Bulldogs Get Point Vs. No. 4 Big Red

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Bulldogs got another conference point by battling with the fourth ranked team in the country. Alex Lyon stopped all 28 Cornell shots as the No. 10 Yale men's hockey team grinded out a 0-0 OT decision in the home opener before a sellout crowd at the Whale.

It was another heavyweight fight for the Bulldogs, now 4-1-2 overall and 2-1-2 in ECAC play. This time they were facing a real heavyweight on the scale and in the rankings. Cornell (5-1-1, 3-1-1) had 16 players in the lineup over 190 pounds.

Yale, which had not played a scoreless tie since Feb. 11, 2005, at home against Colgate, put 30 shots on junior goalie Mitch Gillam.

It was a game of grinding and small battles all over the ice.

"I thought we played well enough to get a tie," said Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach. "It was a physical game with two teams that play the game honestly but very hard. Both teams are really well disciplined."

Lyon had two challenging saves in a scoreless opening period that had Cornell with an 8-7 edge in shots on net. Alex Rauter came in alone on the Yale net before he was thwarted by Lyon's great pad save. That looked like the best scoring chance of a period that was full of physical play. Bodies were hitting the ice on almost every shift.

The white and red jerseys continued to collide in the second while both goalies came up with huge saves. Gillam knocked down a blast from Joe Snively early on and then Lyon stopped a pair of close calls at the other end. The junior from Baudette, Minn., stuck out his leg at the last second to halt a fast-moving wrap-around attempt that seemed destined for the net.

"Cornell is a really good team that wants to get you into a wrestling match," said Frankie DiChiara. "It's tough to win in this league. We need to come out with a killer instinct."

Yale got the first power play of the night with 11:48 left in second and got one shot on Gillam. A few minutes later, the Big Red had their initial advantage and the Elis did not allow anything to reach the netminder. Cody Learned, the Yale senior forward, did have a short-handed scoring chance during Cornell power play. That helped the home team have a 12-10 advantage in shots.

The Big Red got a second advantage midway through third, and the Bulldog special teams came up with another big kill without allowing a shot on Lyon. Four different Elis won battles to get possession and clear pucks from the defensive zone.

The Blue came close on a nice play by Rob O'Gara to get DiChiara coming through the high slot. He got it to Snively, who stung Gilliam with a high shot around the neck area just after the penalty kill. The junior goalie was visibly shaking it off long after the play.

The main event continued with neither team landing any knockout punches.

Both teams came close to winning the game late in the third. Lyon made a great glove save off a draw with 1:52 left.

At the other end, Stu Wilson had a good look at the net from the high slot with 1:19 left, but his wrister bounced off the Cornell goalie.

Yale's best chance in OT came on a Carson Cooper shot that hit the cross bar with two minutes left, but there was hope again when the Elis got their second and final power play.  

"That was a good transition by us. There wasn't a lot to shoot at, not a very good angle," said Allain. "Still a legit chance though."

John Hayden drove the net around the defense on the right side and was taken down with 54.1 seconds left. Gilliam made one save on a Ryan Hitchcock shot before Lyon saved the day by stopping a Big Red attempt after a Yale turnover.

"Our kids played their hearts out and so did the Cornell kids," said Allain. "It was as entertaining a game as a 0-0 tie can be."

BULLDOG BITES

A limited number of tickets are available for Saturday night's 7:00 game with Colgate. Ticket windows open at Ingalls Rink at 5:30… The Elis had six freshmen in the lineup tonight… Yale played seven straight road games (dating to NCAA game with BU) before tonight… The Elis have played three straight OT games this season.

Filed by Steve Conn, Yale Associate AD & Sports Publicity Director

Steve Musco image