Cornell and Harvard kept their hold on the top two spots in the ECAC this weekend, while the rest of the league remained tightly packed. The nationally ranked No. 5 Big Red scored two convincing wins at home, and the Cantabs topped Rensselaer on Friday. The same night, Union ended its five-game winning streak with a loss against Brown. On Saturday, Rensselaer’s annual Big Red Freakout motivated the Engineers to an overtime victory.
Cornell 6, Dartmouth 1
After ten straight games without a win against Dartmouth, Cornell finally exacted revenge Friday. With motivation from a sellout crowd in Ithaca, N.Y., the Big Red dominated the game, winning 6-1.
Cornell was led by freshman Matt Moulson, who scored his first career hat trick. Big Green senior goalie Nick Boucher, who had been in net for most of Dartmouth’s unbeaten streak against Cornell, was removed from the game after giving up four goals in the first two periods. Goalie Dave LeNeveu was nearly flawless for Cornell, but he narrowly missed a shutout for the second straight game.
By the end of the weekend, Dartmouth had fallen to seventh place in the ECAC.
Harvard 6, Rensselaer 4
Six different players scored for the Crimson Friday night as Harvard defeated 11th-place Rensselaer in Troy, N.Y. The win helped the Cantabs keep a first-place ECAC tie with Cornell for the night.
Nationally ranked No. 13 Harvard trailed 2-1 after 20 minutes of play, but the team erupted for five goals in the second period. Senior captain Dominic Moore scored the game-winning goal midway through the period. In net for the Cantabs, Dov Grumet-Morris stopped 32 shots, including 18 in the final period.
Harvard played only one game this weekend, taking Saturday off in preparation for the second round of Boston’s Beanpot Tournament. This afternoon, the Crimson face Northeastern in the consolation game.
Brown 3, Union 2
Brown snapped Union’s five-game winning streak, narrowly defeating the Dutchmen in Schenectady, N.Y., Friday.
Though he faced 11 shots in the first period, Bears goalie Yann Davis held Union scoreless until late in the game. By then, Brown had accumulated a 3-goal lead, including two points by sophomore defenseman Paul Crosty.
Union’s frustrations boiled over in a fight at the end of the game. Three Dutchmen were suspended for their next game, Feb. 14 against Yale. This weekend, Union fell behind Yale into fourth place in the ECAC.
Cornell 8, Vermont 1
Cornell scored five power-play goals Saturday night, and its victory against ninth-place Vermont was never in doubt.
Dave LeNeveu barely missed a shutout again, surrendering a single goal in the game’s closing minutes. He remains one shutout shy of the school’s single-season record, currently held by Ken Dryden.
Shane Palahicky scored two goals for the Big Red and nearly completed a hat trick late in the game.
The Big Red took sole possession of first place in the ECAC, and they likely will move up in this week’s national rankings, to be released today.
Rensselaer 4, Brown 3 (OT)
Troy’s Houston Field House was packed with fans for RPI’s annual Big Red Freakout Saturday night. For one night each year, Rensselaer hands out free gifts at the door and invites fans to be rowdy. The result, for each of the past 13 years, has been a victory for the Engineers.
Brown was the latest victim of the Freakout, losing the game in overtime. RPI broke a seven-game losing streak with the win. Ryan Shields broke a 3-3 tie with eight seconds left in overtime.
Yann Davis made 34 saves for the Bears, who ended the weekend in a fifth-place tie with Clarkson.