The term “exhibition” typically connotes “an act of evincing, or showing off” and that is exactly what the men’s hockey did as it pummeled visiting Wilfrid Laurier 8-1 Saturday evening before 3,717 spirited fans at Lynah Rink.
The Red dominated the game, outshooting the Golden Hawks 43-8. In the process, the squad certainly “exhibited” a convincing defensive effort, a devastatingly potent power play that seemed to pick up where it left off last year, a freshman class brimming with potential and an ability to remain disciplined at both ends of the ice.
Freshman David LeNeveu started between the pipes for the Red as head coach Mike Schafer ’86 rested senior netminder Matt Underhill, who is still nursing a pulled muscle. Although he surrendered a goal on the first collegiate shot he faced, he made a pair of dazzling saves late in the game. However, LeNeveu remained largely untested throughout the contest.
The game began inauspiciously for the home side as senior forward David Kozier was ticketed for tripping just 24 seconds into the contest. On the ensuing man advantage, Derek Sabourin gathered the puck at the blue-line and fired a shot past a screened LeNeveu to give Laurier its first and only tally of the game.
Over the next three minutes the Red generated several scoring chances on the strength of an ability to sustain control of the puck in its offensive zone. The intensity bore dividends, drawing Cornell’s first power play. Kozier and junior captain Stephen B