Box Score
Highlights
Post-game press conference

ITHACA, N.Y. – It may have been Joel Lowry's first game as a centerman in six or seven years, but it was hard to tell by the results. Lowry and linemates Christian Hilbrich and John McCarron had one goal apiece and a total of four assists Friday, leading the No. 14/15 Cornell Men's Hockey team to a 4-2 victory over Princeton in the team's home debut at Lynah Rink. The victory was the 350th in the career of Mike Schafer, who is in his 19th season as the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey.
 
Goalie Andy Iles made 26 saves for the victory, including a stop on a penalty shot in a wild second period. Both teams had three lengthy two-man advantages that came up empty, but the Big Red scored three goals to extend its lead to 4-0 entering the third period.
 
After a disappointing 2012-13 ECAC Hockey season, Cornell (3-0) made an emphatic statement in its league debut to the 2013-14 campaign. The Big Red was clearly the aggressor in the opening period, keeping the energetic sold-out crowd engaged in its first meaningful game in the rink in eight months. Cornell drew an early power play and – just one week after going a mammoth 7-for-15 on the man advantage – wasted little time producing in its first chance in ECAC Hockey play. Forward Brian Ferlin entered the zone on the left and weaved his way toward the middle before dishing off to Lowry on the right halfwall. Lowry then found McCarron cutting toward the middle from the left wing, with the puck arriving on the Big Red captain's forehand. But instead of following his momentum forward, McCarron spun the other way and surprised Princeton goalie Sean Bonar with a backhand just inside the near post, giving the home side a 1-0 lead.
  
Cornell (3-0, 1-0 ECAC Hockey) took complete control with a pair of goal early in the second period. The Big Red stormed up ice on four-on-three rush with Hilbrich carrying the puck on the left side. Defenseman Reece Willcox jumped into the play and took a pass toward the top of the left circle, then he directed the puck toward McCarron as he entered the zone. With traffic converging on the Princeton (1-2, 0-1) net, McCarron's shot was stopped by Bonar as he tumbled backward under pressure from Lowry. Hilbrich then cleaned up the play by tapping in the puck from the crease.
 
Ferlin made the lead three on the next shift. Defenseman Clint Lewis started a Cornell breakout to forward Jake Weidner on the left wing, then he steered it to forward Dustin Mowrey speeding up the middle. He entered the zone and passed to Ferlin, whose shot from the right circle was saved by Bonar. But Mowrey was driving the net and was able to tip the rebound back into the right corner, where Ferlin alertly threw the puck back into the crease in the direction of Weidner. But the puck instead climbed up the left pad of Bonar before sneaking into the net.
 
The game was then marred by a series of minor penalties in the middle of the period, leaving the Big Red in a host of unenviable situations. The first was a 59-second two-man disadvantage, that was killed off thanks to a big save by Iles on Princeton's Andrew Calof and a courageous shot block by defenseman Kirill Gotovets. But even as it returned one man to the ice, the Big Red saw one of its players lose his stick. That aided Princeton in keeping the pressure on, and a scramble around the Cornell net ensued with the puck eventually coming to rest under a Big Red skater in the crease. The result was the second penalty shot against Iles in just three games this season. In fact, Calof attempted the same move that worked for Nebraska Omaha's Josh Archibald last Friday – a couple of moves before a shot from the forehand – but Iles was equal to it, stopping it with his left pad.
 
A minor penalty was also called on the play that resulted in the penalty shot. When yet another penalty was whistled on the Big Red a short time later, Princeton once again found itself with a two-man advantage – this time with the bonus of having two Cornell defenseman in the box. The Big Red once again killed off the five-on-three of 46 seconds, giving it 11 consecutive kills of two-man disadvantages dating back to the 2011-12 season.
 
Once back to even strength late in the period, Cornell put the game out of reach with Lowry's third goal of the season. Joakim Ryan and McCarron worked a breakout up the right wing, sending the puck into space for Hilbrich to skate on to as he entered the Tigers' zone. His backhand from the right circle was shouldered away by Bonar, then Hilbrich came off his check behind the net to regain possession and sweep the puck toward the crease on Bonar scrambled to get back into position. With Lowry perched on top of the crease, Bonar slid all the way across the far post, leaving Lowry along to convert from short range for the Big Red's fourth goal.
 
Princeton finally ended Iles' shutout bid in the third period, with junior Tyler Maugeri converting an Eric Carlson feed 2:54 into the third period to get the Tigers on the board. With Bonar pulled in favor of an extra attacker in the game's final minute, Tucker Brockett scored a six-on-four power-play goal to bring the score to 4-2.
 
Lowry won 11 of his 17 faceoffs on the night, and the Big Red blocked 21 shots. Cornell will return to Lynah Rink at 7 p.m. Saturday to take on No. 7/9 Quinnipiac.