ITHACA, N.Y. – Freshman goaltender Matthew Galajda made 28 saves for his third shutout, and senior forward Trevor Yates’ team-leading 11th goal of the season proved to be all the offense needed in the Cornell men’s hockey team’s 1-0 victory over Quinnipiac on Saturday night at Lynah Rink.
The Big Red penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4, including a five-minute major early in the second period. Nine of Galajda’s saves came with Cornell a man down, and he was further aided by four Quinnipiac shots clanked off posts. After the Bobcats’ final power play of the night, the Big Red manufactured its lone goal of the night and held on to improve to 13-2 overall and 7-1 in ECAC Hockey play. In losing at Lynah Rink for the first time since the 2011-12 season, the Bobcats fall to 8-11-2 overall and 4-6-1 in ECAC Hockey.
Though Galajda started the Big Red’s first 11 games of the season, senior Hayden Stewart had earned starts in the last three games and played well. The decision was made a little more than two hours before Saturday’s game that Stewart was unable to play, and Galajda delivered on short notice. He made no bigger save than at the 2:27 mark of the third period, when he slid across to his right to stop Alex Whelan’s shorthanded breakaway attempt with his blocker.
While the first period lacked goals, there was no dearth of intrigue. Riding a pair of victories coming out of the holiday break, Quinnipiac proved to be the aggressor in the early going and earned the contest’s first two power plays. On the latter, junior defenseman Chase Priskie rattled a one-timer off the post at the 8:40 mark.
Cornell gradually settled in and created chances of its own late in the frame. Most notably, an apparent rebound goal by junior forward Beau Starrett was immediately waved off for goaltender interference with 2:44 left. Then, in the waning seconds, a point shot from sophomore defenseman Yanni Kaldis hit a skate in front and vaulted off the facemask of freshman forward Brenden Locke, only to clank off both the crossbar and the far post before caroming harmlessly away as the buzzer sounded.
Galajda became just the second goaltender in Cornell program history to record three shutouts in his freshman season – eventual All-American David McKee was the other, with five in the 2003-04 season. Galajda also regained sole possession of the national lead for victories by freshman goalies with nine.
