Freshman Jay Latulippe scored two goals for Clarkson, but it was not enough to overcome goaltender David Cann and Colgate, as the Raiders came back twice to end the contest in a 2-2 tie Saturday evening at Cheel Arena.
“Jay is an offensive threat in every game that he plays in,” said Clarkson head coach Mark Morris. “He’s very creative, he has a nose for the net. With some additional strength, he’s going to be one of the great players in this league.” This weekend was the first weekend back for Latulippe, as he went out with and injury against Mercyhurst.
After a disheartening loss the night before to Cornell, Clarkson (9-9-5, 5-2-4 ECAC) looked to salvage the weekend when the Golden Knights captured the lead late in the first period.
A penalty to Rob Brown for holding the stick gave the Knights the opportunity they needed. Chris Bahen cycled a pass to the center of the blue line for Latulippe, and Latulippe blasted a one-timer past Cann to give Clarkson the 1-0 lead at 16:28. The goal ended a 157:45 scoring drought for the Knights, going all the way back to last Friday’s Dartmouth contest.
The Raiders responded quickly to the deficit, when at 18:09 captain Etienne Morin knotted the game at one for Colgate. Kyle Doyle centered a pass for Morin, and he one-timed the attempt past netminder Mike Walsh stick-side, making it 1-1 at the end of one.
Clarkson dominated the shot chart in the first frame, outshooting Colgate 13-4, and the momentum carried into the second when the Golden Knights recaptured the lead at 10:49. Latulippe received a feed from Chris Blight in the slot and made the attempt count as he beat Cann low and gave Clarkson a 2-1 lead.
The Raiders rebounded in the third period as they had the previous night, and just 2:42 into the third Bob Vandersluis notched the equalizer. Vandersluis skated in front of the Clarkson net from the left with the puck. With traffic in front of Walsh, Vandersluis lifted a shot and found the back of the net.
The game went to overtime, and although Colgate outshot Clarkson in the extra period 5-1, neither team could net the winning goal.
Cann made 30 saves and allowed two goals for the Raiders, while Walsh stopped 22 attempts and allowed two tallies for the Knights. Clarkson went 1-for-4 on the power-play for the evening, while Colgate could not convert on its three man-advantages.
“We’re getting some great leadership,” said Colgate head coach Don Vaughn. “It’s from all sources, it’s not just coming from the guys who wear the letters. We’re getting it out of the younger guys too. The guys knew that even though we didn’t have a great second, they knew that they were capable of getting back into this game.”
“We had opportunities to blow the game wide open in the first forty minutes,” remarked Morris. “We were listless in the third and the overtime, and basically hung on for the tie. We need to regroup in the next couple of days and get ready for St. Lawrence.”
The injury bug continues to hamper Clarkson, as freshman Randy Jones went out in the third with a knee injury. It is unclear whether he will be ready to play Tuesday for the Knights.
On Tuesday, Clarkson will travel the ten miles to Canton, N.Y., to face off against ECAC and North Country rival St. Lawrence at 7:00 p.m., before traveling to face Yale and Princeton on the weekend, while Colgate will host Brown and Harvard in ECAC action.
