No. 17 men’s hockey sought to extend its Kelley-Harkness win streak to five on Saturday. But for the first time since 2018, Cornell skated off the ice of Madison Square Garden with a loss. The Red dropped the game by a 2-1 score, its second consecutive loss to the Terriers. Here’s how the game unfolded.
1st Period
Less than three minutes in, Boston University took the first penalty of the game — a slash. The resulting Cornell power play failed to deliver, despite a grade-A opportunity in front.
Then, just under seven minutes into the game, BU got its first man advantage. The high-octane offense didn't take long to convert, scoring just nine seconds into the advantage; an unguarded Kamil Bednarik tipped in a Cole Eiserman pass that deflected off a Cornell defenseman.
Almost immediately after the goal, Cornell was penalized again on a junior defenseman George Fegaras' trip, sending the unit that had just capitalized back on the ice. This kill was much more effective for the Red, including big clears and a gutsy shot block by freshman defenseman Xavier Veilleux on the ever-dangerous Eiserman.
The second half of the period featured a much more potent offense from Cornell, accounting for the majority of its 11 shots on goal in the opening frame. The most dangerous Cornell chance came with less than two minutes left in the period as Fegaras wired a pass to senior forward Nick DeSantis, who ripped a shot wide of BU goalie Mikhail Yegorov.
It was the Terriers who got the last action as Cole Hutson rocketed a shot at freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer, producing a rebound that went unclaimed as time expired in the opening frame.
Despite outshooting BU 11-6 in the opening frame, Cornell did not lead on the scoreboard, trailing 1-0. The first also saw Cornell lose the faceoff battle, winning one less than BU's 11. After a slow start, the Red entered the locker room with a bit more momentum and energy than when they entered the most famous rink in the world.
2nd Period
The beginning of the second period saw both teams trade chances. Cournoyer remained a steady presence in net, coming up with big stops, including denying two Hutson wristers off of no-look passes from Eiserman.
Cornell continued to separate itself in the shot department, leading BU 18-9 at the halfway point of the game, but in the second, it also increased its high-danger opportunities. Sophomore forward Charlie Major’s swift maneuvering earned him a couple of good looks in the Cornell offensive zone, but Cornell was yet to solve Yegorov.
That was until, with five minutes left in the second, tenacious forechecking from junior forward Luke Devlin gave Major the puck along the wall. Major found junior forward Ryan Walsh in front, and Walsh passed it off to freshman forward Reegan Hiscock, who potted the Red’s first of the game.
The Red continued to apply pressure in the following minutes, and with 2:05 remaining in the second, coincidental minors (interference on BU, embellishment on Cornell) opened up the ice for four-on-four. Neither team scored, and the Red ended the period having doubled its shots and finding a much-needed equalizer.
3rd Period
Despite a strong start, it would be BU drawing early blood in the third. An Eiserman wrister snuck its way through Cournoyer's five-hole, and with 14:36 left in the period, Cornell trailed by one.
Shortly after, Cornell would head to the power play after a BU player played the puck with a broken stick. The power play was once again stagnant. Cornell, however, would continue pushing, eventually leading to a big blocker save on a Major attempt.
A Cornell boarding penalty gave BU’s power play a chance with 6:38 remaining. Following a Terrier timeout with 1:09 left in the advantage, BU’s unit continued to threaten with dangerous chances. Cornell held strong and eventually drew a penalty, leading to 17 seconds of four-on-four.
Those seconds passed, and freshman forward Aiden Long sprang from the box, setting up the Red’s biggest power play yet. A disadvantageous start led to a turnover and an immediate BU chance, which was stopped by Cournoyer. Cornell was unable to generate much of anything on the advantage and once again went back over the boards empty-handed.
Cornell pulled its goaltender and immediately drew a slashing penalty with 1:54 remaining. Cornell went back to the power play — this time a six-on-four advantage — that had run dry all night.
Junior defenseman Hoyt Stanley would find iron on the first shot of the power play, which spelled out the rest of the advantage. Yet, despite pressure, Cornell could not find success and iced the puck with 11.6 seconds remaining, sealing the game and its first Red Hot Hockey loss since 2013.
Despite falling to the Terriers, Cornell led in shots on goal, 29-17. But it was BU who won the special teams battle, holding the Red scoreless in four attempts on the man advantage, while potting one goal on its three power play attempts.
Cornell will return to ECAC play Dec. 5-6 at Clarkson and St. Lawrence. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m., with the game streaming on ESPN+.
