ITHACA, N.Y. — Junior forward Morgan Barron and senior defenseman Yanni Kaldis each had two goals and an assist, and the Cornell men's hockey team staved off Union for a 5-2 victory on Friday night at Lynah Rink.
 
Cornell (18-2-4, 13-2-2 ECAC Hockey), which ranks second in both USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, stormed out to a three-goal lead before Union (7-19-3, 5-11-1) mounted a comeback. The Dutchmen appeared to tie the game with 6:13 left in the third period when Anthony Rinaldi swept in a rebound from inside the crease, but the goal was later overturned upon video review after Rinaldi was deemed to make contact with Cornell goaltender Matthew Galajda before the initial shot. That allowed the Big Red to keep the lead until Barron and freshman forward Jack Malone scored empty-net goals to give Cornell its fourth straight win.
 
The Big Red got off to a quick start with Kaldis' goal through traffic 2:30 into the game. Barron doubled that lead about eight minutes later on a one-timed blast on the power play, and Cornell appeared to be off to the races. The hosts held a dominating 13-1 advantage in shots on goal after 20 minutes. Kaldis' second goal stretched the lead to 3-0 with 3 minutes left in the second period, and it gave Cornell's eighth power-play goal in just the last four games.
 
But, just like in its last game Sunday against Colgate, some Cornell missteps allowed the visitor to gain traction and claw its way back into the game. And, again, penalties played a central role. Gabriel Seger's power-play goal got the Dutchmen on the board, even with just six shots on goal through 40 minutes.
 
Union's traction carried over into the third period, and a couple penalties put Cornell on a two-man disadvantage for 1:24. The Big Red answered the bell, though, with the trio of Barron, Kaldis and junior defenseman Cody Haiskanen blocking a total of six shots over that span.
 
The Dutchmen eventually pulled to within one on Dylan Anhorn's goal off the rush with 9:53 to play. That set the stage for the wild finish, which Cornell won to keep pace with Clarkson for first in ECAC Hockey at 28 points. The Big Red can now also clinch a bye through the first round of the ECAC Hockey Championship playoffs with a tie or a win in its next time out, when it hosts Rensselaer at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lynah Rink.

Barron and Kaldis gave Cornell a pair of two-goal scorers in the same game for the first time since March 9, 2018. The Big Red also won for the first time in its last four Valentine's Day games.

The Big Red's Lineup:

How The Goals Were Scored:

Cornell's 1st Goal
1st period, 2:30  •  Kaldis 3 (Andreev, Dirven)  •  Cornell 1, Union 0
•  Dirven took a shot from the left point that was blocked by Rinaldi, but it left the Union winger hobbled. That led the Big Red having a little extra time to manage the puck, with Dirven passing to Andreev at the bottom of the left circle. Andreev decided to drift behind the net before picking out Kaldis just beyond the top of the right circle. With Ben Berard posted up on top of the crease, Kaldis wristed the puck down toward goal. It deflected off a defender and past Hanson.
 
Cornell's 2nd Goal
1st period, 10:24 (pp)  •  Barron 12 (Kaldis, Berard)  •  Cornell 2, Union 0
•  Working on the power play, Berard moved the puck to near the left hash mark. With two Dutchmen penalty killers collapsing toward Berard, he moved the puck to Kaldis at the center point. He then slid a pass into Barron's wheelhouse, from where he blasted a one-timer past Hanson's blocker.
 
Cornell's 3rd Goal
2nd period, 17:00 (pp)  •  Kaldis 4 (Locke, Barron)  •  Cornell 3, Union 0
•  Working on the power play, Kaldis gained the offensive zone toward the middle before dishing off to Locke, who drifted toward the half wall with Kaldis continuing on into the corner. As Locke drew pressure, he passed back to Barron at the point. He walked in toward the top of the circle and fired a puck along the ice that found Kaldis cutting toward the net from the corner, and he deflected a backhand over Hanson's glove.
 
Union's 1st Goal
2nd period, 18:56 (pp)  •  Seger 5 (Foo, Rinaldi)  •  Cornell 3, Union 1
•  On the man advantage, Rinaldi passed the puck from the top of the right circle to Foo stationed outside the left post. He quickly turned the puck back toward the middle for Seger, whose original shot was shrugged off by Galajda. But the puck popped into the air back toward the slot, creating a scrum. Anhorn crashed in from the left point and had the puck rattle off his skates back to Seger. His shot from the slot was able to sneak through Galajda.
 
Union's 2nd Goal
3rd period, 10:07  •  Anhorn 5 (Rinaldi, Estes)  •  Cornell 3, Union 2
•  Estes carried the puck behind his own goal and was chased by a forechecker, which allowed him to speed away up the right wing and create a chance on the rush. His pass through the neutral zone allowed Rinaldi to enter the offensive zone with a two-on-two on the right side, but he pulled up to pick out Anhorn crashing wide open on the weak side. From the top of the left circle, he tried to pick out Foo near the top of the crease with a shot/pass, but it deflected off a defender's stick and high into the net.
 
Cornell's 4th Goal
3rd period, 19:36.2 (en)  •  Barron 13 (Betts, Malott)  •  Cornell 4, Union 2
•  With Hanson pulled in favor of an extra attacker, the Dutchmen worked the puck around the offensive zone to set up Foo for a shot from the slot that was blocked by Kaldis. The puck caromed toward Malott in the left circle, and he cleared it just past Foo's reach and into the neutral zone. Betts raced to the puck first to gain possession before tapping it into Barron's path for conversion into the empty net.
 
Cornell's 5th Goal
3rd period, 19:41.9 (en)  •  Malone 2  •  Cornell 5, Union 2
•  With Hanson still pulled for an extra attacker, the Dutchmen won a faceoff at center ice, but the puck bounced off a Union player and directly into the path of Malone. He entered the offensive zone on the right side and sidestepped a sprawling defender before shooting the puck into the empty net.