Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. – Rensselaer took scored with 2 minutes, 20 seconds left in the third period to force overtime, then again with 19 seconds remaining in the extra frame to secure a 2-1 victory over the Cornell men's hockey team at Saturday's Senior Night at Lynah Rink.
 
Patrick Cullen scored the winning goal on assists from Matt Tinordi and Brock Higgs to stun the home crowd. Tinordi also scored the pivotal tying goal late in the third period on a deflection of a Cullen shot from the center point.
 
Freshman forward John McCarron scored the Big Red's lone goal 8:18 into the third period. It was his second goal in as many nights and fourth on the season, with classmate Joel Lowry and sophomore defenseman Mathieu Brisson drawing the assists. Sophomore goalie Andy Iles made 21 saves.
 
Rensselaer had a slight 6-5 edge in shots on goal in the first period despite being whistled for the frame's only two penalties. Cornell's power play came up empty and even surrendered the Engineers' best scoring chance of the opening 20 minutes. C.J. Lee blocked a shot at the center point of his own zone, then sped away to take a breakaway pass from Mark McGowan, but Iles thwarted Lee's low shot at the 10:35 mark.
 
Rensselaer generated a two-on-one break about four minutes later, but Cornell junior defenseman Braden Birch blocked the attempted pass across the middle. That actually paved the way for the Big Red's best offensive chances. Sophomore Armand de Swardt forced a turnover on the forecheck, leaving classmate Dustin Mowrey with time to pick a spot from the left circle, but Rensselaer junior goalie Bryce Merriam made the save with his right pad.
 
The second period wasn't a whole lot different with no scoring, minimal shots on goal and plenty of hard hits. The best chance for either squad came four minutes into the period when McCarron teed up a slap shot from the top of the left circle that grazed off the near post. The Big Red regained possession behind the net and eventually found senior forward Sean Collins along on the doorstep, but Merriam made the save and covered up.
 
The third period featured plenty of excitement, which started off with a non-goal. Lowry worked a pass from behind the net to McCarron in the right circle, and he got off a shot that was shrugged away by Merriam. But the puck bounced toward the back post and appeared to sit perilously on the goal line before being cleared away. The officials took a look on video replay a couple of minutes later and confirmed their original call of no goal.
 
It would seem apropos that McCarron then got Cornell on the board about three minutes later. Lowry was again involved in the play, getting off the original shot that Merriam kicked to his right. McCarron was able to chop the rebound in from a severe angle.
 
Cornell had a quality chance to win the game in overtime, too. Birch's high flip of clearance was misplayed by an Engineers defenseman, allowing McCarron to have another rip from the left circle, only his shot sailed wide.
 
Cornell (15-7-7, 12-4-6 ECAC Hockey) finished second place in the regular-season league standings, meaning it will have a bye in the first round before hosting a best-of-three quarterfinal series March 9-11 at Lynah Rink. The Big Red could conceiveably play seeds 6-11, which includes Clarkson, St. Lawrence, Dartmouth, Rensselaer or Princeton.