After last weekend’s loss to Clarkson, the Red (21-3-0, 16-2-0 ECAC Hockey) needed to gain back lost momentum, and it did so in convincing fashion — shutting out Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (8-18-4, 5-11-2), 3-0, on Friday night before topping Union (4-22-4, 2-14-2) the following day, 5-1. With the Saturday win over the Dutchwomen and Harvard’s victory over Princeton, Cornell clinched its third consecutive Ivy League title.
The Red emerged strong out of the gates in the opening period against the Engineers, finishing the frame with a 12-5 advantage in shots on goal. Despite this edge and three power play opportunities, the Red failed to score and the period ended tied, 0-0.
However, the Red finally found the back of the net in the second period, when it scored two goals just 78 seconds apart. Cornell’s first goal resulted from a slapshot by junior defenseman Lauriane Rougeau from the blue line that deflected to sophomore forward Brianne Jenner and went into the net. A few seconds later senior forward and captain Catherine White picked up her own rebound by the Engineers’ net and passed it to senior forward and captain Chelsea Karpenko who found her target.
According to Karpenko, not getting frustrated allowed Cornell to stay focused and ultimately take the lead.
“I think being patient is key in any game because a lot of times what you want to happen doesn’t happen right away,” she said. “I think a lot of times the teams that get frustrated and get away from their systems are the ones who end up making costly mistakes, so being patient is really important.”
Original Author: Ben Horowitz