HAMILTON – Rookie Andrew Black broke a 2-2 tie late in the third period to lift the Raiders over 13th-ranked Clarkson, 3-2, on Friday night.
Colgate (12-9-3, 8-3-1 ECAC) continued its winning ways in 2014 and moved to 5-0-1 on the new year. Black added an assist as well for his first two-point night of his career. Tylor Spink tallied his 10th of the year to join Darcy Murphy in double digits. Joe Wilson got the scoring started in the first with his third of the season. Charlie Finn moved to 9-4-2 on the year and is 7-1-1 in league player this year.
Clarkson (15-8-2, 8-3-0 ECAC) got goals from Paul Geiger and Will Frederick. Frederick was the team’s high point scorer with two after getting an assist on Geiger’s tally. Steve Perry got the start in net and made 25 saves with 11 coming in the second period.
“I thought it was a heck of a game,” head coach Don Vaughan said. “A point separates us in the standings and you can see why as both teams play a similar style. It was up and down and a heck of game to be a part of. “
The Raiders took the early lead with Wilson scoring on a crazy bounce off the back boards. Andrew Black forced a turnover at center ice and put the puck in the zone. It popped out off the boards to Wilson, who was in the slot and wide open. He buried it top shelf for the first lead of the game with 15:43 left in the first.
Colgate then capitalized on its first power play of the game with great puck movement from the Cornwall power play. Tyson Spink was in the right corner and slipped a backhanded pass out to Kyle Baun at the faceoff dot. Baun tthen found Tylor Spink at the opposite circle. He smoked a one-timer that beat a diving Perry for the 2-0 lead with 7:37 remaining in the opening frame.
Vaughan was happy with the early results and effort.
“We had great energy early and the power play goal was a special goal,” Vaughan said. “Those guys move the puck so well and know where each other are at all times. We had a good jump early and we have had that recently. We talk a lot about getting off to good starts and we did yet again tonight against a very good team.”
The Golden Knights fired back with a pair of scores in the second period to tie the game. The first came on the power play midway through the frame. Geiger simply fired a wrister from the high slot that went through traffic and into the net to make it 2-1.
Clarkson tied the game with Frederick scoring on a rush up ice. Jarrett Burton got the puck into the zone and took it deep to almost the goal line and dropped a pass back to Frederick and the senior beat Finn to the glove side. The goal was a 4-on-4 score and came with 12 seconds left in the middle stanza.
With the Golden Knights tying the game in the second period, the Raiders and coach Vaughan didn’t panic and preached supporting the puck and not turning it over in the dressing room in between periods
“We talked about taking care of the puck, especially when we got the lead,” Vaughan said. “Andrew Black’s shot was phenomenal, but once we got the lead it was all about not turning the puck over in the gray areas and having great puck management. I thought our bench did a good job not letting Clarkson’s guys get behind us as they were stretching.”
Black gave the Raiders the 3-2 lead with a snipe from the right side. Kevin Lough broke up a play in the defensive zone and Black swooped in and rushed the length of the ice. He faked the slapper and roofed a wrister just under the cross bar for the eventual gamewinner.
“He has had some great looks and he is going to create because he has speed and handles the puck well,” Vaughan said. “I have seen him score that goal before in practice and he had one very similar to this one earlier this year. That type of goal is in his arsenal and it was a great individual effort.”
Both teams were 1-for-4 on the power play and Clarkson had a slim 29-28 lead in shots.
The Raiders played in front of the Colgate students for the first time in over a month and Vaughan was appreciative of the support.
“It was a great crowd tonight and I want to tip my hat to them and it was great to have the students in the building,” Vaughan said. “The energy was great and one of the best crowds we have had here in a while and I hope they come out tomorrow night.”
Colgate is back on the ice tomorrow night against St. Lawrence at 7 p.m. with tickets still available. The Colgate Ticket Office will be open during the women’s basketball game tomorrow at 4 p.m. and fans can buy tickets then and also an hour before the men’s hockey game.
