Blue Scores 3 Straight in 3-1 Win

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Opportunities like this don't come that often in a typical Yale hockey season. A nationally ranked opponent in a packed Ingalls Rink with significant pairwise implications at the end of a holiday week. It could be a great way to kick off the new year, and it was for the home team.

Three different Bulldogs found the net, including Ryan Hitchcock, who led the team with two points, in a 3-1 win over No. 9 Vermont.

The Elis (8-3-2), winners of two straight and five of the last six, overcame an early deficit to capture this significant non-league contest. The shot count was low on both sides, there were few power-play chances, and the Yale defense deserves much of the credit for the victory.

"You have to play to the strength of your personnel. Our strength lies in our defensive side of the game," said Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach. "

Yale was getting shots on net and playing well but looked like it would be down a goal after 20 minutes. That quickly changed in a two-minute span late in the opening period.

The Cats found the net 2:56 into the game, but the Bulldogs got the next three and earned a great deal of respect from their head coach. "I like the way we responded. They never put their heads down, they just stuck with the plan," said Allain.

On the first Yale goal, Hitchcock created the opportunity and finished the scoring play. He picked off a pass at the red line and turned on the jets into the right circle. The rookie forward wheeled and sent a pretty, backward crossing pass to Mitch Witek at the left point. The junior defenseman ripped a shot on target that bounced off the goalie and came out to the side. Hitchcock gathered the rebound and flicked an off-angle, backhander into the back of the cage at 15:02 to even the score.

The first two goals of the game were rebound put-backs. The third tally was a nifty, re-direction by senior Trent Ruffolo. It was also one of the hardest working scoring efforts for a Yale player this season. The veteran forward blocked a shot in his own end and then raced down the ice to support a rush. While crashing the net, he lost a collision with teammate Frankie DiChiara and was sent to the ice. Ruffolo bounced up quickly and got in position to screen the goalie as Stu Wilson got the puck in the slot and sent it low toward the net. Ruffolo tipped the shot past Hoffman at 17:19.

The home team got another good-looking score to make it 3-1 in the second. Hitchcock made a great move around a few green shirts in his own end and then sent a lead pass for Matthew Beattie, who was quickly tied up by a pair of defenders at the blueline but managed to tip the pass ahead for his left winger. The puck sailed into the left circle. Mike Doherty, who scored a goal at Holy Cross on Tuesday, won the race to it and then fired over Hoffman's shoulder at 9:49. That gave the Blue a two-goal lead and brought in a new UVM goalie.

Alex Lyon, who made 20 saves to get the win in net, wasn't tested often, but there were plenty of difficult stops. He made a stop on a point-blank Colin Markison shot midway through the second frame and then thwarted an odd-man rush late in the period. He probably saw at least five grade-A chances and stopped each one.

The fact that he only saw five – and that UVM had just three shots on goal in the third (on 12 attempts) – was a testament to the defensive effort, which made the third period a neutral-zone affair. The Cats' first shot on target in the final period came with 7:02 left. Two of the three in the period came after UVM pulled its goalie for an extra skater with 1:43 left.

"Team defense has been a big part of our game, something we've been building on and working on throughout the year," said Witek. "We've also worked extremely hard to be a third-period team and close out games. That's part of what you saw today, a result of our hard work."

BULLDOG BITES

John Hayden, who was alternate captain for Team USA at the 2015 IIHF World Championships, returned to New Haven today after his squad fell 3-2 to Russia in yesterday's quarterfinal game. Hayden, who earned game MVP honors that day, was back at the Whale today ready to skate. "He (Hayden) begged me to play today," said Allain, who felt it was better for Hayden and the Bulldogs to have the sophomore sit out tonight's contest. "I've seen and felt it (World Championships) and it's a grueling tournament. We are very proud of John. He carried the banner for Yale hockey very well."

filed by Steve Conn, Yale Sports Publicity Director