Jan. 8, 2005

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Matt Modelski stopped 32 of 33 shots, including 14 in the final period, to lead the Yale men's hockey team to a 2-1 win over Clarkson before 3,190 at Ingalls Rink.

Modelski, who earned first-star honors by picking up his second win of the year, stopped a pair of 5-on-3 advantages and a major penalty in this defensive showdown with Clarkson netminder Kyle McNulty (24 saves).

The Knights (6-13-2, 2-6-1 ECACHL) outshot the Bulldogs 33-26 and had quality chances down the stretch to even the score. Modelski made numerous point-blank stops, including a big stop on U.S. Junior National player Shawn Weller early in the last period and a stunning glove save on Mike Sullivan going for the top shelf with 2:53 left.

Yale (2-13-1, 2-10) outshot Clarkson 12-8 in the first period and both teams had plenty of power-play chances, but Modelski and McNulty both came up with big saves. Both teams had short 5-on-3 opportunities but could only manage a shot on goal each.

The Bulldogs broke the ice 7:14 into the second period while killing off a 5-minute major penalty to Christian Jensen for boarding. That call actually gave the Golden Knights a second 5-on-3 attempt, but this one was for 68 seconds. Modelski made three saves down two players and then stopped two others before the visitors made a mistake in the Yale end that resulted in the goal.

Sophomore forward Brad Mills, killing off the major penalty, got his stick on the puck along the boards and poked it ahead of the Clarkson point man. Mills skated in alone on McNulty and hit the top shelf with a 12-footer for an unassisted shorthanded score. It was his fifth goal of the year and his first shorthanded.

The Bulldogs, who jumped out to an early 2-0 lead last night against St. Lawrence, made it a two-goal lead again a little more than four minutes later. Nate Jackson sent a perfect pass to David Germain at center ice and the freshman winger quickly sent a lead pass to Robert Burns, who was heading toward the goal on the opposite side of the first pass. Burns, looking for his first career goal, deked the Knight goalie and slipped the puck between his legs at 11:19.

"Yesterday [SLU] we did not handle the third period as well as we did tonight," said Yale head coach Tim Taylor, whose team lost to the Knights 8-1 last week in Wisconsin. "I really feel the team came together. It was a hard fought game and Matt Modelski was the backbone of our effort."

The Clarkson penalty-kill unit got a measure of revenge with its own short-hander late in the second. Steve Zalewski's wrister from the low slot sailed over Modelski's right shoulder and knocked the water bottle off the top of the net at 18:15 to cut the lead to 2-1.

"The key was to keep shots to the sides, they are easier to stop," said Modelski. "We did a fantastic job of penalty killing and the forwards really back checked well. The win is another step in the right direction."

report filed by Steve Conn, Yale Sports Publicity Director