Box Score

ITHACA, NY -- Raymond Sawada had a pair of goals, including the game-winner with 6:14 to play in the game, as the Cornell men's hockey team picked up a 3-2 victory over Dartmouth at Lynah Rink. The win gives the Big Red a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three first round series of the ECAC Hockey playoffs.

Colin Greening scored the other goal for the Big Red, his team-leading 13th goal of the season. Five different players picked up assists, while sophomore goaltender Ben Scrivens made 23 saves in his collegiate playoff debut. For Dartmouth, Andrew Owsiak and Joe Stejskal scored goals, while Mike Devine stopped 31 shots in taking the loss.

Cornell (15-12-3) got on the board just 1:02 into the second period as Colin Greening jammed home a puck in mid-air after a shot by Riley Nash was stopped by Devine. The lead was short-lived, however, as Dartmouth got a power-play tally from Owsiak just 2:09 later, capitalizing on a slashing call on Cornell's Patrick Kennedy.

The Big Green (11-15-4) took the lead at the 13:00 mark of the second period as Stejskal cleaned up a loose puck in front of the Cornell goal, firing a wrist shot past Scrivens. This time, it was Dartmouth's lead that came to a quick end, as Sawada scored the first of his two goals, jamming home a pass from Brendon Nash on the back post just 25 seconds after the Big Green took the lead.

The game remained knotted at two after the second period, and stayed that way until the 14th minute of the third period. Following a tripping call on Dartmouth's Joe Gaudet, the Big Red power play, which had been stymied in its first four chances of the evening, finally came through. Topher Scott worked the puck to Mike Devin at the blue line, and the freshman let a slap shot rip that Sawada, camped out between the circles, tipped up and over the leg of Devine and into the back of the net.

Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet pulled Devine with 1:16 to play, but a boarding call on the Big Green forced the senior netminder back into the cage. After gaining possession of the puck, the Green again pulled Devine, but, skating 5-on-5, Dartmouth could not get a shot off that reached Scrivens as the Big Red put the game away.

The win was the 250th of the coaching career of Cornell mentor Mike Schafer. Already the winningest coach in Cornell history, he becomes the 17th active men's coach to reach 250 career victories, and becomes the fourth coach in ECAC Hockey to reach the milestone (Dartmouth's Bob Gaudet, Quinnipiac's Rand Pecknold and Colgate's Don Vaughan are the other three).

Cornell and Dartmouth will meet again on Saturday night in game two of the best-of-three series at Lynah Rink. Game time is 7 p.m., with a Cornell win sending the Big Red to Union next weekend for a league quarterfinal series. A Dartmouth win on Saturday would set up a decisive game three on Sunday night at 7 p.m.