson out shot Cornell in the 3rd period 6-5 and had close to 3 minutes of pressure to end the game. With the extra attacker, Clarkson was able to get a shot on net that was blocked but the rebound was sent to the back of the net, but confusion ensued. The official behind the net signaled a goal but likely could not hear the buzzer. As the teams waited with uncertainty, a review determined that time had expired before the puck crossed the line.
Ethan Haider would make 18 saves for the Knights, 10 in the 1st period.
Clarkson was 0 for 4 on the power play, while holding Cornell to 1 for 4 on the power play.
The two teams will meet back at Lynah Rink tomorrow night for game 2 of the series.
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For more information about Clarkson Athletics visit www.clarksonathletics.com and to learn more about the ECAC, visit www.ecachockey.com/sports/mhockey
