HAMILTON – Despite
Jared Cockrell's opening tally, the Colgate men's hockey program fell in a 4-1 result on Friday evening to Rensselaer.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The pair of conference foes felt each other out throughout the first period in an important matchup in ECAC Hockey standings. The first scoring chance came by
Jared Cockrell as he had a look, but a glove save kept the game scoreless.
The first special team test of the night was Colgate's penalty kill but it was a textbook burn that didn't sacrifice any shots on goal. In fact, there was a shorthanded streak down the sheet by
John Snodgrass before the Raiders return to full strength and exhausted the scoreless first period.
After returning to the ice, the Raiders scored just 25 seconds in behind a swift snatch by Cockrell in the slot. The Raiders quickly returned to the penalty kill after the tally, and it began to ignite RPI's drive as it looked to come back.
Midway through regulation the Engineers scored off the draw through traffic to even the score at 1-1, before going bar down just 1:34 later to gain a 2-1 advantage. In opportunistic timing, the Raiders were granted a late power play in the period, and carried over 1:11 of man advantage to the third.
A choppy dump-and-chase game prevented any consistency to the play as the Raiders looked to regain their footing in a one-goal game. Sights were set on a score as the Raiders had a puck trickle in the paint, but Rensselaer tipped the net in search of a whistle to result in a delay of game call.
Colgate produced a resilient power play with four shots on goal, but when the Engineers sent the puck down the sheet with a wonky shot, they gained a bouncing 3-1 advantage.
The Raiders opted to pull the netminder in the final minutes of regulation before Rensselaer added an empty netter to cap a 4-1 comeback.
COLGATE SCORING PLAY
• Period 2 | 00:25 – The puck was banked off the boards sending it north along the right side of the sheet, where
Paul McAvoy picked up the puck in the faceoff circle. He centered it to
Griffin Lunn, before he passed off to
Jared Cockrell. The senior picked the puck off his blade and kicked it to his tape for a one-timer in the slot, making it a quick one-goal game.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• By notching Colgate's lone goal, senior assistant captain
Jared Cockrell scored his fifth of the season and first since Jan. 10 at Union.
• Defensively, senior
Paul Meyer tallied a team-high of five of Colgate's 11 blocked shots. The number ties his two-time career high.
• Behind his apple on Cockrell's tally, freshman
Griffin Lunn now holds five points in his last six games played.
• Similarly, junior
Paul McAvoy marked his sixth point in the last seven games with his assist.
• A narrow number, Colgate was just one shot on goal shy of the Engineers at 30-29 on the night. Colgate produced a game-high of 13 shots on goal in the third period.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Rensselaer 4, Colgate 1
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 9-14-6 record, and a 7-7-3 mark in ECAC Hockey action.
• Rensselaer is 13-14-2 overall on the season and is 9-7-1 in ECAC play.
UP NEXT
Colgate continues ECAC Hockey action tomorrow when it hosts Union in a 7 p.m. puck drop at Class of 1965 Arena. In Saturday's sustainability game, fans can receive a succulent plant.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate men's hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateMIH and Instagram at colgate_mih.
