Raiders Rob Brown and Bob Vandersluis each scored two goals as Colgate rolled over the visiting Canisius Golden Griffons 7-2. The Raiders have now won three in a row and have gone undefeated in their last five games.
The game was still within reach for Canisius entering the third period. Down 4-2, the Griffons had a two-man advantage for 40 seconds, giving them an opportunity to cut the lead in half.
Said Colgate head coach Don Vaughan, “The key was killing off the power plays at the beginning of the third period. If they come out and score one, it’s now a one-goal game.”
The Raiders successfully killed both penalties and scored three goals in the third to secure the runaway victory. Darryl McKinnon scored first in the final frame, tapping in a shot that was redirected by fellow first year Adam Mitchell. Defenseman Brown was the next to score, on a hard slapshot from the top of the left circle. It was his second goal and third point of the evening. He also finished with a plus-four rating.
“The big thing with Rob is his conditioning,” commented Vaughan. “When you have that kind of stamina, intensity, and skill level, you get good results. He was an All-Rookie last year and I think he could be the best defenseman in this league pretty soon.”
Vandersluis scored the final tally of the game, skating untouched near the Griffon crease to pump home a backhanded feed by McKinnon.
Said Vaughan, “He’s played really well. He had his best game ever up at Clarkson, where he scored a huge goal to tie the game. He’s got great offensive instincts, and I’m very proud of him.”
The Raiders’ seven-goal output was their largest on the year, and they generated 52 shots on net.
Vaughan was still not content with his team’s effort. “Overall I thought we worked pretty hard. We obviously generated some offense, but we still didn’t have everybody going. We’re going to need everybody if we are going to make a run.”
Colgate’s Brad D’Arco and P.J. Yedon also scored for the Raiders, while Corey Lucas and Marc Bouffard each netted a goal for the frustrated Griffons.
Canisius head coach Brian Cavanaugh was focused on his team’s injuries. “We’ve got to find a way to get healthy. We’re pretty banged up right now.”
Both teams will return to conference action this weekend. Canisius will travel to American International on Friday night, while Colgate will host Yale.
