HAMILTON, N.Y. (1/27/06) - Colgate senior captain Jon Smyth (Markham, Ont.) scored 1:36 into overtime to give the No. 18 Raiders a 2-1 win against Yale on Friday, Jan. 27, at Starr Rink. The win was the second straight overtime victory for Colgate, which maintains its place at the top of the ECACHL standings with a 14-6-5 overall record and a 10-2-1 league mark, while Yale snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak in league play, dropping to 7-11-2 overall and 6-7-1 in the conference.
Smyth’s goal came after Yale freshman netminder Alec Richards withstood a torrent of shots. Sophomore Tyler Burton (Langley, B.C.) put the puck on net from the right side, which resulted in a scramble in front of the crease. Sophomore Jesse Winchester (Long Sault, Ont.) got his stick on the rebound, shot from the slot, picked up the puck and tried again, but Richards was up to the task. However, the second rebound bounced out to Smyth, who found the puck on his backhand. He spun around and shot it over a sprawling Richards’ pad. It was Smyth’s second overtime goal this season (11/26 vs. Western Michigan) and the fourth of his career (2004-05 vs. Brown, 2003-04 at Princeton).
Colgate earned a 1-0 lead for the second straight game 5:12 into the second period. Junior Marc Fulton (Vancouver, B.C.) poked the puck out of the corner to senior Kyle Wilson (London, Ont.), who was behind the net. Wilson attempted to pass it in front to a teammate, but the puck deflected off a Yale defender’s skate, off Richards’ stick and between his legs. It was Wilson’s 17th goal of the season, which ties him for the team lead.
Yale tied it up with a power-play goal 11:20 into the third period. Brad Mills pushed the puck out of the corner to Jeff Hristovski, who was behind the net. Hristovski passed the puck through traffic to Jean-Francois Boucher in the slot, who scored five-hole on Raider sophomore goalie Mark Dekanich (North Vancouver, B.C.).
Dekanich finished the game with 25 saves, while Richards made 36, including three in overtime. The Raiders outshot the Bulldogs 38-26, and they improve to 9-0-1 this season when recording more shots than their opponents.
Colgate hosts Brown on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7:00 p.m. Tonight, the Bears lost in overtime to Cornell. Both Brown and Colgate have played eight overtime games this season. Saturday’s game will be televised live in central and northern New York on Time Warner Sports Ch. 26, and will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis on ESPNU starting Saturday at 10:30 p.m.
