Feb. 12, 2005

For the second straight night five different players scored goals as the No. 5 ranked Cornell men's hockey team beat Yale 5-2 before a sellout crowd at Ingalls Rink.

Cornell (18-4-3, 14-2-2), which has the nation's longest current unbeaten streak at 10 games (9-0-1), got 23 saves from David McKee, who had picked up his sixth shutout of the year the night before in a 5-0 win at Princeton.

Both teams got a pair of power-play goals but Yale (4-19-2, 2-14-1) had two more chances and produced plenty of quality opportunities.

After playing in a scoreless game the night before against Colgate, the goals came fast in the first period in what figured to be another defensive struggle for the Elis.

The Bulldogs got on the board first with a power play at 8:07. Zach Mayer sent a perfect pass outside the crease to Jean Francois Boucher who one-timed it past McKee from eight feet out to make it 1-0. Mayer made the play by gloving the puck behind the goal line and skating around to set up the play. It was the third goal of the season for the freshman winger.

Cornell answered just 22 seconds later when a loose puck in the left circle went towards Byron Bitz (3rd goal), who quickly one-timed it on the ice past Matt Modelski (23 saves) at 8:29.

Daniel Pegoraro (7th) was the recipient of a great pass in the slot from Kevin McLeod and the junior center controlled the puck, with a defender draped on him, and then slid it inside the right post at 13:25.

Mike Iggulden (7th) made it three straight goals for the visitors when he took a pass from Mike Knoepfli in the neutral zone and raced in alone on the Yale net to score a shorthanded goal. Iggulden made a move to the left and then went right before slipping the puck under Modelski at 14:45 of the first. The Bulldogs, trying to convert a second man-advantage, got tied up at center ice and let the Big Red center get behind them.

Cornell outshot Yale 9-6 in the first but the Elis had one more than the Red in the middle frame. Neither team lit the lamp but Yale had a two-man advantage midway through but could not beat McKee. Cornell's Chris Abbott nearly converted a re-directed lead pass outside the crease with three seconds left but Modelski came up with his eighth save of the period to keep it at 3-1.

Shawn Mole was involved in a significant sequence that determined if Yale would make a challenge midway through the third period. Blair Yaworski's pass in front of the net found Mole all alone with an open net but the sophomore blueliner's shot sailed wide. Soon after Mole was called for slashing and the Big Red put the game away with its first of two power-play goals in the period.

Matt Moulson intercepted a Yale pass near the home goal and fed Topher Scott (3rd), who snapped a quick shot past Modelski at 10:31. Later Knoepfli (7th) converted on a 5-on-3 to make it 5-1.

Nate Jackson's power-play goal with 48 seconds left gave the Elis the final tally of the night.

Report filed by Steve Conn, Yale Sports Publicity Director