ITHACA, N.Y. – Forward Ben Berard scored a pair of power-play goals in a span of 18 seconds to break a tie late in the third period and power the Cornell men's hockey team to a 4-2 victory over U.S. National Team Development Program on Saturday at Lynah Rink.
 
In a game marked by 20 minor penalties, the Big Red earned all five power plays doled out in the third period. That included a two-man advantage that Berard cashed in just five seconds after the ensuing faceoff, blasting a one-timer from the top of the right circle over the shoulder of NTDP goaltender Dylan Silverstein. Cornell then won the faceoff at center ice and eventually worked its way back into the zone, and Max Andreev set up Berard for another rocket – this one from the top of the left circle – that also pinged off iron and provided a two-goal cushion.
 
Berard was also a key factor in Cornell's second goal, which also came on the man advantage. He maneuvered his way from the outside hash mark straight toward goal – and though his shot was stopped, the rebound bounced in off the skate of forward Matt Stienburg. The Big Red finished the night 3-for-11 on the power play.
 
Cornell had a dominating 44-17 advantage in shots on goal, including a gaudy 32-4 edge over the final 40 minutes – though the game was closer than those numbers would indicate. The NTDP, which is now 3-2 on the season against NCAA Divison I teams, twice took the lead – but both times, Cornell was quick to respond.
 
Seamus Casey put the visitors had with a long-range shot through traffic with 1:11 left in the first period, then the Big Red countered with forward Ondrej Psenicka's rebound goal after forward Kyle Betts' chance on the rush 50 seconds later. The NTDP then pulled ahead again midway through the second on Logan Cooley's power-play goal, 33 seconds before Stienburg's strike.
 
As it had in its first exhibition game last Saturday against Princeton, Cornell deployed each of its three goaltenders for one period. Nate McDonald earned the victory by stopping the only shot he saw in the third period. Joe Howe made 12 saves in the opening frame, then Ian Shane stopped two in the second.
 
In addition to Berard's three-point effort, Andreev and defenseman Tim Rego each had two assists.
 
With a pair of exhibition victories in its wake, the Big Red will transition to the regular season with two non-league games Oct. 29-30 against Alaska at Lynah Rink. Tickets for the games will be available starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday through BigRedTix.com.