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Postgame Comments
ITHACA, N.Y. – Senior
Hanna Bunton tied the game with 1:02 left on the clock in the third period to force overtime against Princeton and eventually give the women's hockey team a 1-1 tie and a crucial ECAC Hockey point on Friday night at Lynah Rink. The one point for the tie, in addition to the two points Cornell earned with a win over the Tigers in November, gives Cornell three points in the season series which is the most points against Princeton in a season since 2012-13.
"It seems like all the games we've had with them [Princeton] in recent past has been a close game, one goal, one way or the other," said head coach
Doug Derraugh.
Goaltender
Paula Voorheis was the difference maker for Cornell in the first two periods and had a two-period save total of 29. In the early going, the senior cut off several shots from the high slot.
Despite the senior's best efforts, the Big Red found itself in unfamiliar territory at the end of the first period, as it was just the first time all season that the team trailed after one period as Karlie Lund was able to put the Tigers up at the 14:09 mark when she took a rebound behind the net, circled in front and lifted it past Voorheis at the right post.
Cornell got into some penalty trouble during the second period but Voorheis came up big yet again and stopped 10 shots while a man-down, none bigger than an alert stick save as the puck started to edge towards the goal line during a scrum.
The Big Red kept searching for the equalizer and finally began to gain some momentum halfway through the final frame. Still down with 2:02 to play, the Big Red got a boost when a Tiger was called for hooking and then Voorheis went to the bench in favor of an extra-attacker, giving Cornell a six-on-four power-play opportunity.
A minute ticked off in the man-advantage before sophomore co-captain
Micah Hart skated the puck into the neutral zone and fed a pass to Bunton on the right wing. The senior skated into three Princeton defenders before lofting a puck into the slot that sophomore
Diana Buckley corralled with her stick, enabling Bunton to follow her shot into the slot and slam the puck home past Steph Neatby.
"We just had to get on loose pucks and get some opportunities and we wanted to get the puck to the net and we ended up doing that, so that's what that goal was," said Bunton. "We haven't been getting many dirty goals and that's been kind of one of our focuses going into games so we knew we just had to get pucks and bodies to the net."
Bunton and Hart nearly combined on a game-winning goal in overtime, as the pair broke in alone on Neatby but the final buzzer sounded just as Neatby was deked to the ground.
With the tie, Cornell's record moved to 10-5-2 overall and 6-2-2 in ECAC Hockey play while Princeton's went to 12-6-3 and 8-4-2 in the league. As a team, Cornell finished with 23 blocked shots.
The team will be back in action tomorrow afternoon when #9/8 Quinnipiac visits Lynah for a 3 p.m. puck drop.