The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/author/keithbollt/page/2/)
Winter’s browns and greys still predominate here in Ithaca, even as temperatures tick upwards. Meanwhile, several hundred miles to the south in Fairfax, Virginia, late March means springtime. And what is the color of spring? Carnelian. Cornell softball is one of five teams competing in the 2016 Mason Cherry Blossom Classic this weekend at host George Mason.
Solid pitching and power hitting handed Cornell baseball (3-3) its first series win of the season last weekend. The Red took two of three from Wofford (11-6), losing the first game of a Saturday doubleheader, 5-1, before coming back to take the second game, 12-5, and the rubber match, 6-2.
Cornell baseball (1-2) dropped its first series of the season to Northeastern (6-5) at neutral, tropical Winter Haven, Florida last weekend. The Red was shut out in the first and third games, 6-0 on Saturday and 11-0 on Sunday morning, and picked up the middle game, 7-5.
A winding season’s journey is in the books for Cornell women’s hockey. The Red (13-14-4, 9-9-4 ECAC) lost the first two games of the best-of-three ECAC quarterfinals to Clarkson (28-3-5, 14-3-5 ECAC). On Friday, the Knights won, 2-0, and on Saturday, 5-2. This year is the first since the 2008-09 season that Cornell is not represented in the ECAC Championship game. Facing a formidable foe on Friday, Cornell got off to a strong start, outshooting Clarkson in the first period.
Playoff-bound Cornell women’s hockey will travel north of the Arctic Circle this weekend to take on No. 2 seed Clarkson (26-3-5, 14-3-5 ECAC) in the ECAC Quarterfinals. The best-of-three series features games on Friday and Saturday at 3 p.m. at Clarkson’s Cheel Arena in Potsdam, New York. The tie breaker would be on Sunday, if necessary. For the seventh-seeded Red (13-12-4, 9-9-4) — who have been marred by inconsistent results during the regular season — it was consistent and clutch play that got them where they are now.
Cornell had been ahead for the entire game, and time was running out on the clock. Harvard pulled its goalie in a last-chance effort. With the Lynah Faithful on their feet and 26 seconds left on the clock, the Crimson knotted the game up at two apiece. The rink grew quiet. Maybe it was the hard wooden bleachers, but nobody sat back down. Forty-seven seconds into sudden death overtime, Red senior forward Jess Brown scored, and Cornell beat Harvard on Senior Night, clinching a spot in the playoffs.
Cornell women’s hockey enjoyed its first conference sweep of the season, beating Brown and Yale on the road over the long break. The Red (11-12-4, 7-9-4 ECAC) was victorious over the Bears (3-21-3, 1-16-3 ECAC) on Friday and the Bulldogs (10-16-1, 9-10-1 ECAC) on Saturday. The only thing in common between the two games was the 4-2 final score. Against Brown, Cornell scored early and often, led by senior forward and alternate captain Taylor Woods’ two goals and an assist. The Red totaled 41 shots in the game and led 3-0 after the second intermission.
Four weeks ago, Cornell scored six goals against the Bulldogs and notched 48 shots against the Bears in a tie. Having only recodred two goals in the last three games, the team desperately needs to get out of its scoring slump against Yale and Brown. Going on the road with such high stakes at play would seem to put Cornell at a disadvantage, but it is quite the opposite. The Red has only one home victory all season and are over .500 on the road.
Facing two ranked teams with sparkling goalie save percentages and minuscule goals-allowed-per-game averages, Cornell women’s hockey could only muster one goal in 120 minutes of play. The Red (9-12-4, 5-9-4 ECAC) — currently in ninth place in the ECAC — was not able to pick up any ECAC points in a winless weekend. They fell 4-1 to Quinnipiac (23-2-4, 13-2-3) on Friday evening and gave up two empty net goals en route to a 5-0 loss to Princeton (19-5-1, 12-5-1) Saturday afternoon. The final score of a hockey game is not always indicative of how both teams played. Quinnipiac was very strong on Friday, with impressive individual performances that demonstrated why they are first in the ECAC and ranked fourth in the country.
An opponent that has not lost a game since October is pretty intimidating. So is a mascot with sharp teeth and claws. With three weekends left in the regular season and the ECAC playoff picture very much up in the air, Cornell women’s hockey plays host to the Bobcats and the Tigers. The Red (9-10-4, 5-7-4 ECAC) takes on No. 4 Quinnipiac (22-1-4, 12-1-3) Friday at 7 p.m. and No.