Box Score (PDF)
 
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – After scoring just four goals over its previous five games, the Cornell men's hockey team busted its offensive slump with a resounding 5-1 victory against Union on Friday night at Messa Rink. Senior forward Cole Bardreau had three assists, and sophomore goaltender Mitch Gillam made 20 saves.
 
Cornell (7-7-2, 5-4 ECAC Hockey) had five different goal-scorers in its highest offensive output in 39 games, dating back to a 5-1 victory over Brown on Nov. 22, 2013. While the final result was a rout, the balance of the game was in question until sophomore forward Jake Weidner scored his second power-play goal in as many games, finishing off a tic-tac-toe passing play with Bardreau and senior defenseman Joakim Ryan with 11:27 to play in the game.
 
Five minor penalties were called in the first period and while neither team scored on its subsequent power plays, the penalties played a factor in the lone goal of the opening frame. Junior forward Christian Hilbrich stepped out of the box after serving an interference penalty and was sprung on a breakaway by a 100-foot pass from senior forward John McCarron. The 6-foot-7 winger picked a spot under the blocker of Union goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos at the 12:24 to give the Big Red a 1-0 lead.
 
Cornell yielded few opportunities in the first period, but had a couple good chances to double its lead on a power play with about four minutes left before the intermission. First, sophomore forward Jake Weidner hit the post with a shot from the right circle. He set up senior forward Cole Bardreau for a one-time from the opposite circle about 20 seconds later, but Sakellaropoulos slid across to his right to make the save.
 
Gillam was forced by Union (11-8-2, 4-5-1) to be more active in the second period. Roman Ammirato had an open shot from the inside of the left circle early on, with Gillam cutting down the angle and making the stop. He then flashed his glove to snag Mike Vecchione's one-timer from the top of the right circle with 5:29 left.
 
That set the stage for the Big Red's second goal on a pretty finish from senior defenseman Jacob MacDonald. Bardreau passed to forward Trevor Yates at the Union blue line, and the freshman absorbed a hit to make a slick pass and send MacDonald into the zone on a two-on-one with sophomore forward Matt Buckles. Working on his off wing, MacDonald decided to keep the puck on his backhand while shielding off his defender. He then shoveled a shot into the roof of the net in tight space over the left shoulder of the 6-foot-3 Sakellaropoulos to double the visitors' lead.
 
Cornell was then presented with 1:08 of a two-man disadvantage late in the period, but killed it off when Union was whistled for a hooking penalty in the offensive zone. It marked the 20th consecutive time the Big Red has successfully killed a three-on-five scenario, dating back to February 2012.
 
After Weidner's power-play goal essentially took the wind out of the sold-out crowd's sails, the Dutchmen attempted to gain momentum by pulling Sakellaropoulos in favor of an extra attacker with more than seven minutes remaining. But the Big Red countered with senior forward Madison Dias' easy empty-net conversion with 5:34 to play. A little less than three minutes later, Buckles scored on a two-man advantage to continue the rout. Union finally broke up the shutout bid with a rebound goal by Ryan Scarfo with just 13.3 seconds remaining.
 
Cornell wraps up its season-high stretch of six straight games away from home at 7:07 p.m. Saturday at Rensselaer. The game will be televised by Time Warner Cable SportsChannel in several upstate New York markets — including the Ithaca area.