Saints Forced To Play Deciding Game

Photo by Tara Freeman

Box Score

HAMILTON, NY -- Colgate senior center Tyler Burton scored two goals and senior goaltender Mark Dekanich made 13 of his 31 saves in the third period as the Raiders held off St. Lawrence for a 3-2 ECAC Hockey playoff victory, tying the best-of-three series at a game each and forcing a deciding third game Sunday night.

The series follows the pattern of the previous two playoff series meetings in Hamilton between the two teams. St. Lawrence won the first game in both 2003 and 2004, but Colgate came back to win the series in each case.

"It is really difficult to end someone's season in a situation like this," said St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh. "Colgate came out with a lot of energy, and while I thought we handled it pretty well, they were able to cash in with a goal. It was a pretty good game both ways, and we certainly had some chances to pull even in the third period."

The Raiders came out flying to start Saturday's game and Saint goalie John Hallas came up big in the first five minutes with several key saves to keep it a scoreless game. The Saints battled their way back into it midway through the period and evened up the play, but Colgate broke through for the first goal of the game as defenseman Kevin McNamara took a shot through traffic and senior wing Ben Camper tipped it past Hallas at 13:50 for his fourth goal of the year.

The Saints tied the game just 48 seconds into the second period as defenseman Matt Generous controlled the puck behind the Colgate net and then walked out in front. While Raider goalie Mark Dekanich stopped Generous' shot, Travis Vermeulen pounced on the rebound and put it back in for his second goal of the weekend and eighth of the year. The tie did not last long, however, as the Raiders won the faceoff after the Saint goal, came into the Saint zone and Peter Bogdanich snapped a shot toward net. Hallas made two saves in a flurry, but Tyler Burton took the third rebound and put it back past Hallas for his 19 th of the year at 1:11.

Colgate took a 3-1 lead on a power play at 10:15 as Burton was all alone at the side of the net when a pass wended its way through defenders sticks and Burton buried his second of the night.

The Saints got right back into it just over five minutes later when Jared Ross shrugged off the defensive attentions of a pair of Colgate defenders along the side boards and sent a pass to Casey Parenteau, who broke in all alone on Dekanich and tucked his 11 th of the year home at 15:31 to make it 3-2 after two.

St. Lawrence came on strong in the third period, but Dekanich, who had allowed the Saints just one goal per game in three games prior to Friday's 5-2 series opener, kept them off the board with several scrambling saves.

Hallas finished with 30 saves for the Saints in another solid effort in goal.