St. Lawrence responded to a Cornell first period tally by scoring the next four goals en route to a 4-2 victory on Saturday night at Lynah Rink.
The Big Red grabbed the game’s first goal when they converted their third power-play marker of the season. Joel Lowry got play started when he out-muscled a couple of Saints’ defenders to get the puck to Jake Weidner at the right corner. Weidner held for a brief moment, then fired a cross-ice bullet pass that found the waiting tape of Cole Bardreau at the left slot for an easy finish past sliding netminder Kyle Hayton.
It only took a little over two minutes for the Saints to respond to that Bardreau marker, and they would never look back.
After some good possession territorially from the Saints, Gunnar Hughes threw a shot at the net from the right point. The puck eluded a sea of players, including Cornell starting goalie Mitch Gillam, who could not find the puck in time, as it just slipped past his right pad, knotting the game at one.
The game remained tied at one after the opening period of play, but the home side could have easily held an advantage had it not been for the play of Hayton. The Big Red had three breakaways in the first period, including two with the Saints on a power play, but Hayton stood his ground on all three, keeping his team in the game early.
“Hayton has been making those saves all year for us,” said St. Lawrence coach Greg Carvel. “He’s really good; he’s athletic and quick. We know when we give breakaways up, I’m not quite as nervous as I used to be with him back there.”
Hayton’s strong second frame gave the Saints a chance, and they responded throughout the rest of the game, starting with a goal very late in the second period.
Alex Dahl won a loose puck battle to get the puck to Nolan Gluchowski at the center point. From there, Gluchowski wound and fired, unleashing a slap shot that aimed at a mass of bodies in front of the net. Somehow, the puck made its way through the horde of bodies and behind Gillam, who did not see it until it came back out of the net and in front of him.
The Big Red were given a chance to respond early on in the third period and swing the momentum back their way when a slashing call gave Cornell a man advantage.
Unfortunately for the hosts, it was the Saints that would use the most of the special teams opportunity. After St. Lawrence cleared the puck down ice, Patrick Doherty was in pursuit as he beat out a couple of Cornell defenders to the puck at the top of the right faceoff circle. Gillam, who is normally an aggressive puck playing goaltender, decided to stay in his crease on the play. Doherty took advantage of that as he unloaded a shot from the faceoff dot that beat Gillam to the far side, which would be all the offense the Saints needed.
The Saints notched another goal four minutes later when Woody Hudson got his stick to a loose puck and beat Gillam during a power play.
Another power-play goal came seven minutes later, this time from the Big Red, but it was too late as the Saints held Cornell to just six shots on goal in the closing frame.
The game would not end quietly though, as following the final horn, a melee ensued behind the St. Lawrence net. The scrap started because of a spear from Saints forward Gunnar Hughes, who received a five-minute major for spearing, a five-minute major for fighting, and a double game disqualification on the play. Chris Martin also received a game disqualification for the Saints, while Holden Anderson and Matt Buckles got identical punishments for the Big Red.
“It was pretty clear that is was a spear that kind of started everything,” said Cornell coach Mike Schafer. “Other than that, it’s a bunch of wrestling and rolling around on the ice.”
Carvel also talked about the event after the game, saying “There was some chirping going on toward the end of the game and sometimes stuff like that happens when there’s a frustrated team on the other side.”
