Freshman goaltender Jake Kielly was at his best on Saturday night to backstop the Clarkson University Hockey team to a 2-0 shutout over Notre Dame as the Golden Knights claimed the championship crown of the 2016 Shillelagh Tournament, played before 3,865 fans at the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, IN.
Kielly, who finished with 35 saves, was named Most Outstanding Player of the weekend, highlighting Clarkson’s first in-season tournament championship title since 2006.
The Knights, who own a seven-game unbeaten streak (5-0-2), advanced to face tournament host Notre Dame in the championship game after beating Yale on Friday in a tie-breaking shootout. Clarkson and the Bulldogs skated to a 2-2 non-conference draw through overtime.
Clarkson posts an 8-5-3 overall record and is unbeaten on the road with a 5-0-2 mark away from Potsdam. The Green and Gold, who stand in a third-place tie in the ECAC Hockey standings with a 4-1-1 league mark, return home this coming weekend to host Dartmouth and Harvard at Cheel Arena.
Postgame audio Head Coach Casey Jones
Notre Dame, ranked 11/12th in the national polls, outshot the Knights 35-27, but Kielly was perfect in the Clarkson crease to finish with his second career shutout. Clarkson killed off seven Notre Dame power plays, including a lengthy 5-on-3 Fighting Irish advantage late in the third period. The Green and Gold went 0-for-4 on the power play.
Clarkson’s Class of 2020 continued to produce offensively with freshmen Devin Brosseau and linemate Sheldon Rempal scoring the goals.
Notre Dame controlled play in the first period with a 15-4 shot advantage, but it was the Golden Knights who skated away with the lead after the opening 20 minutes.
Brosseau, the ECAC Hockey Player of the Week, scored at 6:29 for the game’s first goal. Brosseau gathered in the puck at the top of the blueline, skated down the right wing, eluded a Fighting Irish defenseman and snapped a shot from the bottom of the right circle over the goaltender’s glove and under the crossbar for his fourth goal of the season. Rookie linemate Nico Sturm picked up the lone assist.
Kielly was solid in the Clarkson crease, holding Notre Dame off the scoreboard with 15 saves for the period.
Late in the middle frame, moments after Kielly made a big stop in the Clarkson end, Rempal gave the Knights a 2-0 lead. Senior Troy Josephs grabbed a loose puck at the top of the left circle in the Irish zone and fed a pass to Rempal in the slot, where the rookie slipped in a backhand for his second goal of the weekend and fifth of the season at 15:22.
Shillelagh All-Tournament team for Clarkson – Sheldon Rempal (F), Terrance Amorosa (D) and MOP Jake Keilly (G).
