Saints Edge Raiders in Game 1 of Quarterfinal Series
_Photos/St._Lawrence/Kain_Tisi2.gif?max_width=360)
| $clockMinutes:$clockSeconds - 3rd | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lawrence () | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Colgate () | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 17:07 | Bogosian, Aaron (St. Lawrence) |
| 2nd - 15:35 | Austin Smith (Colgate) |
| 3rd - 15:21 | PP - McKenzie, Mike (St. Lawrence) |
| St. Lawrence | Colgate |
|---|---|
|
G:
2 Players (#11, #32 - 1)
A: 4 Players (#4, #15, #17, #26 - 1) Sh: 2 Players (#11, #17 - 4) Sv: Kain Tisi - 31 |
G:
Austin Smith - 1
A: 2 Players (#6, #12 - 1) Sh: Austin Smith - 5 Sv: Alex Evin - 29 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | St. Lawrence | Colgate |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 1 for 6 | 0 for 6 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 7 (14) | 7 (14) |
| Shots on Goal | 31 | 32 |
| Face Offs Won | 32 | 31 |
Senior wing Mike McKenzie scored on a power play with 4:39 to play in regulation time and senior goaltender Kain Tisi made 31 saves as St. Lawrence University's hockey team won game one of a best of three ECAC Hockey playoff series at Colgate on Friday night, 2-1.
It was fifth one-goal game in a row for the Saints and the
fourth win in those five games as SLU improves to
18-14-7 overall and continues a string of success against Colgate.
It was the third win this season for the Saints over the Raiders
and the fifth over the last two seasons. The second game in
the series will be played Saturday night at 7 p.m. and if the
Saints win, they will advance to the ECAC semifinals.
"That was an excellent game for us," said Saint coach Joe Marsh. "We played a very solid game defensively across the board and Kain came up with some big saves at key junctures. We have been in this position before in this rink, so we know we are a long way from advancing, but it is always a lot better to win the first one than to have to battle from behind on the road from the start."
The Saints have been in this position before against Colgate...winning the first game of the series in each of the three previous series, but the Raiders have come back to win two and advance each time. The Saints will be out to change that on Saturday.
The Saints opened the scoring late in a fast-moving third period as junior center Aaron Bogosian took a pass from defenseman Pete Child and broke into the Colgate zone, snapping a shot from the middle of the left faceoff circle which beat Colgate goalie Alex Evin over his shoulder at 17:07. It was Bogosian's fourth goal in the last five games and third of the playoffs.
Tisi came up with several big saves among nine in the first period including a quick move back across the crease to stop Colgate's Ethan Cox on a breakaway. The Saint senior stayed steady throughout the contest and won his second straight post-season start and picked up his third win over the year over Colgate.
"Kain is playing with a lot of confidence and is in great position," said Marsh. "He made a tremendous save in the first period on a semi breakaway and I think that just got him going even more. We did a pretty good job helping him out defensively as well."
The Raiders scored their only goal just after the expiration of a power play as Austin Smith slipped behind the Saint defense and picked up a rebound of a shot by Brian Day, tucking his 16th of the year between Tisi's pad and the post at 15:35 of the second.
Both teams had their chances in a fast-paced third period with the Saints almost grabbing the lead when Rick Carden's shorthanded bid glanced off Evin's pads and just stayed out with 11:20 to go. The Saints, who struggled at times on the power play on Friday, finally cashed in on their sixth chance of the night, scoring just 26 seconds into the man advantage.
SLU won the faceoff in the Colgate end and Alex Curran snapped a shot toward net which glanced off the post. Travis Vermeulen took a whack at the rebound which Evin kicked out, but McKenzie bunted the puck out of the air with the shaft of his stick and into the back of the net at 15:21 for the game winner. It was the second time the Saint senior has scored the winning goal over Colgate this season and his second game winner in a row after netting the decisive goal in last Sunday's 3-2 win over Clarkson. McKenzie now has 14 career points including seven goals against the Raiders.
Colgate did not go down without a fight as the Raiders were awarded a power play in the final 55 minutes and pulled Evin for an extra attacker, but the Saint defense rose to the occasion and did not allow Colgate inside the Saint zone in the final 30 seconds of the game.
