Correction Appended

After a preseason filled with talk of a balanced and prolific offensive attack, the men’s hockey team relied on some familiar faces for its offensive production as it managed to squeak out a 3-2 overtime victory over Niagara on Saturday. Senior captain Colin Greening netted a goal and an assist, junior Riley Nash tallied two assists, and junior Joe Devin potted the overtime winner in the Red’s first regular season game of the year.

After outshooting Niagara, 40-25, through 60 minutes, Cornell was forced into overtime to settle the game. The Red’s offensive attacks were repeatedly thwarted by determined shot-blocking and stellar goaltending from the Purple Eagles, forcing the extra period. Niagara’s skaters blocked a total of 29 shots and goaltender Adam Avramenko made 38 saves in the losing effort.

“It was frustrating, no question, when you generate that many good quality scoring chances,” explained Cornell head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “The power-play moved it around, we took our shots, but some nights you just have to keep persevering.”

Just six minutes into the first period, a pair of Niagara freshmen found a gap to open the score. Center Marc Zanette found defenseman Jason Beattie open at the right point. Beattie took a few strides towards the net and sent a floater in on the Red goalie Ben Scrivens. The senior goaltender went down on his knees amid traffic and absorbed some contact in an attempt to catch the puck. As Scrivens reached up with his trapper, the puck deflected off his glove and into the net.Free hockey: Junior Joe Devin (22) watches as his game-winning goal sails past Niagara’s netminder just over three minutes into overtime.

The referees left the ice to review the play on video replay. However, the video system malfunctioned and the referees were unable to take a second look at the goal. The play stood as it was called, giving Niagara a 1-0 lead.

“We felt that Scrivens was interfered with,” Greening said. “When he went back to grab it, we felt he was kind of pushed and the puck went in the net. We went to the ref and asked him for a video replay... but then I went back over and they said there was just a black screen. They said it was inconclusive, so they counted it as a goal.”

With a man-advantage and just under seven minutes remaining in the opening frame, sophomore Sean Whitney found Nash with a pass along the right boards in the neutral zone. Nash gained the blue line and then sent a laser of a pass to Greening who came streaking up the left side and into the slot. Greening collected the puck and quickly ripped a wrist shot top-shelf, over Avramenko’s right shoulder, to tie the game at 1-1.

Cornell was given 48 seconds of a 5-on-3 power-play early in the second period after Niagara took two consecutive penalties. With the two-man advantage, the Red worked the puck around slowly in the Niagara zone. Just as the first penalty expired, Kennedy received a pass from Blake Gallagher in the right circle and blasted a slap-shot blocker-side, cutting through a screen from Greening and over the shoulder of Avramenko, putting the Red up 2-1 just 1:53 into the second.

“I know Patrick wasn’t really shooting over there for most of the power-play and he finally shot the puck and it just went it,” Greening said. “I was there for the screen but it didn’t hit me. He’s got a great shot and any time he can let it rip, good things happen, and it showed tonight.”

When sophomore Keir Ross was called for unsportsmanlike conduct at 15:51 of the second and senior Brendon Nash was whistled for tripping just 54 seconds later, the Purple Eagles were given a 5 on 3 opportunity of their own. Niagara wasted no time in capitalizing. Chris Moran fed senior winger Egor Mironov, who the snapped a shot short-side that sailed by Scrivens’ glove and into the back of the net. The second period came to a close with the score knotted at 2-2.

“We knew it was going to be a tight game going into the third period,” Schafer said. “Give [Niagara] a lot of credit. I thought their goaltender played a tremendous game. Their forwards and their defense, you have to tip your hat to them. The amount of times they sacrificed their bodies to block shots was incredible.”

Cornell completely controlled the play in the third period, out-shooting Niagara 17-6 in the final frame.

With just under seven minutes remaining in regulation, some feisty fore-checking from Greening during a stretch of four-on-four play opened up junior Mike Devin for a point blank shot between the pipes. In a play that epitomized the Red’s offensive attack on the night, Devin sent a hard wrister straight into Avramenko’s chest as Devin proceeded to shake his head in frustration. The teams remained tied after three periods, sending the game to overtime.

Junior forward Joe Devin explained that despite the team’s inability to convert on its chances, spirits remained high on the Red bench heading into overtime.

“I think we were pretty positive,” Devin said. “We had a bunch of chances. Their goalie just played really well for them, but you just have to keep getting it on it net, and it’s bound to go in once in a while.”

Niagara had the Red on their heels for a chunk of the overtime period, forcing Scrivens to make 5 extra-frame saves. The Red finally escaped its own zone when freshman Nick D’Agostino corralled the puck up to Greening, who then sprung Joe Devin free on a break-out. Devin came bursting into the Eagles’ zone and had Avramenko drifting to his left. Devin then lifted a back-hand shot in the opposite direction over top of the goalie’s right pad, giving Cornell a 3-2 victory at 3:18 of the extra frame.

“Greening was coming up the left-hand side,” Devin said. “I was just calling for it and he made a real good pass there. There was some pretty bad ice down below, but it just squeaked in.”

Cornell picked up the win after outplaying its opponent, but Schafer and his players recognized that they squandered too many offensive chances and had some defensive lapses.

“If that was the last game of the year, would I be happy?” Schafer asked himself. “Probably not. But being the first game of the year, I was pretty pleased with how we handled things.”

Correction: The original headline, "Greening’s Two Goals Not Enough, So Devin Lends a Hand in Overtime," attributed Patrick Kennedy's goal to Colin Greening. The Sun regrets this error.