Box Score

HAMILTON, N.Y. (3/9/08) - The Colgate University men's hockey team earned a 3-1 win over St. Lawrence in the deciding game of their best-of-three ECAC Hockey first-round playoff series on Sunday, Mar. 9, at Starr Rink. The win gives the Raiders (16-15-6) the right to visit regular-season champion Clarkson for a best-of-three quarterfinal series, Mar. 14-16, in Potsdam, N.Y. The Saints finish the year with a 13-20-4 overall record.

Colgate's senior class took the team on its collective back in order to extend their college careers. Tyler Burton (Langley, B.C.) and Ben Camper (Rocky River, Ohio) each contributed a goal and an assist to the winning effort, while goaltender Mark Dekanich (North Vancouver, B.C.) finished the game with 31 saves.

Camper got the Raiders on the board with 1:52 left in the opening period. After Burton received a breakout pass, he drew a hit and left the puck for junior Peter Bogdanich (Burnaby, B.C.), who was streaking through the neutral zone on the left side. Bogdanich beat two defenders along the boards and skated around the left corner where another SLU player was waiting. Burton joined the play and brought another defender with him to leave Camper alone in the slot. Bogdanich passed to the open man, and Camper shot between the legs of SLU senior goalie John Hallas. However, the puck hit the right post, but with four St. Lawrence skaters otherwise occupied, Camper had time to get his own rebound, which was sitting on the goal line, and tap it into the net.

Colgate hung on to the one-goal lead through the second period, as St. Lawrence outshot the home team, 11-7. Burton gave the Raiders a cushion with his third goal of the series 29 seconds into the final frame. Camper won the draw to Burton in front of the Raider goal, and Burton skated the length of the ice along the right boards. After a defender fell over to leave Burton unguarded, he shot from the right faceoff dot and scored, stick-side.

Less than five minutes later, Colgate scored on the power play to go up 3-0. With the Raiders set up in their zone, Bogdanich rang the puck around the boards to senior captain Jesse Winchester (Long Sault, Ont.). Winchester collected the puck off the wall, drew a defender to him, and passed it to freshman Kevin McNamara (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) on the right point. McNamara crossed it to defensive partner Wade Poplawski (Winnipeg, Man.), and Poplawski fired through traffic to beat Hallas.

The Saints used a power-play goal of their own 2:30 later to break up Dekanich's shutout bid. After Colgate turned the puck over in the neutral zone, junior Brock McBride skated in with the puck and took a shot from the high slot. The puck deflected off the stick of senior Charlie Giffin and went into the top corner of the net, stick-side.

Hallas registered 26 saves for the Saints, who outshot Colgate 32-29 on the night. The Raiders earned a 40-32 edge on faceoffs, and went 1-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.

Tickets to the quarterfinal series at Clarkson may be purchased through the Colgate Ticket Office by calling (315) 228-7600. All games are scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.