HAMILTON, N.Y. – Is there anything in sports more exciting than playoff hockey?
 
There wasn't on Friday night inside the Class of 1965 Arena where fifth-seeded Colgate edged No. 12 seed Yale, 3-2, thanks to an overtime goal off the stick of Josh McKechney in game one of the best-of-three series in the first round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament.
 
McKechney skated in front of the net from the left side and slid the puck past the Bulldogs (8-20-1) goalie Nathan Reid with 3:07 left on the clock in the overtime period. The goal, McKechney's 14th of the season, was assisted by Pierson Brandon.
 
In regulation, it was the Colton Young show for the Raiders (15-16-4). Young scored both of Colgate's goals. The first came with 8:27 remaining in the second period when he put the puck in the upper left corner of the net from 20 feet away.
 
The junior's second goal came during a man advantage and broke a 1-1 tie with 53.0 left in the second frame. Young tipped in the puck from the left side on a pass from Matt Verboon.
 
Young's goals were his 14th and 15th of the season.
 
Yale forced overtime with 7.1 seconds left in the third period with an extra attacker on the ice. Teddy Wooding scored the equalizer.
 
The Bulldogs first goal, scored by Reilly Connors, also tied the score, 1-1, with 3:04 remaining in the second period. 
 
It was no surprise that in a game that took nearly 80 minutes to decide a winner, the shots on goal would be even. Both teams took 34 shots. The Raiders outshot the Bulldogs 19-13 in the third period and overtime. 
 
Colgate held a 48-34 advantage in faceoffs and the Raiders successfully killed three Yale power play opportunities.
 
Mitch Benson made 31 saves in net for Colgate that included nine shots in overtime. The senior improved to 7-5-3 as the net minder this season.
 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Don Vaughan
 
"Obviously both teams battled hard tonight. It was a such a back and forth game as you might expect in the playoffs. This league is so good and so balanced. I was very proud of how our guys responded in overtime after the late goal to tie it up. Josh McKechney put the team on his shoulders with that OT winner. It was a power move and he found a way to get it to the net with authority.

"Keith Allain and his staff have done a remarkable job of developing that team. We know that the hardest thing to do in hockey is to end a team's season so tomorrow will be a huge challenge for our young group. The message to the team after the game was the same whether win or not. You have to win two games to advance. It will be another battle."

UP NEXT
Colgate and Yale will battle in game two of the best-of-three series on Saturday inside the Class of 1965 Arena. Puck drops at 7 p.m.