Late Goal From Eric Neiley Helps Dartmouth Down Cornell, 3-2

Friday, February 13

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

CORNELL

Late Goal From Eric Neiley Helps Dartmouth Down Cornell, 3-2

2/13/2015 9:46:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. – Senior Eric Neiley scored with 7:59 left in regulation to lift the Dartmouth men's hockey team to a 3-2 ECAC Hockey and Ivy League victory over visiting Cornell Friday night at Thompson Arena.

For Neiley, it was the second game-winning goal of the season against the Big Red (10-11-3, 8-8-1 ECAC Hockey) as the Big Green (12-8-4, 9-6-4 ECAC Hockey) swept the series for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

The one-goal victory also pushed Dartmouth's win streak to six games and unbeaten stretch to seven (6-0-1).

“What a great game by both teams,” head coach Bob Gaudet '81 said afterward. “Our guys played so hard all night and never gave up looking for that go-ahead goal. This was, for us, a typical Cornell game where we had to be physical in our zone and counter what they gave us.

“Tonight was a great win for the team and some big points in the ECAC standings,” Gaudet added.

The home team wasted little time getting on the board in this one, scoring 19 seconds into the game on Brad Schierhorn's ninth of the season. Eric Robinson fed Tyler Sikura in the slot who went between his legs with stick to make the drop pass to Schierhorn alone in the slot for the fastest goal to start a period by a Dartmouth player this season.

The lead stretched to two at the 8:11 mark as Cornell appeared to knock the puck into their own net after Troy Crema's initial shot ricocheted off the pant leg of Jesse Beamish at the top of the crease. The goal was credited to Beamish — his second in as many games with Crema and Nick Bligh getting the helpers.

However, a 5-on-3 power-play goal from Cole Bardreau at 9:50 and an even-strength marker from Joakim Ryan at 15:13 pulled the two teams even.

The score remained deadlocked at two goals apiece until Neiley took a backhanded feed from Rick Pinkston — a senior defenseman who had missed the last four games to injury — high in the slot and deposited a shot into the top corner of the net for what proved to be the winner. Brandon McNally started the play with a strong keep near the top of his defensive zone, earning the other assist on the play as he moved the puck to Pinkston.

James Kruger picked up his first-ever win against Cornell as the junior netminder made 21 saves in the physical and defense-heavy contest. At the other end, Mitch Gillam was tagged with the loss as he allowed the three goals, while making 26 saves.

Another strong defensive team, the Big Red were averaging just 1.78 goals against coming into the night, but for the second time this year, their offense was unable to find any success against Dartmouth outside of a small window during one period.

Cornell finished the night 1-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill

Wins by Yale and Harvard mean that Dartmouth will remain tied for third place in the conference standings with its two Ivy rivals as each has 20 points. A 2-1 loss by Clarkson at Princeton Friday night sees the Golden Knights fall two points back of the Big Green, Crimson and Bulldogs.

The Green continue their home weekend with a Saturday night contest against Colgate at 7 p.m. in a game that will also serve as a celebration of Dartmouth's four Final Four teams from 1948, 1949, 1979 and 1980.