Riley Boosts Colgate Past St. Lawrence

Photo by Tim Roske

Box score

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Colgate University junior Tom Riley (Ottawa, Ont.) dove Superman-style toward the St. Lawrence goal to poke home a loose puck and boost his Raiders (3-2-0) to a 2-1 win against the Saints (2-3-0) in the opening game of the Citizens Bank Governor's Cup on Friday, Oct. 26, at Albany's Times Union Center.

Riley, who was playing on the same line as senior all-stars Tyler Burton (Langley, B.C.) and Jesse Winchester (Long Sault, Ont.), was trailing Burton on the play, which came with just 1:55 left in regulation. Burton skated in on the right side, and his shot slipped between the pads of SLU senior goalie Justin Pesony. The puck dribbled into the crease, and Riley flung his body toward the net from the left side to jam it over the goal line.

Colgate entered the final period down 1-0 thanks to an unassisted goal by SLU senior Jordan Hack at the 12:23 mark of the second. Hack capitalized on a Raider turnover after he skated in on the right sde, and flipped the puck into the top left corner of the net over the shoulder of CU senior goalie Mark Dekanich (North Vancouver, B.C.).

Raider freshman Brian Day (Danvers, Mass.) scored his fifth goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1. Day carried the puck into the zone, and sent it up to senior Ben Camper (Rocky River, Ohio) in the slot. Camper shot on net, then picked up his own rebound and found Day in the left circle. Day ripped a shot over Pesony and into the top right corner of the net.

Dekanich made 27 saves in the win, while Pesony posted 25 saves for the Saints. Most of the game was played at even strength, as St. Lawrence enjoyed just one power play, and Colgate had just two; the teams were whistled for off-setting penalties three times during the game.

The Raiders continued their season-long domination in the face-off circle, winning 39 of their 63 draws. Burton led the way with 14 wins on 22 attempts, and Camper posted a 12-5 record on faceoffs.

Colgate will face the winner of the second semifinal game between Rensselaer and Union, which begins at 7:00 p.m. St. Lawrence will take on the loser of that game in the consolation game. The Raiders play for the Governor's Cup on Saturday, Oct. 27, starting at 7:00 p.m.