PRINCETON, N.J. – Two power play goals, a perfect penalty kill, and a shutout performance led the Colgate men's hockey program to a 3-0 win at Princeton Friday evening.
Highlighted by a three-goal second period, special teams, and
Andrew Farrier's 25 saves, the Raiders picked up two critical points in the ECAC Hockey standings. Colgate is now tied with No. 18 Quinnipiac for fourth, and decides who inches ahead tomorrow in a 7 p.m. puck drop in Hamden, Conn.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game opened with fast and physical sweeps across the sheet, a trend that would follow throughout the 60:00. The Raiders were quick to break up Tiger drives and fought through scrambled battles for the puck.
Midway through the period, Colgate generated a 2-on-1 chance by the combination of
Ben Sharf and
Jared Cockrell, where the puck was sent north to the seniors before they notched a wide-angle chance. It would be stopped by the pads, making it Colgate's top opportunity before the horn as the teams headed to the locker rooms scoreless.
More chances would come though as Colgate drew its first power play of the game quickly after the puck dropped on the second. For the first time in eight games, the Raiders would crack onto the board with a power play goal, sealed by
Paul McAvoy in the opening minutes.
With a renewed energy of an effective man advantage, the Raiders continued to drive into the Princeton zone. It would be just 5:50 later when
John Snodgrass would add an even strength tally, and only 4:00 more before Colgate lit the lamp yet again.
Finding a rhythm of offense, Colgate capitalized on the power play for a second time to build a 3-0 lead over the home team as
Griffin Lunn fired a one-timer to the back of the net.
The scoring would cease as the second period ended, but the fast and physical play carried on to the third. While playing some 4-on-4 action,
Jacob Panetta ripped a wicked one-timer for a chance early in the session, but Lunn's goal would stand as the last of the night.
Colgate faced tough battles in the corner and swift drives from end to end as Princeton searched to avoid the shutout but were able to break up Tiger momentum quickly in the neutral zone.
As the clocked ticked down, eyes went to the net as goaltender
Andrew Farrier looked to defend the shutout. The sophomore netminder made a flurry of saves in the final 2:00 to keep Princeton off the board, effectively playing a perfect night between the pipes for the 3-0 victory.
COLGATE SCORING PLAYS
• Period 2 | 01:57 – On its first power play of the night, the Colgate squad sent the puck to the blue line. As
Jared Cockrell fired a shot straight down the slot,
Paul McAvoy capitalized on a screen at the crease to tip the puck past the goaltender for a 1-0 lead.
• Period 2 | 07:47 – In a puck battle along the back boards
Colton Young's tip to the corner found
Arnaud Vachon. The center's quick spin sent the puck to
John Snodgrass in the slot, where he had a one-time top shelf find from the hashmarks for a 2-0 advantage.
• Period 2 | 11:47 – As Princeton looked to clear the zone with a bank off the boards, Cockrell claimed the puck and spotted
Griffin Lunn standing solo in the left faceoff circle. Cockrell's spot on pass allowed Lunn to strike with a backdoor one-timer to go two-for-two on the man advantage for a 3-0 lead.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Behind 25 saves, sophomore netminder
Andrew Farrier recorded his second career shutout, and his first of the season for the Raiders. His other shutout came after posting 17 saves in a 2-0 win at Niagara last season (Dec. 8, 2018).
• Junior
Paul McAvoy extended to a three-game point streak, one in which he has tallied five points. His goal also marks his team-leading eight on the year.
• Behind a goal and an assist, sophomore
Griffin Lunn earned his first multi-point night in his career. Lunn extends to a three-game point streak and holds three goals in his last six games played.
• A native of Eagan, Minn., senior
John Snodgrass scored his second goal in his last three games played for five on the year.
• Colgate scored its first power play goal since Dec. 6 at Dartmouth, making it the fifth and sixth of the year overall.
• The last time Colgate scored multiple power play goals was with two at Quinnipiac on Jan. 4, 2019.
• It marked the second consecutive game that Colgate has scored a season-high of three goals in the second period.
• The special teams did its job as the Raiders went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and 2-for-3 with the man advantage.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Princeton 0
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds an 9-10-6 record, and a 7-3-3 mark in ECAC Hockey action.
• Princeton is 3-13-4 overall on the season and is 1-9-3 in ECAC play.
HEAD COACH DON VAUGHAN'S TAKE
"It was a great time for our power play to come alive and get a couple, and our PK was great tonight. I thought we played a very good road game. We practiced all week about staying on the right side of the puck, over the top of players, and not giving up odd man rushes. I don't think we gave up one, so the guys really stuck with it.
"I'm proud, and Farrier got the shutout by making saves when we needed him to. Every game is hard, so I'm proud to get a win on the road the way we did.
"As a coach, it was fun to see our effectiveness in the neutral zone. It's certainly part of the game plan and our guys stuck with it. The structure was great, we forced a lot of turnovers, and our power play came through for us."
On facing Quinnipiac: "They had a big win tonight over Cornell. We're neck-and-neck in the standings so there's a lot to play for. We'll have a similar game plan for tomorrow night."
WITH NETMINDER ANDREW FARRIER
"If you look at our wins and losses, we have been falling a little short in the special teams battle, so it was fun to come out front there and get a couple of points with it. When the penalty kill makes a big stop we rally behind that and it really gives us momentum.
"Shutouts are kind of a twisted thing. Sometimes you play a great game and it doesn't show on the scoreboard and other times its reversed. Sometimes you need to tell yourself to brush things off, but the same thing goes for a shutout – you can't be too happy if you know it wasn't your best effort. It's about keeping a level head and it's not just me, it's about the whole team.
"From this we can bring a little confidence into tomorrow that's not dangerous, and we're feeling good about each other. We know it's a different team tomorrow and you can't go in expecting them to give it to you.
On the team's mentality: "The Friday night feeling it very different from Saturday because you still have a job to do. We're happy and have the good vibes, but we need to rest and get ready for tomorrow too. These are the moments we enjoy, it's why you play so we can have fun and enjoy it, but we need to keep some to play a whole other night tomorrow."
UP NEXT
Colgate continues ECAC Hockey action on the road tomorrow as it travels to face No. 18 Quinnipiac. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. in Hamden, Conn.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate men's hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateMIH and Instagram at colgate_mih.
