Box Score (PDF)

ITHACA, N.Y. – Senior defenseman Joakim Ryan and freshman forward Jared Fiegl scored goals 20 seconds apart in the second period Saturday, lifting the Cornell men's hockey team to a 3-2 win over Carleton in the Big Red's final exhibition of the season.
 
Ryan's goal was Cornell's second of the night on the power play, then Fiegl cashed in on the next shift. Freshman goaltender Hayden Stewart made 24 saves for the victory, including a huge stop with his blocker on a Joe Pleckaitis breakaway with less than eight minutes remaining in the third period.
 
Carleton, which is based in Ottawa and competes in Canadian Interuniversity Sports, challenged the Big Red in significantly different ways than did the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 a night earlier — but the final score was the same. The Ravens offered much more of a physical test while still maintaining a high-octane approach.
 
The Ravens dealt the Big Red its first deficit of the season 8:44 into the first period on a shot that would not have been on goal if it hadn't ended up in the goal. Pleckaitis curled off the right half-wall to take a shot from the top of the circle that hit traffic in front of the net. Damian Cross sent the puck below the goal line to Michael McNamee, who alertly sent a bank shot off the feet of Stewart.
 
Cornell drew even on its first power play of the night. Sophomore forward Jeff Kubiak and junior forward Christian Hilbrich cycled passes to each other in the right corner, opening a passing lane from Kubiak to senior defenseman Jacob MacDonald in the top of the slot. He took a moment to evaluate the traffic in front of him, then snapped a shot past the blocker of Carleton goalie Matthew Jenkins.
 
But the Ravens returned the favor with their own power-play goal 6:16 into the second. Senior forward Joel Lowry won a drew in the defensive zone immediately following the penalty to a teammate, but a Big Red change left one of its forwards a step behind the play as Carleton countered quickly. That allowed Pleckaitis, who entered the zone on the left wing, to stripe a pass across the zone to McNamee on the far side. Stewart aggressively came out to challenge the shooter, but McNamee read the play well and dished off to Cross for a tap-in goal from the crease.
 
The lead was short-lived, though, as the Big Red leveled the score with its second power-play goal on its second power-play chance. Working against the Ravens' passive penalty-killing approach, sophomore forward Jake Weidner worked the puck across to sophomore defenseman Patrick McCarron. As he passed to Ryan, the two blueliners switched sides. That kept Carleton's forwards from moving forward from the top of the circles, which allowed Ryan some space to drift into the high slot before ripping a shot over Jenkins' glove.
 
Cornell then took its first and only lead of the night a mere 20 seconds later. The energetic line of Fiegl, senior forward Madison Dias and junior forward Teemu Tiitinen was again at the center of attention after totaling five points in Friday's win against the U.S. NTDP U-18s. A line rush up the right wing was thwarted when Dias' shot was sticked away by Jenkins, but Tiitinen's forecheck forced a bad pass from a Ravens defenseman shortly thereafter. Freshman defenseman Ryan Bliss was at the blue line to intercept, then slapped a shot on goal. Jenkins made the save, but could only direct the puck back toward the shooter. Fiegl was first to it, and he slid the rebound under Jenkins for his second goal of the weekend.
 
The Big Red had a chance to expand its lead early in the third period, when it enjoyed 58 seconds of a two-man advantage on the fresh sheet of ice. But the home side failed to get set up on its first two entries into the zone, and the opportunity eventually petered out.
 
Ryan later hit the post with a shot with 14:18 after more good forechecking work by the line of Dias, Fiegl and Tiitinen. Carleton was then presented its own two-man advantage about a minute and a half later, consisting of 55 seconds. The Big Red sent the unit of Lowry, Patrick McCarron and Ryan onto the ice, and Lowry won the defensive zone draw to lead to a key clear early on. Despite several connected passes along the perimeter, the Ravens never seriously threatened for the rest of the two-man advantage, with the only attempted shot flying wide of Stewart.
 
The freshman goalie's night was far from done, though. Pleckaitis' breakaway with 7:37 was his next big stop, then a shorthanded chance two minutes later from Joey West clanked off the shaft of Stewart's stick harmlessly into the corner.
 
With the win, Cornell improves to 20-1-3 in exhibitions since 2000. The Big Red kicks off its season next weekend with a pair of home games against Omaha of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The first game is at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, with a rematch scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1.