CANTON, N.Y. – After St. Lawrence claimed an early lead, the Colgate men's hockey program scored four unanswered goals to earn a 4-1 win on the road Friday evening.
The conference showdown opened with quick play at either end of the sheet, but it was St. Lawrence who found the twine first just 5:44 after the drop of the puck. Not deterred, the Raiders had their own early chances as
Bobby McMann picked the puck off a Saint minutes later in the slot and rang the left pipe as the iron kept it a one-goal game. Although the Raiders saw a pair of power play opportunities, the Saints' early tally would stand through the period for a one-goal game after 20:00.
Heightened by the gritty play along the boards, the Raiders returned to the ice with offense that fired fast and heavy. Colgate cashed in just 1:23 into the period with the tying goal by
Arnaud Vachon before McMann saw another chance down low with a rebound picked off the pads, but it would still remain a tie game.
That is, until the freshman class struck again. The physical play paid off as
Colton Young lifted the Raiders to their first lead of the night as the teams neared the midway point of regulation, a momentum builder that flowed into a power play. Through three quarters of the period Colgate was outshooting the Saints 8-0, and although the man advantage was burned, it was not for lack of continued chances.
The Raiders were pushed to play some defense as St. Lawrence looked to even things up, but goaltender
Mitch Benson was steady between the pipes to make key saves to keep Colgate ahead as they hit the midway point of the third period.
After the onslaught of St. Lawrence offense, the Raiders were able to flip the tone down the sheet yet again as they were divvied up a multitude of man advantages. The persistence paid off as McMann scored his first of the season on the wide angle for a 3-1 advantage, before capping the scoring with an empty netter for the 4-1 final on the road.
COLGATE SCORING PLAYS
• Period 2 | 01:23 – Flying down the sheet off the breakout,
Colton Young passed the puck off to
Arnaud Vachon in the neutral zone. After swinging to the left circle, the freshman took a shot on the wide angle and evened the game at 1-1 by sneaking it around the back of the netminder.
• Period 2 | 07:38 – After the puck was blocked to the blue line,
Nick Austin took a shot from the point. Darting in through traffic, Young tipped it in for the 2-1 advantage.
• Period 3 | 10:20 –
Bobby McMann drove the puck north along the left boards before spinning for a narrow shot at the goal line. After
Ben Sharf buckled the goaltender with the rebound, McMann was ready in the paint for the put away.
• Period 3 | 19:36 – As the puck broke loose in the neutral zone, McMann beat out the defender in the race for possession before spinning and sweeping it into the empty net.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• By scoring the final two goals, senior captain
Bobby McMann recorded his fifth multi-goal game in his career.
• In addition to notching his third goal in the last four games, freshman
Colton Young added an assist for his second multi-point night of the season.
• With the opening goal, freshman
Arnaud Vachon tallied his second goal in the last four games, and third on the season.
• Now on a two-game point streak, senior
Ben Sharf notched a pair of assists for his second multi-point night this season.
• The top line of Sharf, McMann, and senior
Tyler Penner are now all on a two-game point streak.
• In addition to earning an apple on the game-winning goal, junior
Nick Austin marked a plus-3 rating on the ice.
• Between the pipes, sophomore goaltender
Mitch Benson posted 23 saves on the night.
• The Raiders held their opponent scoreless on the power play for the seventh straight game.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 4, St. Lawrence 1
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 3-5-3 record, and a 2-1-0 mark in ECAC Hockey action.
• St. Lawrence is 3-7-1 overall on the season, and is 1-2-0 in ECAC play.
COACH VAUGHAN'S TAKE
"Both teams worked very hard tonight. One of our best efforts of the season. I thought the compete meter was on high for almost every guy on the team tonight.
"I'm so pleased for
Bobby McMann. He generated a lot of scoring chances throughout the game and was finally rewarded with what we could call an ugly goal, but for me and I'm sure for Bobby, it was a thing of beauty. He then capped off the night with an incredible effort on the empty net goal.
"I thought
Mitch Benson played a sound game tonight. Technically he was good, and athletic when he needed to be as well.
"All-in-all a good road win. Now we reset and get ready for an excellent Clarkson team."
UP NEXT
Colgate continues ECAC Hockey action tomorrow evening, as it faces No. 7 Clarkson in Potsdam. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate men's hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateMIH and Instagram at colgate_mih.
