ITHACA, N.Y. — Junior forward Anthony Angello and Mitch Vanderlaan each had a goal and an assist, and the Cornell men’s hockey team rolled to a 3-0 blanking of Dartmouth on Friday night at Lynah Rink. Freshman Matthew Galajda made 16 saves for his second shutout in just five collegiate starts, and the Big Red improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
Dartmouth (2-3, 2-2 ECAC Hockey, 2-2 Ivy League) generated a handful of odd-man chances in the game’s opening 10 minutes, but couldn’t take advantage. Cornell (5-0, 3-0 ECAC Hockey, 2-0 Ivy League) started to dominate possession in the second half of the frame, and Vanderlaan’s goal with 2:01 before the first intermission proved to be the winner.
The Big Red then got a huge boost from a continuous penalty kill on a five-minute major, with the added difficulty of the second period’s long change and without the assistance of any stoppages in play. Dartmouth’s best of three shots on goal came when Galajda shrugged away a deflected point shot from Corey Kalk, but it was Cornell that actually generated the best scoring chances. Big Green goalie Devin Buffalo made a big save on Beau Starrett’s shot off a two-on-one to keep the visitors trailing by just one, but the Lynah Faithful roared its approval during the kill.
“One of the reason I chose to come to Cornell as a player was seeing our fans appreciate hard work ethic,” said Mike Schafer, the Jay R. Bloom ’77 Head Coach of Men’s Hockey. “I think our players responded to the fans tonight.”
Senior Trevor Yates then doubled the lead later in the second period with his team-high fifth goal in as many games. Angello’s insurance goal came early in a third period in which Galajda was forced to make just two saves. It was a big bounceback effort for Galajda following his removal after 20 minutes in last Saturday’s win at Princeton.
“I didn’t have enough edge last weekend (at Princeton),” Galajda said. “So tonight I came in and competed for 60 minutes.”
Two years ago, Angello and Vanderlaan made a name for themselves as the freshman wingers on the ‘JAM’ line — an acronym of the first names of the two and center Jeff Kubiak. With Kubiak now playing professionally, Angello and Vanderlaan played Friday night with classmate Beau Starrett. Call them the ‘BAM’ line.
“Tonight was the first time Beau and Anthony and I played together this year,” Vanderlaan said. “They’re two big bodies, and we were really able to feed off each other.”
That line shift consequently matched up Yates with freshman wingers Morgan Barron and Cam Donaldson — each of whom assisted Yates’ goal. Barron’s assist makes him the program’s first freshman to register points in each of his five collegiate games since freshmen were permitted to play in varsity contests starting in the 1975-76 season.
The Cornell victory ended Dartmouth’s five-game unbeaten streak at Lynah Rink, dating back to the Big Red’s victory over the Big Green in the playoffs of the 2011-12 season. It was also the first time Cornell has scored more than two goals against Dartmouth — home or away — over the same span.
How The Goals Were Scored:
Cornell’s 1st Goal
1st period, 17:59 • Cornell 1, Dartmouth 0
• A battle along the wall on the left wing in the offensive zone resulted in the puck popping toward the left point, where Brendan Smith kept it in by batting it toward the top of the circle. Angello was able to get his stick to it first, poking the puck toward Vanderlaan. His first shot was blocked in the slot, but Vanderlaan was first to the puck and ripped another shot that beat Buffalo past the blocker.
Cornell’s 2nd Goal
2nd period, 16:24 • Cornell 2, Dartmouth 0
• The Big Green won a faceoff in its zone, but a forward had trouble gathering the puck while trying to exit the zone and Donaldson swept in from behind to gain possession for Cornell. He drove wide on his defender to the right, taking a shot that forced a rebound from Buffalo. Barron was first to the rebound, kicking it toward the corner. It then bounced off a Dartmouth defender and back toward the slot, where Yates opportunistically buried a shot inside the far post.
Cornell’s 3rd Goal
3rd period, 1:03 • Cornell 3, Dartmouth 0
• As Cornell was putting on the finishing touches on a penalty kill, Dartmouth’s dump-in from the neutral zone was flagged down behind the net by Galajda. He passed to Starrett in the corner, who quickly sent Vanderlaan into space up the middle of the Big Red slot. As Green exited the penalty box, Angello stepped onto the ice on a change and Vanderlaan sent him away with a breakaway pass. Angello then beat Buffalo low to the glove side.
Up Next:
• Cornell continues its home stand at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, when it hosts rival #5/5 Harvard in a rematch of the 2017 ECAC Hockey Championship game.
• The stretch starts at 7 p.m. Friday against visiting Dartmouth, then the Big Red hosts defending league champion Harvard at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
