It was a sophomore show for Cornell men’s hockey in Hamden on Saturday.
A pair of sophomore forwards each scored their sixth goals of the season, another second-year player shined between the pipes and the Red overcame a two-goal first period deficit to tie top-five ranked Quinnipiac.
The Bobcats (15-4-1, 6-3-1 ECAC) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening period courtesy of goals from Ethan de Jong and Peter DiLiberatore. In a show of resilience, Cornell (7-5-1, 5-2-1) would later pot two of its own to even the score and earn a crucial road point against one of the best teams in the country.
Sophomore forward Cam Donaldson buried the first tally for the Red past Bobcat goaltender Andrew Shortridge late in the first period. The ensuing equalizer came from Donaldson’s classmate Morgan Barron, who took advantage of a two-on-one opportunity in the second to place the puck over the left shoulder of Shortridge to knot the game at two. Shortridge finished with 30 saves.
Not to be outdone, sophomore goaltender Austin McGrath made a total of 35 stops in relief of his injured classmate, reigning first-team All-American Matt Galajda. McGrath is now unbeaten in three straight games in just four collegiate starts — all on the road and against formidable conference opponents.
The draw capped off a three-point weekend for Cornell against two of its biggest competitors in the conference this season after completing a season sweep against Princeton Friday night. With the point for each side, Cornell moves into sole possession of third place in the ECAC with 11 points and Quinnipiac into a tie with Yale for first at 13. Yale played out of conference Saturday night.
Cornell now takes a break from its ECAC schedule to face No. 15 Arizona State at home next Friday and Saturday before returning to conference play for the final 14 games of the season.