Cornell Ends Drought at Yale
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale curse is over.
The Big Red men's hockey team halted an eight-game losing streak
and nine-game winless skid against the ninth-ranked Bulldogs on
Friday with a 6-2 victory in front of a sold-out crowd at Ingalls
Rink.
Freshman forward Joel Lowry scored his first two collegiate goals,
classmate John McCarron and junior Nick D'Agostino had their second
consecutive two-assist games, and sophomore goalie Andy Iles turned
away 29 shots for Cornell, which never trailed. The Big Red's last
win against Yale came Nov. 9, 2007, also at Ingalls Rink.
The Bulldogs came out strong, registering the game's first seven
shots on goal. Sean Whitney broke up a two-on-one pass attempt from
Yale's Nicholas Weberg at the 7:28, then Nick D'Agostino laid a
crushing hit on Chad Ziegler in the open ice that led to an
impressive 200-foot rush by Locke Jillson.
Cornell finally broke through with a pair of goals that illustrate
how to produce offensively off the boards, keeping possession until
a quality scoring chance develops. Brian Ferlin got the puck in the
left corner, then fended off a Yale defender before junior forward
John Esposito got free in the slot for a one-timer. His shot
squeezed through the legs of Bulldogs goalie Jeff Malcolm to give
the Big Red a 1-0 lead. It was Ferlin's first collegiate point, and
junior forward Greg Miller drew the secondary assist. Esposito has
now scored in all four of the Big Red's games, including the two
exhibitions.
The Big Red then took a two-goal lead in the final minute of the
opening frame on a textbook goal off the cycle. After several
passes between Big Red forwards in the right corner, senior forward
Sean Collins found Lowry ahead of his defender cutting toward goal.
With John McCarron created traffic in front and Malcolm kneeling,
Lowry snapped a shot high inside the far post. It was Lowry's first
collegiate goal after a mid-week scoring change awarded him his
first assist in the season opener against Mercyhurst.
But Yale didn't go down quietly. Just 32 seconds into the second
period, a scrambly play high in the Big Red zone led to a quick
swat from Ziegler at the top of the right faceoff circle that beat
Cornell's Andy Iles along the ice to the far post. The Bulldogs
then came within inches of drawing even when Nicholas Weberg hit
the post on a rebound attempt 5:55 into the period and a frenetic
scramble ensued, only to have Cornell clear.
The Big Red then regained its two-goal lead in the same fashion it
took the first one – in the final minute of a period.
D'Agostino made an outlet pass that sent Brian Ferlin streaking up
the right wing. He got off a shot labeled for the upper corner
inside the far post, forcing Malcolm to make a shrugging save that
popped a rebound into the slot. A hard-charging Miller got to the
puck first and converted with 52 seconds left before the second
intermission.
Lowry struck again 20 seconds into the third, once again beating a
defender off the wall before rifling a shot over Malcolm's
shoulder. This time, it was McCarron finding Lowry coming off the
half-wall on the right side.
The Bulldogs capitalized on their fourth power play of the game,
when Tommy Fallen's shot from the left point sailed through traffic
and into the net at 5:14.
Yet it was Cornell that had the last laugh, with Kirill Gotovets
scoring on the power play with 5:45 remaining. Collins drew his
second assist of the night, and Sean Whitney was credited with his
first helper. But it was Lowry who made the key play, drawing a
defender to him while letting Collins' pass slide by to a wide-open
Gotovets.
Ferlin capped off the scoring with his first collegiate goal, an
empty-netter with 50.5 seconds remaining. He finished the game with
the goal and two assists.
The Big Red hits the ice again Saturday with a visit to Brown,
which dropped a 5-3 contest earlier Friday against visiting
Colgate.












