Box Score

POTSDAM, N.Y. (3/14/08) – Colgate had the effort, and they had the chances, but ended up with nothing to show for it on the scoreboard as the Raider men’s hockey team dropped the first game of its ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series to top-seeded No. 7 Clarkson on Friday, Mar. 14, at Cheel Arena. Colgate (16-16-6) will face elimination in Saturday’s second game against the Golden Knights (21-10-4), which begins at 7:00 p.m.

Clarkson senior goaltender David Leggio earned his second consecutive shutout against the Raiders after making 19 saves. Colgate senior netminder Mark Dekanich (North Vancouver, B.C.) registered 24 stops in the loss.

Just seconds after Colgate had a prime scoring chance on a shorthanded breakaway by sophomore Ethan Cox (Richmond, B.C.), the Golden Knights scored the only goal of the night on the power play 16:24 into the first period. After being hounded by a Raider defenseman along the left boards, junior Chris D’Alvise passed the puck to senior Grant Clitsome at the right point. Clitsome put a hard shot on net, and Dekanich made the save, but couldn’t control the rebound. The puck sat just beyond Dekanich’s reach when senior Steve Zalewski swooped in, picked it up, and put it into the net over the stretched-out right pad of the Raider goalie.

In addition to Cox’s breakaway chance, Colgate had numerous quality scoring chances during the game. In the first period, senior Tyler Burton (Langley, B.C.) missed an open net wide on a back-door, one-time attempt. Late in the second period, senior Dustin Gillanders (Kyle Sask.) put a low-angle shot on net that looked like it had beaten Leggio, but it glanced off the left post. Midway through the third, Burton and junior Peter Bogdanich (Burnaby, B.C.) had a 2-on-1 opportunity, but Bogdanich couldn’t get a stick on the rebound after Leggio stopped Burton. The Raiders put Dekanich on the bench with a minute left in regulation, but even with an extra skater, Colgate couldn’t get anything past Leggio.

Clarkson outshot Colgate 25-19, including 8-3 in the third period. The Golden Knights won 30 faceoffs to the Raiders’ 20. Colgate was unable to convert on its four power-play chances, and allowed one goal on two Clarkson extra-man attempts.

The second game of the series will be played on Saturday, Mar. 15, starting at 7:00 p.m. A Colgate victory in that contest will force a deciding game, which would be played on Sunday, Mar. 16, at 7:00 p.m.