ECAC Hockey

March 12, 2010

Cornell Defeats Harvard in Game 1

ITHACA, N.Y.—Ninth-ranked Cornell scored the final four goals of the game to pull away to a 5-1 win against the Harvard men’s hockey team in the opening game of an ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series Friday night at Lynah Rink.

Nick D’Agostino scored two goals and Riley Nash added two more after Pier-Olivier Michaud tied the game for Harvard (9-20-3), the tournament’s No. 9 seed, in the first period. Ben Scrivens made 26 saves for the second-seeded Big Red (18-8-4). Cornell held a 29-27 shots edge, and each team scored once on the power play. The rivals meet again Saturday night, with the Crimson looking to force a deciding game Sunday.

Harvard killed an early Big Red power play, but Cornell scored even-strength tally soon after. Colin Greening gathered the puck behind the net and tucked a wraparound inside the right post at 4:35 of the first period. Michaud evened score about five minutes later on a Crimson power play. He one-timed home a Conor Morrison pass after Danny Biega’s point shot was blocked.

The Big Red took back the lead after three more minutes on D’Agostino’s power-play goal and went to the intermission with a 2-1 edge despite a 9-8 shots advantage for Harvard. Kyle Richter kept the margin at one with a breakaway save on Nash, one of the Crimson goaltender’s 21 stops.

The again outshot the Big Redin the second period, 8-7, but Cornell had the only goal of the frame. It was again D’Agostino, who finished at 12:27 after Blake Gallagher found him trailing on the rush. Harvard dominated the next few shifts but could not get any closer before the second intermission.

Scrivens and Richter traded big saves on Sean Collins and Louis Leblanc, respectively, early in the third period. Nash made it 4-1 less than four minutes into the frame, lifting a shot into the top left corner. He added a second goal midway through the period. Ryan Carroll stopped Cornell’s final three shots, and the Big Red outshot the Crimson, 14-10, in the frame.