ITHACA, N.Y. – Morgan Barron scored twice and Yanni Kaldis added a goal and an assist, as the men's hockey scored three goals in the opening 22 minutes before holding on for a 4-2 victory over Yale on Friday night at Lynah Rink in the Big Red's ECAC Hockey and Ivy League debut.
 
Cam Donaldson scored on the power play seven minutes in, then Kaldis' three-zone dash led to an unassisted goal less than seven minutes later. Barron's first goal stretched the Cornell (1-2, 1-0 ECAC Hockey, 1-0 Ivy League) lead to 3-0 just 83 seconds into the second period. Yale (1-1, 1-1, 1-1) used power-play goals by Dante Palecco and Joe Snively to cut its deficit to one with 7:53 to play, but Barron's empty-net goal sealed the Cornell victory.
 
Matthew Galajda bounced back from a difficult opening weekend against Michigan State, earning the victory with 16 saves. Even though the Bulldogs had just two shots on goal in the opening frame, the first was a prime opportunity. A bad pass toward a Cornell defenseman left him flat-footed before tumbling to the ice and allowing Yale's Joe Snively – a preseason first-team all-league selection who's already notched more than 100 collegiate points – a clean breakaway just 4:18 into the game. Galajda stuck with him and made the save on a forehand shot with his blocker.
 
"That was a difference-maker right there," said Associate Head Coach Ben Syer, who improved to 6-0-3 all-time as an acting head coach. "That's what we expect from Matty, and he's proven he's capable of doing it."
 
Snively's line was a focus for Cornell, which atoned for a poor performance against Michigan State's top lines. The shutdown assignment on Friday belonged to a line centered by Kyle Betts with Jeff Malott and Noah Bauld on the wings. Though Big Red held the Bulldogs at bay even strength all night.
 
"They're a real gritty group," Syer said of Betts' line. "He drew that assignment a lot last year with Noah. And we get Malott back, and all three of them can move pretty well. (Betts) is a smart player, and so are his wingers. I think they did a really nice job."
 
Mike Schafer, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey, was not at Friday's game so that he could attend a funeral. He is expected to join the Big Red in time for Saturday's game.
 

The Big Red's Lineup:

 
 

How The Goals Were Scored:

Cornell's 1st Goal
1st period, 7:00  •  Donaldson 2 (Green, Andreev) (pp)  •  Cornell 1, Yale 0
• In the latter stages of a power play, the Big Red patiently moved the puck from the left side behind the net and out to Andreev on the right hash mark. He teed up Alex Green for a one-timer coming in from the center point that Donaldson tipped from the slot off the ice, past Kaczperski's blocker and into the net off the post.
 
Cornell's 2nd Goal
1st period, 13:31  •  Kaldis 3  •  Cornell 2, Yale 0
• The Bulldogs flipped the puck up the left wing, where Kaldis tracked it down near the faceoff circle to Galajda's right. He maneuvered around the first forechecker, then an attempted pass along the wall hit another forechecker and kicked toward the middle. So Kaldis continued on and broke containment of the last forward to enter the Yale zone. After he cleared the blue and approached the top of the left circle, he wristed a shot that deflected off the defenseman's stick and sailed by Kaczperski's glove.
 
Cornell's 3rd Goal
2nd period, 1:23  •  Barron 1 (Mullin, Kaldis)  •  Cornell 3, Yale 0
• On a faceoff to Galajda's right, Andreev won the puck forward and Kaldis scooped it up on a crash from the wing to send it ahead to Mullin breaking out of the zone up the middle. Kaldis joined the play to create a three-on-two, which led to Barron's attempted pass from the left circle sliding toward goal before being sticked away by Kaczperski. Mullin regained possession behind the net, then quickly fed Barron cutting in from the left circle, and his backhand dipped under Kaczperski's glove.
 
Yale's 1st Goal
2nd period, 10:26  •  Palecco 1 (Snively, O'Neil) (pp)  •  Cornell 3, Yale 1
• On a controlled breakout during a power play, O'Neil gained the zone along the right side on a delayed entry with speed. When he got to the right hash, he attempted to feed Snively for a one-timer. He mostly fanned on the shot, but the puck took a little carom off the heel of his stick and went right into the path of Palecco. His shot went under Galajda's right arm.
 
Yale's 2nd Goal
3rd period, 12:07  •  Snively 3 (O'Neil, St. Ivany) (pp)  •  Cornell 3, Yale 2
• After the Big Red killed off a 68 seconds of a two-man disadvantage – staked on blocked shots by Beau Starrett, Alec McCrea, Brendan Smith – the Bulldogs struck late in the second power play. O'Neil fired a shot/pass from the right point toward the slot that Snively tipped past Galajda's blocker.
 
Cornell's 4th Goal
3rd period, 19:19  •  Barron 2 (Starrett, Vanderlaan) (en)  •  Cornell 4, Yale 2
• With Kaczperski pulled in favor of an extra attacker, Yale attempted to gain the Cornell zone on the left side, only to be thwarted by Vanderlaan's stick. Starrett swatted it across the ice to Barron on the opposite side, and he turned up ice and weaved his way through some sliding defenders before scoring his second of the night.
 

Up Next:

• The Big Red wraps up its season-opening home stand at 7 p.m. Saturday, when it continues ECAC Hockey and Ivy League play with a game against Brown. Tickets are available here through the Cornell Athletics Ticket Office.