Highlights | Box Score

OMAHA, Neb. – Forwards Dustin Mowrey and Cole Bardreau scored goals 56 seconds apart in the third period, powering the 19th-ranked Cornell men's hockey team to a come-from-behind 5-3 victory over Nebraska Omaha on Friday in its season debut at Century Link Center Omaha.
 
Junior forward Brian Ferlin had a goal and three assists for Cornell (1-0), which also got a goal and an assist each for Bardreau, Mowrey and junior defenseman Joakim Ryan. Junior captain John McCarron had a pair of assists, as did freshman forward Jake Weidner in his first collegiate game. Senior goaltender Andy Iles, making his 71st consecutive start, made 28 saves for the victory.
 
The Big Red entered the third period trailing 3-2, but Mowrey scored the tying goal at the 7:17 mark after his wingers did the dirty work along the walls. Weidner made the pass from the right circle that Mowrey took from the slot, and placed over the catching glove of UNO goalie Kirk Thompson.
                                      
Just 56 seconds later, Cornell took a 4-3 lead on Bardreau's first goal of the season – the second of the night on the power play. A pair of one-touch passes from Ryan at the point and Ferlin at the left hash marks set up Bardreau between the circles, and he rifled a shot over Thompson's blocker.
 
Iles then made a pair of game-saving stops at the top of his crease to keep the Big Red in front, thwarting Aaron Pearce's backhander with 4:30 left and Brock Montpetit's sweeping forehand about 30 seconds later.
 
Ferlin then capped the scoring with a goal on the two-man advantage with just 1:23 remaining, set up by a deft pass from freshman defenseman Patrick McCarron.
 
With 15 total power plays on the evening, there were plenty of scoring opportunities at both ends of the ice. Despite being outshot 10-4, the Big Red had a relatively strong opening period to its season. After not scoring until February last season, Ryan wasted little time getting on the scoresheet in 2013-14. All five Cornell players on the ice touched the puck to set up Ryan at the top of the slot. He snapped a shot high over the glove of UNO goalie Kirk Thompson, giving the Big Red a 1-0 lead with 6:40 left in the frame.
 
Cornell had three successful penalty kills in the period, but UNO scratched out a tying goal with just 0.2 seconds remaining before the intermission. Gaining possession at its own blue line with about 10 seconds remaining, the Mavericks stormed up ice and created havoc in from of Iles' crease. The senior goaltender foiled a similar scenario about midway through the frame, but UNO converted the second time around. Tanner Lane's shot fluttered over the shoulder of a Big Red defender in the crease, narrowly beating the buzzer to tie the game at 1 after 20 minutes.
 
Cornell regained the lead 6:20 into the second period. Senior forward Armand de Swardt drove to the net from the end wall and forced a UNO defender to knock him into the net, dislodging it and producing a faceoff in the Mavericks' zone. But because UNO caused the stoppage, it wasn't allowed to change lines. Cornell responded by sending the Bardreau line over the boards, the unit took possession right from the puck drop. John McCarron set up Bardreau for a shot from the left circle that Thompson kicked into the slot, where Lowry was able to cash in the rebound for a 2-1 Big Red lead.
 
But, once again, the home side countered a little less than three minutes later. At the end of a long shift, UNO's Josh Archibald established position on a breakaway and was taken down. A penalty shot was awarded, and the Mavericks' junior made a little side-to-side move before roofing a forehand shot to tie the game at 2. It was the first time the Big Red had conceded a penalty shot since Nov. 15, 2008. Colgate's Brian Day took that chance, also scoring.
 
Working on its sixth power play of the opening 40 minutes, UNO finally broke through on Ryan Walters' rebound goal with 2:14 left before the intermission.
 
The Big Red was 3-for-8 on the power play, marking the first time it scored three goals on the man advantage since opening weekend last year – a 3-2 win over Colorado College on Oct. 27, 2012.
 
Cornell and Nebraska Omaha will wrap up the two-game set at 7:07 p.m. CDT Saturday.