December 29, 2010

Four Unanswered Goals Sinks Cornell

ESTERO, Fla. -- St. Cloud State scored four unanswered goals to rally from a 3-0 deficit, sending the Cornell men's hockey team to a 4-3 overtime loss on Wednesday afternoon at Germain Arena in Estero, Fla. Cornell will play in the consolation game of the Florida College Classic on Thursday against the loser of Wednesday's other contest between Maine and Miami.

Mike Devin, Mathieu Brisson and Jordan Kary each scored a goal for the Big Red, while Patrick Kennedy added a pair of assists and Greg Miller and John Esposito both tacked on one assist. Mike Garman took the loss in goal, stopping 26 shots in the losing effort.

For St. Cloud State, Cam Reid scored a pair of goals, including the overtime game-winner, with Ben Hanowski and David Eddy both tacking on one marker. Garrett Roe and Drew LeBlanc both had a pair of assists, and Eddy, Hanowski and Nick Dowd each adding one helper on the night. Mike Lee got the win in goal, stopping 22 Cornell shots.

Cornell finished the night 1-for-4 on the power play, with St. Cloud State going scoreless in six power-play attempts, including more than a full minute of 5-on-3 at the start of the third period.

Cornell took the early lead at the 5:59 mark of the first period when Mike Devin's power-play blast from the point found its way through a screen in front of Lee for his third goal of the year. Nearly three minutes later, Brisson scored his first career goal when his shot through a screen by Esposito beat Lee as Cornell took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

That lead became a 3-0 margin at the 17:14 mark of the third period when Kennedy and Kary skated in on a 2-on-1, with Kennedy's centering pass tipped home by Kary, but St. Cloud State got on the scoreboard just 38 seconds later when Hanowski scored his seventh goal of the year, giving the Huskies some much-needed momentum heading into the third period.

In the third, Reid cut the Cornell lead to 3-2 with his fourth goal of the year at the 7:24 mark of the period, and Eddy scored his first of the year at the 12:31 mark to tie the game and send it toward overtime. There, Reid scored midway through the extra five minute session to lift the Huskies into Thursday night's championship game.

Cornell will now play the loser of the other first round matchup between Maine and Miami on Thursday in a 4 p.m. start in the consolation game of the Florida College Classic.