Box Score HAMILTON – Defense took center stage Friday night as two of the nation's stingiest teams squared off on Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium.
Army escaped with an 8-7 victory over Colgate that was meaningless for seeding purposes in the upcoming Patriot League tournament, which starts Tuesday. The fourth-place Raiders host fifth-place Bucknell in a quarterfinal matchup, while second-place Army advances straight into Friday's semifinals.
The Black Knights led 3-1 at halftime before opening three separate three-goal margins in the second half. Colgate made a late charge with a pair of
Brendon McCann goals in the final five minutes, but the Raiders couldn't quite complete the rally.
"We did it together and we fought back," Colgate head coach
Mike Murphy said. "You've got to give Army a lot of credit; they're a great team. But I'm really proud of our guys.
"I'm really proud of the effort we gave and at the end of the day, you look at it and they made one more play than we did. They got one more goal than we did."
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Top-Six DefensesArmy entered Friday's game as the nation's No. 1 defensive unit, allowing just 5.82 goals per game. Colgate ranked sixth nationally at 7.83.
On top of that obstacle, Colgate held Senior Night festivities before the opening faceoff. It's always an emotional affair, and coaches say they never know how seniors will react to their final home games.
McCann (pictured right) was one of 10 honored, and he said the hype from Friday's pregame ceremony may have contributed to the team's slow offensive start.
"Me, personally, I was a little nervous with it being Senior Night and everything," he said. "I felt a lot of pressure the first half and I was gripping the stick a little bit too tightly. I felt I had to take in upon myself to come out in the second half with more of a concerted effort and sense of urgency."
He did just that, scoring three times in the game's final 17 minutes to help Colgate charge down the stretch. It was McCann's second straight hat trick, fourth in the last six games and 10th of his career. It also pushed him over the 100-point mark at Colgate, with now 68 goals and 34 assists.
McCann's first goal was a rebound put-back off a
Ryan Walsh shot late in the third quarter that pulled the Raiders within 6-4. McCann bounced one in with 4:52 left in the game to make it 8-6 Knights, and he scored again with 1:06 showing on a bulldog move that wouldn't be denied.
"We've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this field this whole year, and that second half really shows what the team is all about," he said. "We've fought all year to be the best team we can be."
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Walsh (pictured right) scored three times as well, and all three were blistering shots that seemed to increase in velocity as they found the net. He scored the opening goals of each half, and then pulled the Raiders within 7-5 early in the fourth.
It also was Walsh's second straight hat trick. He has five this season and 18 for his career, and he continues to lead the team with 26 goals and 37 points. McCann is second in both categories with 20 and 32.
One Final ChanceColgate's
Alex Kinnealey won the final faceoff of the night and the Raiders had the last few cracks at the Knights in the final 60 seconds. Murphy said there was no need for a special call from the sideline.
"We've just got to run our offense," he said. "I don't know that we have a miracle play. We've got a really good offense and we got some good looks. Unfortunately, they just didn't go."
Eric Foote scored Colgate's other goal, finding the net unassisted on a side-slinger early in the second half. Foote also contributed Colgate's lone assist, helping Walsh complete his hat trick in the fourth.
Kinnealey won 10 of 18 faceoffs and picked up five ground balls.
Kevin Boyle and
Brandon Burke had four ground balls apiece, and Burke finished with eight saves in net. Boyle,
Bobby Lawrence and
John Baker caused two turnovers apiece.
Army was led by John Glesener's three goals. He scored back-to-back in the first half for the Black Knights' 3-1 lead, and then answered Walsh's opener of the second half. Cole Johnson added two goals.
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Shots favored Colgate 31-21, but shots on goal were in Army's favor by a 16-15 count. Colgate held a 26-21 edge in ground balls and had only 12 turnovers to Army's 15. The Black Knights were 16-of-18 on clears, while Colgate was 12-of-17.
Colgate drops to 8-5 overall and 4-4 in the Patriot League, while Army is now 9-3 and 7-1.
10 Seniors HonoredMcCann, Lawrence (pictured right) and Boyle were three of the 10 seniors recognized along with their parents before the game. Others were
Tim Cashman,
Aaron Darr,
Derek Katchis,
Justin Kirchner,
Patrick Korn,
Conor Murphy and
Jimmy Ryan.
"I've got a special group of seniors; guys who have been with me three years," Murphy said. "They understand what it means to be a team. I'm proud of their effort, from
Aaron Darr all the way down to
Jimmy Ryan and the eight guys in between. They give me everything.
"There are guys who shine on nights like this but there are guys who play an integral role at practice. And I'm just proud of those seniors. It's a special group of seniors."
As a group, the Class of 2014 already owns 41 wins to rank second all-time in program history for victories in a four-year period. Included, of course, was the 2012 NCAA tournament triumph over No. 1-ranked Massachusetts and the program's first appearance in the national quarterfinals.
"We've had a great ride," McCann said. "Just since Coach Murphy's been here, we've made it to the NCAA quarterfinals and we've really grown together as a group. We've lost some guys and we've really just bonded over everything we've been through.
"We feel like we're a special group with a special team, and we've had the same goal all year and worked for it all year. We're definitely not ready to stop now and we're going to carry all the momentum from the second half today and everything we've done all year into this tournament and not let anyone take us by surprise. We're going to give everything we have."
Colgate hosts Bucknell on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Raiders won 9-8 here on March 1 in a game that featured three lead changes and never more than a two-goal advantage. Colgate's win that day is the reason the Raiders are home and not away against the Bison, who also finished 4-4 in the league.
"We've got to learn from this and build on it," Murphy said. "The guys will take Saturday off, and then we'll get back at it on Sunday and get ready for a very talented Bucknell team.
"(Our) group has seen a lot of success, and we've got to carry that into Tuesday."
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