Box Score
Post Game Press Conference
Photo Gallery (Patrick Shanahan)

ATLANTIC CITY – A career-night by Cornell goalie Mike Garman and tallies from a pair of unlikely sources propelled the Big Red men's ice hockey team into tomorrow's ECAC championship game, as Cornell upset No. 15 Dartmouth, 3-0, this evening in the second ECAC semifinal game at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. The Big Red will make its third-straight appearance in the ECAC title game tomorrow as it faces No. 3 Yale at 7:30 p.m.

Cornell head coach Mike Schafer will take Cornell to the ECAC championship game for the 10th time in his 16 seasons and will look for his sixth title, which would give him the most of any current ECAC head coach, surpassing St. Lawrence's Joe Marsh, who also has five titles to his credit.

Garman was the difference in the contest, as the junior netminder posted a career-high 37 saves, to give the Big Red its first shutout of the season. He was especially brilliant in power play situations, as he help to kill off five Cornell penalties.

On the other end of the ice, Sean Whitney netted his second goal of the season and Armand de Swardt scored the first goal of his career just 24 seconds apart to give the Big Red it would not relinquish. John Esposito tallied an empty net goal with just over one minute to play to account for the 3-0 final. Greg Miller, Tyler Roeszler, Sean Collins and Locke Jillson were all credited with assists.

Dartmouth goalie James Mello finished with just 15 saves, nine of which came in the decisive first quarter, and the Big Green killed off two Cornell power plays.

The Big Red benefitted from an early power play opportunity just 46 seconds into the game as Adam Estoclet was sent to the box for hooking, but Cornell could not convert. Garman made 12 saves in the first period, including a pair of spectacular stops, to keep it a 0-0 game as time wound down in the first period.

Cornell stormed back after its slow start, scoring twice in a 24-second span late in the first period to go up, 2-0, at the 18:29 mark. The first goal came off the stick of Whitney when he put in a rebound off a shot from Miller. Linemate Roezler was also credited with an assist. Moments later, the Big Red struck again as de Swardt scored, also off a rebound, as he got behind Mello and poked in the puck after Mello had saved a shot by Collins.

The Big Red started the second period short-handed after a penalty in the closing moments of the first period, but the defense was up to the task and killed off the Dartmouth chance. Moments later with the Big Green still on the attack, Garman made a series of great saves to end the threat.

Another Cornell penalty gave Dartmouth its second power play of the game, but more great defense and a glove save by Garman turned the Big Green away.

Dartmouth returned the favor, killing a Big Red penalty and then back-to-back Cornell penalties saw the Big Red playing down a man for four-minutes during a span of 4:21 midway through the period. Despite the 12-4 shots-on-goal advantage in the period, the Big Green could not find the back of the net and Cornell took the 2-0 lead into the second intermission.

The third period was more of the same with Dartmouth putting 13 shots on goal, but Garman turned away each one, including a stellar two-save sequence five seconds apart in the opening moments of the period to keep the clean sheet.

With just 2:33 remaining in the game, Dartmouth pulled Mello in favor of the extra-skater and Esposito eventually sealed the victory with the empty net goal at 18:59.