This story will be updated.
Men’s hockey’s top line had a standout performance last week, with junior forwards Jake Kraft and Ryan Walsh putting up a combined three goals and one assist against Dartmouth and Harvard.
That magic didn’t fade, even as Cornell took the road for the first time in four weeks.
Freshman forward Gio DiGiulian, who had been the only member of the group not to notch a point in the fan-favorite series, wasted no time putting himself on the board Friday night. Kraft, Walsh and DiGiulian went on to contribute a total of two goals and three assists in the Red’s 5-2 victory at Yale (7-14-0, 6-7-0 ECAC).
The matchup saw the meeting of a Cornell team fueled by an eight-game, seven-win homestand — two of which came during its electric series last week — and a Yale squad battling back from hosting a winless Connecticut Ice Tournament. Early on, the teams’ disparate focuses became apparent.
Cornell (15-5-0, 10-3-0 ECAC) dominated possession from the puck drop, forcing Yale goaltender Noah Pak to make nine saves before the game’s seven-minute mark. All it took was an extra nudge — one that DiGiulian provided, slipping his stick between Pak and the post — to help a shot by Kraft over the threshold for the Red’s first goal of the night.
The Bulldogs didn’t get any time to regroup. Off the ensuing faceoff, Cornell set up another golden opportunity, with sophomore defenseman Luke Ashton fielding a pass past Yale’s transitioning defense that ricocheted onto the waiting stick of junior forward Jonathan Castagna. Castagna’s shot beat Pak to give the Red its second goal in 32 seconds.
The early punches set the tone for the game. The Bulldogs clawed back a power play goal in the second period, but not until after Kraft buried the puck past an unobstructed Pak just 30 seconds into the frame.
Two minutes after the penalty kill’s lapse, Cornell struck again. A series of defense-disorienting passes ended with freshman forward Caton Ryan shooting a one-timer past Pak and two Cornell forwards off a tip from junior defenseman Hoyt Stanley.
Though Cornell took two more penalties and Yale suffered one, the rest of the period passed uneventfully. Up 4-1 going into the final frame, the Red kept the clock moving until another call on Cornell risked cutting into the momentum. Instead, Castagna drew a penalty to send the teams into a scoreless four-on-four.
Cornell appeared poised to hold Yale to less than two goals for the first time since its 4-1 loss to Merrimack on Dec. 12 — but a late-game goaltender pull gave the Bulldogs the extra skater to launch its most coordinated attack of the night.
Ronan O’Donnell, Yale’s most prolific scorer this season, managed to get one by freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer with just under two minutes on the clock. Yet once again, the Red struck back fast.
With a minute left in the third period, Castagna took advantage of a neutral-zone turnover to launch a shot at the still-empty net. Though the initial attempt went wide, freshman forward Aiden Long followed up, playing the puck in front of the goal to assist Castagna in his second score of the night.
The game-capping tally made the final score match Cornell and Yale’s meeting on Nov. 15, in which the Red piled on four second-period goals before an hour-long ice delay cut into the game.
Cournoyer denied 15 shots by the Bulldogs in a low-action game for the goaltender. Pak made 37 saves, but they weren’t enough among a barrage of 42 Cornell shots on goal.
Cornell’s next stop is Providence, Rhode Island to take on Brown. The Bears, who have struggled to gain their footing throughout the season, fell to Cornell 4-1 at Lynah Rink on Nov. 14.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, and puck drop is set for 5 p.m.
Alexis Rogers is the sports editor on the 143rd editorial board. She is in the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts & Sciences, and she can be reached at arogers@cornellsun.com.
