Down two goals early in the second period, No. 12 men’s hockey fought back to send the game to overtime and eventually defeat nearby rival Colgate, 3-2.
Freshman forward Charlie Major, an upstate New York native who grew up attending games at Lynah Rink, was the hero. He scored the game-winner in front of his family, childhood friends and a roaring, sold-out Lynah Rink. The goal was the Red’s first in overtime this season and Major’s first as a Cornellian.
“It’s a cool experience. You always come to these games when you’re younger, and it’s cool to be part of it,” Major said.
Despite holding Colgate (7-8-2, 4-2-1 ECAC) to just 10 shots on goal, Cornell spent most of the game trailing the Raiders thanks to an impressive 28-save performance from Colgate netminder Andrew Takacs. However, Cornell (5-2-3, 3-2-2 ECAC) continued to battle and eventually secured two points in the ECAC standings thanks to the team’s composure and relentlessness.
“We didn’t get discouraged on the bench. I never felt like guys were down on the bench tonight or questioned whether they would keep coming,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “They did the job.”
After toothpaste flew when Colgate took the ice, play started off evenly in the first period. For the first five minutes of the opening period, both teams threatened but neither converted on its opening shots. Then, Colgate forced a turnover in Cornell’s defensive zone, leading to the Raiders’ third shot on goal of the game which flew over the stick of senior goaltender Ian Shane to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Six minutes after the initial goal, Sophomore forward Jake Kraft had an opportunity all alone in front of Takacs after receiving a pass in the slot from behind the goal line. Kraft deked Takacs but was ultimately kept out by the Colgate netminder with a flailing pad stop.
Not long after, the Red earned the first power play of the night when a Colgate skater was whistled for hooking, but Cornell’s struggling power play could not break through the Raider penalty kill, which ranked third in the nation entering Friday’s contest.
“They’re a good defensive team. … They’re 4-1-1 in the league for a reason,” Schafer said. “Watch them on tape. They’re well coached. They play hard.”
Although it had nothing to show for it in the box score, Cornell spent a good portion of the opening frame in its offensive zone. After Colgate’s goal 6:56 into the game, the Raiders failed to register a shot on Shane until just 7.2 seconds remained. The Red out-attempted the Raiders 16-10 in the first and had a slight edge in shots on goal, 5-4.
The first intermission did little to stop the Red’s momentum. Less than two minutes into the second period, Cornell was back on the power play after a Colgate slashing penalty. However, Cornell’s 57th-ranked power play managed just one shot on goal during the two-minute advantage before even-strength play resumed.
Like much of the first period, the start of the second was dominated by Cornell. The Red did not give up a shot on goal until halfway through the period, out-attempting the Raiders 11-4 over that stretch.
The Red picked up its first penalty of the game when senior forward Ondreh Psenicka was called for tripping with nine minutes to go in the second period. Colgate’s power play, which entered the night atop the ECAC, converted when a shot from atop the right faceoff circle snuck by a screened Shane.
Down two goals, the Red did not panic.
“We’re a really calm group when we’re down,” said senior forward Jack O’Leary. “We kind of look at each other and we just know we’re gonna be fine and we’ll get the job done.”
With the dread of dropping a crucial rivalry matchup beginning to hang over the Lynah Faithful, Cornell responded. With a minute to go in the second frame, sophomore forward Jonathan Castagna collected a behind-the-back pass from senior defenseman Hank Kempf in the neutral zone and skated hard toward Colgate’s net.
As Castagna barreled through the high slot, he rocketed a backdoor pass to O’Leary, who knocked the puck by a lunging Takacs, sending thousands of waving whiteout towels into the air.
“That was a great play from Hank [Kempf] in the neutral zone. … He found [Castagna] and then I kind of figured he would beat them so I just tried to find some ice and luckily he put it right on my skate,” said O’Leary, who extended his point streak to three games. “Probably one of the easier ones I’ve had, but a great play out of those two guys.”
The Red entered the second intermission out-attempting the Raiders 39-22 and on the hunt for a game-tying goal. Instead, less than three minutes into the third period, Kempf was called for cross-checking, and Colgate’s potent power play returned. This time however, the Cornell penalty kill stymied the Raider’s efforts and preserved the one-goal deficit.
Just as another failed Cornell power play was coming to an end, the Red caught a break. Another Colgate skater committed a penalty, giving the Red another two minutes on the power play. Finally, working against a tired Colgate penalty kill, Cornell broke through.
The Red worked a series of passes around the perimeter of Colgate’s four-skater defensive shell. Eventually, the puck found the stick of sophomore forward Ryan Walsh who fired the puck into the top right corner, tying the game.
Both teams traded chances in the waning moments of regulation, including a missed Colgate breakaway, but time expired with the score deadlocked at two apiece. For the second straight game for Cornell, three-on-three play was needed.
In the opening minutes of overtime, both teams traded chances.
“We gave up a two-on-one, we had a two-on-one, we gave up a three-on-one, and we scored on a two-on-none,” Schafer said. “It doesn’t represent hockey in any way shape or form. It’s crazy.”
Halfway through overtime, Cornell finally broke through. Psenicka picked up a loose puck and led a two-on-none breakaway alongside Major. As the crowd jumped to its feet, Psenicka passed the puck over to Major, who buried it into the Colgate net to end the game.
“To be honest, I was just happy they didn’t score on the three-on-one I gave up right before.” Major said. “I was just [hoping] I’d take advantage of it, and [it was] a great play by Ondrej [Psenicka].”
Cornell and Colgate will face off again Saturday night, this time in Hamilton, with puck drop slated for 7 p.m. and action streamed live on ESPN+.