Box Score
 
PRINCETON, N.J. – Junior goalie Andy Iles made 26 saves for his second career playoff shutout, and sophomore defenseman Joakim Ryan paced the offense with a goal and an assist in the men's hockey team's 4-0 victory over Princeton on Friday night at Hobey Baker Rink.
 
The victory gives ninth-seeded Cornell (13-14-3) a 1-0 lead over eighth-seeded Princeton (10-15-5) in the best-of-three first round series of the ECAC Hockey Championship. The Big Red can clinch the series with a victory in Game 2, which is right back at Baker Rink at 7 p.m. Saturday.
 
It was Iles' second shutout of the season and first since a season-opening blanking of Colorado College on Oct. 26, 2012. Iles has a 5-1-1 record, 1.42 goals-against average and .950 save percentage over the last seven games. His only other career shutout in the playoff came against Colgate in the 2012 ECAC Hockey Championship consolation game in Atlantic City, N.J.
 
The first period roared by in just 26 minutes with both teams generating only a couple decent chances with no goals to show for it. Each squad had the advantage of one abbreivated power play – Cornell's best chance came when Nick D'Agostino found Greg Miller cutting down the slot for a quick shot that was saved at the 8:18, then Princeton's best threat was when Rob Kleebaum's whirling backhander from short range was foiled by Iles a little more than a minute later.
 
The Big Red made a more concerted push toward the end of the frame, but Princeton goalie Mike Condon kicked out his left pad to thwart Vince Mihalek after a turnover deep in Tigers territory at 17:55, then flashed his catching glove to turn away Brian Ferlin's shot from an angle about 30 seconds later.
 
The second period featured a similar chess match with tons of hitting and tactical maneuvers characteristic of playoff series. Cornell tightened up defensively, surrendering just three shots in the middle frame, but it was also able to score a pair of goals to take an all-important lead into the third.
 
One of just two New Jersey natives playing in the game got the scoring started – Cornell sophomore defenseman Joakim Ryan. Classmate Joel Lowry started the play with a rush up the left wing that was stopped. But he was able to regain possession behind the net before passing to Ferlin. He was then able to make a diagonal pass across the zone back to Ryan at the top of the right circle, with his wrist shot beating Condon at the 8:51 mark.
 
Iles kept the lead safe a couple minutes later on Princeton's best opportunity of the period, when defenseman Jeremy Goodwin joined a line rush and had a clean shot from the slot – but Iles was equal to it, snapping the puck with his catching glove.
 
The Big Red then doubled its lead with just 27 seconds remaining before the intermission. Freshman defenseman Reece Willcox hit senior John Esposito with a breakaway pass up the middle. Esposito drifted a bit to the left before ripping a shot back the other way and below Condon's glove for his 11th goal of the season.
 
Freshman Christian Hilbrich added a little insurance in the third period with his second collegiate goal. A Princeton shot attempt was buried in Ryan's shinpads, sending the puck bounding into the neutral zone. Hilbrich sprinted away on a breakaway and made a couple of moves before vaulting a shot over Condon's blocker at the 5:59 mark to push the lead to 3-0.
 
Sophomore forward John McCarron then iced the game with an unassisted empty-net goal with 12 seconds remaining. Iles made 12 of his 26 saves in the third period as the Big Red kept the Tigers at arm's length down the stretch.
 
The victory improved Cornell's all-time postseason record against Princeton to 6-2-1, but it was the program's first-ever playoff win at Hobey Baker Rink (1-1-1). The Big Red is now 14-2-2 under head coach Mike Schafer in its postseason openers.