Big Red Drops Consolation Game to Princeton

Photo by DSPics.com

ESTERO, Fla. -- The Cornell men's hockey team closed out the 2009 calendar year with a 3-2 loss to Princeton in the consolation game of the Florida College Classic on Wednesday afternoon in Estero, Fla. The Big Red got goals from Riley Nash and Keir Ross, but the Tigers rallied with two goals in the third period to take the victory.

For Cornell, Joe Devin had a pair of assists on the day, while Colin Greening and Blake Gallagher both added an assist. Princeton's Derrick Pallis had two assists to lead the scoring for the Tigers. In goal, Cornell netminder Ben Scrivens stopped 36 shots in taking the loss, while Princeton's Alan Reynolds stopped 27 shots in the win. Cornell finished the night 0-for-4 on the power play, while Princeton went 1-for-6 on the man advantage and added a short-handed goal.

Cornell got the game's first goal with just 20 seconds left in the first period as Joe Devin sent the puck to Riley Nash, who sent the puck on goal where it was partially stopped by Reynolds, but the puck slowly trickled across the goal line for the 1-0 lead at the end of one period.

Princeton tied the goal with an even strength goal with 5:05 to play in the second period, just as a penalty to Erik Axell was expiring. The Tigers' Derrick Pallis fired a shot from the center point that trickled through Scrivens, settling on the goal line before being tapped into the goal by Will MacDonald for his first goal of the year.

Keir Ross then put the Big Red back up on top just 17 seconds into the third period, ripping a shot over the outstretched arm of Reynolds to give the Big Red the lead back.

That lead would be short-lived, however, as the Tigers scored a power-play goal with a shot from the center point by Pallis that was tipped through traffic by Dan Bartlett, beating Scrivens and knotting the game at two.

Princeton then went ahead, 3-2, when, with the Big Red on a power play, Mike Kramer deflected a pass and broke in behind the Cornell defense and skated in on Scrivens, slotting the puck past the Big Red netminder and putting the Tigers ahead, 3-2.

Cornell returns to action quickly, traveling to Durham, N.H., for a 3 p.m. contest against New Hampshire on Sunday, Jan. 3, at the Whittemore Center. Sunday's game will be televised live on ESPNU.