By EMILY BERMAN
For 76 consecutive games, senior goaltender Andy Iles has been the consistent, stabilizing presence for the men’s ice hockey team. It was without him on the ice, however, that the Red shone on Friday night, scoring two goals in the final 1:35 of regulation with Iles pulled for the extra attacker to give Cornell a 3-3 tie with No. 10/13 Rensselaer. The No. 14/15 Red (3-2-1, 1-2-1) failed to keep the momentum going into Saturday’s matchup, though, and was shutout 3-0 for the second straight Saturday, falling to Union in a game in which the Red mustered only 11 shots.
Junior forward and captain John McCarron assisted on both of Friday’s late goals, increasing his team-leading point total to nine points in six games. For the first goal, he dished the puck from behind the net to sophomore linemate Christian Hilbrich, who sent a feed to junior defenseman Joakim Ryan. While shooting, Ryan drew a penalty from Rensselaer leading scorer Ryan Haggerty, giving the Red a goal and a power play in the same motion.
Barely over a minute later, Ryan sent the puck to McCarron on the wall, who passed it to senior forward Dustin Mowrey. Mowrey snapped a shot from the high slot behind Engineer goalie Scott Diebold to tie the game with 30 seconds remaining.
Despite clawing its way back to a tie, the Red had held the initial lead in the match-up. Less than eight minutes into the first period, Ryan fired a wrist shot that slid past the right post to give the Red the 1-0 lead. Rensselaer came back in the second period, however, scoring on a short-handed goal 1:11 into the period. It was the first short-handed goal the Red had given up in 52 games, a streak dating back to January of 2012.
The Engineers added their second goal late in the second period during a power play for the 2-1 lead. They netted their last goal, an even strength tally, 7:59 into the third period for the 3-1 advantage.
The next day’s game was a frustrating affair for the Red, which failed to put away several early chances against Union and suffered its second shutout in six games. The Red has yet to outshoot an opponent this season, and managed only 11 shots on goal compared to the Dutchmen’s 31.
By Brian Stern / Staff PhotographerThe Red scored two goals in the final 1:35 of regulation on Friday, and junior forward John McCarron assisted on both.