Bulldogs Force Game Three
_Photos/Yale/Brian_ONeill.gif?max_width=360)
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 00:26 | Little, Broc (Yale) |
| 1st - 06:11 | PP - Martin, Jimmy (Yale) |
| 2nd - 01:31 | Limbert, Kevin (Yale) |
| 2nd - 10:28 | O'Neill, Brian (Yale) |
| 3rd - 02:58 | SH - Maclellan, Jack (Brown) |
| 3rd - 04:08 | PP - O'Neill, Brian (Yale) |
| 3rd - 13:52 | PP - Volpatti, Aaron (Brown) |
| 3rd - 18:19 | Miller, Andrew (Yale) |
| 3rd - 19:11 | Van der Linden, S. (Brown) |
| Brown | Yale |
|---|---|
|
G:
3 Players (#3, #17, #27 - 1)
A: 4 Players (#7, #14, #15, #27 - 1) Sh: Harry Zolnierczyk - 5 Sv: Mike Clemente - 20 |
G:
Brian O'Neill - 2
A: Denny Kearney - 3 Sh: Broc Little - 7 Sv: Billy Blase - 22 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Brown | Yale |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 1 for 7 | 2 for 5 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 7 (22) | 10 (36) |
| Shots on Goal | 25 | 43 |
| Face Offs Won | 29 | 36 |
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Bulldogs had something to prove tonight in game two of the ECAC Quarterfinal series with Brown. The Yale men’s hockey team not only needed a win to stay in the conference playoffs and potentially keep the season alive, the Elis needed to show they could bounce back from consecutive losses for the first time in 2009-10. Tonight’s mission was accomplished with a 6-3 victory before 2,939 at Ingalls Rink to set up a winner-take-all game three Sunday night at the Whale.
Brian O’Neill had two goals, Andrew Miller had a goal and two assists and Denny Kearney chipped in three helpers as the Blue outshot the Bears 43-25. Yale found the net twice in each period while converting two of five man-advantages.
Senior Billy Blase got a second straight start and responded with 22 saves, including 11 in the final period. He and the Eli defense stopped six of seven Brown power plays, and there was plenty of two-man advantage time as well.
It took the Bulldogs (20-8-3) a little over 45 minutes to score last night in game one. It took 26 seconds tonight. Blueliner Tom Dignard deked a Brown forward at the point and then lost control of the puck. He regained it after tangling with a defender and got off a shot that bounced off Brown starting goalie Mike Clemente (20 saves). Broc Little was coming from the corner, got to it first and slipped an off-angle shot over the goalie’s shoulder to make it 1-0 with his 26th goal of the year.
The lone penalty of the opening period was against Brown (11-19-4), and it cost them. Jimmy Martin (2nd goal), playing the point on the power play, kept the puck in the zone along the boards as a Brown player got caught behind. The junior defenseman saw the opening and flew to the middle of the slot where he unleashed a low snapshot stick side at 6:11.
Kevin Limbert has been playing much better than his goal production would indicate this season. His first tally since Jan. 16 against Brown at home gave the Elis a 3-0 lead 1:31 into the second. Clemente had just made a monster save on a Little breakaway, and the next Yale rush may have been too soon for the Brown goalie. Limbert, who now has three goals, skated in from the redline after taking a pass from Kearney and used a defender to hide a low shot from the top of the circle that went glove side.
Almost nine minutes later, the lead grew to four. Miller carried the puck from center ice and went around the defense in the right circle while taking the defense and Clemente to the right side of the cage. The rookie center quickly moved the puck to O’Neill on the edge of the circle. His one-timer sailed into the open side for his 13th of the year at 10:28. Brown senior goalie Dan Rosen (17 saves), who made three quality saves in six seconds early the next period during a swarming of Bulldogs, was immediately summoned from the bench to replace the sophomore.
The visitors used a penalty-kill to get on the board at 2:58 of the third. Martin tried to one-time a pass from the point and the puck bounced off a defender and turned into an odd-man rush. Jack Maclellan ended up with a short low shot that went five-hole on Blase.
The Elis still had time left on the advantage and used it to re-gain the four-goal cushion. Miller made a nifty move around a Bear and sent a great lead pass to O’Neill, who re-directed it stick side on Rosen to bump it to 5-1.
The rest of the game appeared to be penalty-equalizer time, six straight calls over less than six minutes against the Bulldogs. A mid-slot snapshot from Aaron Volpatti (16th), with the Bears on a 5-on-3, made it 5-2.
Miller (5th) put the finishing touches on the great offensive night with a pretty move around the defense and backhand tuck behind Rosen with 1:41 left.
