Aaron Todd <[email protected] —
Cameron Buhl scored eight minutes and seven seconds into overtime to lift the No. 3 seeded St. Lawrence University men’s hockey team to a 5-4 win over fourth-seeded Colgate in the semifinal round of the ECAC Hockey tournament on Thursday night.
Buhl scored the goal on the Saints’ first shot of the overtime period, creating a Colgate turnover in the Raiders’ defensive end and taking a pass from Greg Lapointe at the right side of the net, then spinning around and sneaking a shot between Colgate goaltender Carter Gylander’s pads to send the Saints to the ECAC Hockey championship game against top-seeded Quinnipiac.
“We were extremely proud of the team as a staff,” said Charles W. Appleton II Head Men’s Hockey Coach Brent Brekke. “They are resilient. I use that word a lot with this team, but they truly are. It’s pretty special and we’re very proud of them.”
Buhl’s overtime goal was his second of the game, and first-year defenseman Tucker McIntosh, playing in his first game since suffering an injury in the Saints’ fourth game of the season on January 10, also scored two goals. The game also marked the return of senior captains Dylan Woolf, who also scored on Thursday night, and Callum Cusinato; both players had been out of the lineup due to injuries since late January.
“Tucker’s been out for a long, long time, and we didn’t think we were going to get him back here at the end of the season, so we’re fortunate and excited to have him back in the lineup,” said Brekke. “And then obviously, that’s a little cherry on top when you get those guys producing.”
McIntosh got the Saints on the board less than five minutes into the game, charging the net and finishing a cross-ice pass from Aleksi Peltonen in a wide-open net for his first collegiate goal. Reilly Moran also picked up an assist on the play.
Josh McKechney tied the game with a shorthanded goal a little over halfway through the first period, taking a pass from Colton Young from the left-side half boards at the far post and flipping the puck into the net.
Jeff Stewart gave the Raiders the lead 6:17 into the second period, backhanding the puck off St. Lawrence goaltender Emil Zetterquist and into the net.
Buhl tied the game with a power play goal three minutes later, snapping a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle over Colgate goaltender Carter Gylander’s right shoulder. Justin Paul and Luc Salem earned assists on the play.
But Colgate answered back with less than five minutes to play in the second, as Evan Tschumi jammed away at a puck in the crease to give the Raiders a 3-2 lead heading to the third period.
Woolf tied the game at the 4:36 mark of the third with a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle past the near post after Max Dorrington won an offensive zone faceoff. The assist on the play was Dorrington’s first collegiate point.
McIntosh gave the Saints a 4-3 lead with his second goal of the game just 1:09 later, hitting the top left corner of the net with a wrist shot from the point. David Jankowski and Nicholas Trela picked up assists on the play.
There was plenty of drama left in the game, however, as Tyler Jeanson tied the game halfway through the third period after taking a pass from Tschumi in front of the Saints’ net and sending a backhand past Zetterquist.
Colgate dominated the early moments of the overtime period, building a 9-0 advantage in shots on goal, including a flurry of shots five minutes into the extra frame. But Zetterquist kept the Saints’ hopes alive, stopping all nine shots he faced in overtime to finish the game with 39 saves.
Gylander stopped 20 shots for the Raiders, who finished the season 6-11-5.
St. Lawrence, now 5-7-3, will face a tough task on Saturday in Hamden, Connecticut. Quinnipiac is ranked 10th nationally and won the season series with the Saints 4-1-1, including wins in the last four meetings of the season.
“Our last game we had a real good push against them midway through the game,” said Brekke. “I thought we played very well against them in the last game. We didn’t get the result, but we felt good against them. Our players know their tendencies. When you play a team that many times, you get to know them.”
The winner of Saturday’s game will claim the ECAC Hockey tournament title and earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament. Opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m. ET.
(St. Lawrence Men’s Hockey Photo)
