HAMILTON, N.Y. (11/26/05) - Colgate senior captain Jon Smyth (Markham, Ont.) scored a breakaway goal 20 seconds into overtime to lift the No. 15/15 Raiders (8-2-3) to a 4-3 win against Western Michigan (3-7-2) on Saturday, Nov. 26. The win marks Colgate’s first overtime victory of the season.
Sophomore Tyler Burton (Langley, B.C.) deflected a WMU point shot and sent it around the boards to sophomore Jesse Winchester (Long Sault, Ont.), who chipped the puck into the neutral zone. Smyth streaked across the ice, picked up the puck and took off on a breakaway. A quick move left WMU goalie Daniel Bellissimo grasping at air as Smyth buried the puck to extend Colgate’s streak of undefeated home games to 10.
Bellissimo finished the game with 28 saves, including 13 in the second period. Raider sophomore goaltender Mark Dekanich (North Vancouver, B.C.) made 12 of his 25 saves during WMU power-play opportunities.
The Broncos scored the first goal of the game with just 21 seconds left in the first period. Both Raider forwards over-pursued the puck down the ice, and Chris Frank made a quick pass past both, creating an odd-man rush toward the Colgate net. A nifty move just inside the Colgate blue line by Brent Walton led to a centering pass toward a mass of WMU players who were crashing the net. The puck was deflected by Paul Szczechura above the blocker of a sprawling Dekanich. The goal was the first power-play tally Colgate has allowed in four games.
Colgate evened the score 3:49 into the second period. Senior Ryan Smyth (Clarence Creek, Ont.) won the puck out of the corner to junior Marc Fulton (Vancouver, B.C.), who was waiting along the half wall. Fulton snapped a quick back-door pass to classmate Mike Campaner (Thunder Bay, Ont.), who snuck in from the point and tapped the puck into an empty goal.
WMU regained the one-goal lead on Colgate’s third power play of the game. A turnover during Colgate’s breakout sent Walton, the nation’s sixth-best point scorer last season, in on net alone. A screaming slapshot from just above the right faceoff circle beat Dekanich glove-side. The goal was the first short-handed tally Colgate has allowed this season.
The Raiders knotted the score at two apiece during a 5-on-3 power-play opportunity. Bellissimo made back-to-back glove saves before Winchester beat him. Winchester made a hard drive from the corner, took a shot, and buried his own rebound. Jon Smyth and Burton assisted on the play.
Western Michigan pulled ahead again 1:35 into the third period on its second power-play goal of the night. Dekanich made an acrobatic save that was cleared out to Szczechura, who returned a slapshot toward the goal. The shot hit Daryl Moore in the chest and deflected to Sean Weaver, who was alone on the doorstep, for an easy finish.
Colgate clawed its way back into the game on a clutch goal by Fulton. Fulton received a tip-pass from senior Kyle Wilson (London, Ont.) on a centering feed by Ryan Smyth just inside the hash marks. Fulton finished the play by putting a low heater past Bellissimo.
The Raiders return to ECACHL play when they host league newcomer Quinnipiac on Friday, Dec. 2, at Starr Rink. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
