Box Score (PDF)

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell men's hockey team blistered Rensselaer for most of Friday night's game, but Engineers goalie Jason Kasdorf proved to be impregnable in making 44 saves for a shutout. Chris Bradley scored RPI's lone goal in the second period, and the Big Red was dealt a 1-0 loss in its first ECAC Hockey action since early December. Cornell outshot RPI, 44-16, marking the Big Red's highest shot on goal total in a non-overtime game since March 14, 2008.

"We had some opportunities, but didn't show poise in those opportunities when we could have made one extra pass and found an open guy," said Mike Schafer, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey. "But (Kasdorf) is a good goaltender, and he was in very good control. He didn't get flopping around, and I think he played a great game."
 
Cornell (11-3-2, 6-2-1 ECAC Hockey), ranked seventh and eighth this week in the two major national polls, built momentum late in a scoreless first period and came out blazing early in the second. A giveaway led to a John Knisley breakaway just 16 seconds in, but Kasdorf made the save with his glove. It was one of nine Kasdorf saves in just the first four minutes of the period. The flurry ended with a turnover at the RPI blue line and an odd-man rush the other way. Cornell goalie Mitch Gillam stopped Kenny Gillespie's shot, but the rebound kicked way out to tee up Tommy Grant for a one-timer that slipped by Gillam only to strike the far post before being cleared away.
 
The 20th-ranked Engineers (12-7-4, 5-1-4) started to chip away at the Big Red's momentum, and defenseman Mike Prapavessis gained control in the corner to left of Gillam. Circling all the way to the top of the point, across the blue and down to the half wall, he bought enough time for Chris Bradley to shake free of his defender in the far circle long enough to slam a one-timer between Gillam's legs for the game's only scoring.
 
Cornell's best opportunity to at least draw even came early in the third period, when Vanderlaan drew a hooking penalty with the Big Red already on the penalty. That created a full 75 seconds of a two-man advantage on a mostly fresh sheet of ice. The Big Red used its timeout after the first half of it to rest its top unit, but couldn't break through. RPI put its second power play of the game to use, but Gillam made a big save on Lou Nanne's rising shot from the slot off a rebound with 4:50 to play. As the penalty expired, Cornell streaked up ice on a three-on-one. Reece Willcox slipped the puck back to Eric Freschi, and he got off a quick shot that rattled between Kasdorf's legs before he drew the whistle.
 
The Big Red scored three extra-attacker goals against the Engineers over just the last two years, but there was no magic on this particular night. The closest the visitors came was with 32.7 seconds left, but Kasdorf stopped Matt Buckles' shot after a pass from behind the net. Kasdorf's effort marked the first time an opposing goalie made at least 40 saves against the Big Red since Princeton's Colton Phinney on Nov. 7, 2014. Cornell is now winless in its last five trips to RPI.
 
Cornell makes the short drive west on Route 7 to face Union at 7 p.m. Saturday.