Box Score (PDF)

ITHACA, N.Y. — A game in hand is only useful in the playoff picture if it's won, and the Cornell men's hockey team made sure it took care of business Tuesday night. The Big Red struck early and often in the nation's only Division I men's game to thump Colgate, 4-0, and move into fourth place in the ECAC Hockey standings with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
 
Cornell (15-6-2, 10-4-2), which is ranked 12th and 15th in the two national polls, won its third game in five days by doing what it failed to do its last two losses — expand on a lead to put the game out of reach for the visitors. Senior Mitch Gillam made 28 saves for his second shutout of the season and the 10th of his career. On the other end, Gillam made a few timely saves among his 28 stops on the night and the Big Red earned two vital points while the circuit's other 10 teams remained idle.
 
Senior defenseman Holden Anderson got the scoring started at the 7:01 mark of the first period. After sophomore defenseman Matt Nuttle had a shot from high slot blocked, senior forward Eric Freschi was first to the puck along the halfwall. He worked it back up to Anderson at the right point, and his shot glided along the ice, through traffic and past the feet of Colgate goalie Charlie Finn.
 
Senior forward Matt Buckles doubled the lead a little more than four minutes later when he slammed in a rebound of a shot from sophomore forward Mitch Vanderlaan that was blocked toward the top of the crease.
 
The game's first power play wasn't awarded until the early stages of the second period, and the Big Red took advantage. This time it was Yates smashing in a rebound after a blast from the point by senior defenseman Patrick McCarron was stopped.
 
Colgate (6-17-5, 4-10-2) had a few quality opportunities to get itself back in the game, but Gillam was at his best with Cornell possessing a three-goal lead. He stopped a breakaway attempt by Tyler Penner at the 6:34 mark of the frame, then flashed his right pad to kick away a backhand by Derek Freeman as he cut across the slot on a two-on-two rush.
 
Just 36 seconds after that stop, the Big Red extended the lead to four goals on a highlight-reel goal from freshman forward Jeff Malott. He picked up the puck in his own zone and started up ice. He avoided an attempt at a big hit at the visitors' blue line, then beat the Colgate defensemen down the middle before rifling a shot over the shoulder of Finn 2:13 before the final intermission.

With the win, Cornell moves up to fourth place in the ECAC Hockey standings with 22 points with six games remaining past Quinnipiac (21 points, five games left). Union and St. Lawrence are still tied for first place with 25 points, though the Dutchmen have six games left compared to St. Lawrence's five. Harvard is in third place with 24 points and five games remaining.
 
Cornell concludes its busy stretch of five games in nine nights this weekend with visits from Ivy League foes. The Big Red takes on Yale at 7 p.m. Friday, then wraps up the weekend against Brown at 7 p.m. Saturday.