HAMILTON, N.Y. (12/2/05) - They say in hockey that stats dont tell the whole story. However, with Kyle Wilson (London, Ont.) scoring his 12th and 13th goals back-to-back late in the third period to win the game, it could be said that Wilson's stats dont lie. Colgate's senior center was a one man show late in the third, scoring twice within two minutes to lift the No. 13/13 Raiders (9-2-3, 5-1-1 ECACHL) to a 4-3 win against Quinnipiac (9-8-0, 3-6-0 ECACHL) on Friday, Dec. 2, at Starr Rink.
Wilson's two timely goals, however, do not tell the whole story, as he demonstrated that he can cause damage with more than just his stick. He was the complete player against the Bobcats, sacrificing his body all game, blocking multiple shots on the penalty kill and dishing out one of the game's most punishing hits midway through the second period.
Wilson scored his first goal at 15:40 of the third period. Junior Marc Fulton's (Vancouver, B.C.) shot was blocked near the point, but he recovered and passed the puck across to classmate Mike Campaner (Thunder Bay, Ont.). As the penalty against Quinnipiac expired, Campaner made two quick lateral moves that brought the Quinnipiac defenseman out of the shooting lane. Campaner fired a low wrister toward the net, and the rebound found itself on the stick of Wilson, who found the back of the goal for his 12th score of the season.
With the game tied 3-3, Wilson went back to work. Freshman defenseman Nick St. Pierre (St. Etienne, Que.) made a spinning backhand pass in the neutral zone and found senior Ryan Smyth (Clarence Creek, Ont.), who in turn found Wilson streaking down the left side. Wilson gathered the puck and shot short-side, beating Quinnipiac goaltender Wes Rusell under his blocker arm for the eventual game-winner.
The first goal of the evening came at 16:32 of the first period. Colgate's penalty kill had three solid scoring chances before Quinnipiac's power play managed to sustain pressure in the Raider end. After moving the puck around and causing some problems deep in the zone, a delayed penalty call opened a window of opportunity for Quinnipiac's David Marshall. Mark Agnew who picked up the cycle from Chris Myers and sent a centering feed to Marshall. Marshall's low shot from the short side went off the far post and trickled across the line past Colgate sophomore netminder Mark Dekanich (North Vancouver, B.C.).
Colgate evened the score at 1:36 of the second frame on a play by Campaner. With a great read on the play, Campaner stepped up at the blue line to intercept a clearing pass by a Quinnipiac defenseman. Campaner turned the play toward the net and, after drawing the defenseman to him, dished the puck to sophomore Graham Jesse Winchester (Long Sault, Ont.), who was trailing on the play. With a man on his back, Winchester pulled off a backhand move to leave Russell sliding out of the crease in the opposite direction. With no one to stop the puck, Winchester fired it into the empty goal for his 10th of the season.
Colgate's second goal came 2:10 later on a designed play by Colgate's gray line of sophomore Tyler Burton (Langley, B.C.), senior captain Jon Smyth (Markham, Ont.) and Winchester. Sophomore defenseman Matt Torti (Oxford, Mass.) passed the puck across the blue line the width of the rink to partner St. Pierre. St. Pierre patiently waited for the Quinnipiac defensive formation to shift before firing a diagonal pass across to Burton, who was sitting all alone on the back door. Burton cushioned the pass while simutanously turning and ripping a low shot between the legs of the Quinniapac goaltender just as a Bobcat penalty expired.
Quinnipiac evened the score at 2-2 at the 13:16 mark of the third after a defensive breakdown in the Colgate zone. As with their first goal, hard work in the corners created a offensive opportunity for the Bobcats. A battling Matt Sorteberg sent the puck down from the half wall to forward Michael Bordieri, who lost his man, creating a 2-on-1 chance out of the corner. The lone Colgate defender could not stop the feed to Peter Alden, whose one timer beat Dekanich glove side.
Quinnipiac pulled ahead for the last time 40 seconds into the third period. A turnover just outside the Colgate blue line sprung two Quinnipiac forwards back against the grain. After senior defensman Eric Main (Atikokan, Ont.) stepped up on the approaching forward, the play seemed doomed. However, two Colgate players turned on the same Quinnipiac player leaving Brian Leitch all alone in front. Leitch took the pass from Ben Nelson and stuffed a backhand shot just under the cross bar.
Dekanich finished with 28 saves in the win, while Russell made 24 stops for the Bobcats. For the first time this season, Colgate failed to score on the power play, although its third goal came close, coming just as the penalty expired.
The Raiders are home again tomorrow night against ECACHL foe Princeton (3-8-0 overall, 2-7-0 ECACHL). The Tigers are coming off a 4-1 loss to Cornell at Lynah Rink, and will be looking to salvage something from this road swing. Game time at Starr Rink is 7:00 p.m. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Colgate box office at (315) 228-7600.
