Box Score
Jan. 14, 2006
PRINCETON, N.J. - Princeton used a first-period goal by Darroll Powe and sealed it with a late breakaway score to down Cornell 3-0 in ECAC Hockey League and Ivy League action Saturday night at Hobey Baker Rink. Princeton senior Eric Leroux made 35 saves to earn the shutout, while Cornell junior David McKee (Irving, Texas) turned away 21 offerings.
Princeton (7-12-1, 4-9-1 ECACHL) junior Grant Goeckner-Zoeller netted the backbreaker with just more than four minutes to go, causing the Big Red (11-4-2, 6-3-1 ECACHL) to pull McKee with more than three minutes to play. Powe added an empty-netter with nine seconds to play. Cornell's unbeaten streak ends at nine straight games, despite outshooting the Tigers 27-11 in the final two periods.
The first period saw the first Tigers' goal against McKee at Hobey Baker Rink following a 7-0 Cornell shutout in 2003-04 and a 5-0 blanking last season. Princeton senior Patrick Neundorfer broke out of his own end and passed the puck ahead to Powe. Powe dumped it into the zone from the left boards at the red line and chased it down at the end boards to McKee's right. Powe fired a shot off the back of McKee's pad and in for the 1-0 lead at the 15:02 mark of the opening period.
Cornell had its chances to get on the board in the period as well. Less than five minutes into the game, senior forward Daniel Pegoraro (Toronto, Ont.) skated into the slot and slid and pass to junior Mark McCutcheon (Pittsford, N.Y.) at the right post. McCutcheon's offering was just wide. A minute-and-a-half later, senior captain Matt Moulson (Mississauga, Ont.) corralled a loose puck at the end boards to Leroux's left. He passed it behind the net to junior forward Mitch Carefoot (Dauphin, Man.). Carefoot fired a centering pass just wide of senior assistant captain Chris Abbott (Sarnia, Ont.) in the slot. Midway through the period, Abbott fired a pass from the goal line at Leroux's left toward freshman forward Tyler Mugford (Prince Albert, Sask.), who was waiting at the back door, but Leroux deflected it away before it got to Mugford.
The Big Red dominated the second period statistically, but Leroux was able to keep the visitors off the board despite his team being outshot by a 14-6 margin. At the 4:13 mark, sophomore forward Raymond Sawada (Richmond, B.C.) took a shot from point-blank range, but was denied by Leroux. One of Cornell's best chances to score came while on the power play at the 9:37 mark. Freshman defenseman Jared Seminoff (Nelson, B.C.) flicked a wrist shot from the right point that Leroux never saw. It rang off the post and harmlessly to the end boards. Senior assistant captain Jon Gleed (Milton, Ont.) also got off a shot on goal from inside the left circle. He tried to thread the puck through a pileup in front of the crease, but was denied.
McKee was able to prevent any additional damage by the Tigers late in the second period. Princeton freshman forward Lee Jubinville stepped in front of a pass and started a 2-on-1 short-handed rush. His passing lane was shut down by a Cornell defender, and McKee made the save on Jubinville's shot.
The Big Red came out firing in the third period as well. Through the first three minutes of the frame, Cornell held a 3-0 shots on goal edge. The best scoring chance came on a play in which the team cleared out a lane for junior defenseman Evan Salmela (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) to skate in from the left point. Leroux did a good job of closing off the near post and squashed the threat.
At the 5:46 mark, Leroux played a loose puck behind the net. Carefoot challenged him for it and gained control. He fired a shot off the skate of a Princeton skater in the crease. The puck trickled across the goal mouth, but went wide.
Princeton was whistled for tripping at the 6:56 mark, but the Big Red was unable to convert. With just over five minutes to play in regulation, Moulson and Pegoraro combined on a rush. Moulson skated it into the zone along the right boards and centered to Pegoraro, whose one-timer went wide.
The Big Red returns to action next weekend with an ECACHL showdown against a pair of teams also in the top half of the league standings. The North Country teams visit Lynah Rink as part of Cornell's five-game home stand. Friday's game against No. 13/15 St. Lawrence gets underway at 7 p.m.
