Two comebacks in three days proved too tall an order for the men’s hockey team in its double-header against Brown this week. The Elis erased 2–0 and 3–2 deficits against Brown on Thursday night en route to a 5–3 win, but could not finish off an attempted comeback on Saturday night against the Bears, losing 6-4.
Just like they did on Thursday night, the Bears opened up the game by taking a 2–0 lead in the first period. Brown controlled play during the opening frame and led in shots on goal by a 19–9 margin. A strong period by netminder Jeff Malcolm ’13 kept the game close and gave the Bulldogs (6-4-1, 4-2 Ivy) an opportunity to rebound in the second period.
The Elis managed to tie it up within the first seven minutes of the second with goals from Josh Balch ’13 and Antoine Laganiere ’13. Balch put Yale on the scoreboard for the first time Saturday night by finishing a crossing pass from Clinton Bourbonais ’14 only 76 seconds into the second period.
However, the Bulldogs would not be able to hold the score. Brown gained a 3–2 advantage only 56 seconds later off a one-timer from Ryan Jacobson. The Bears notched another one before the end of the period when Matt Wahl scored on a low shot from the point for a two-goal edge.
But the Elis were not done yet. Again, they fought back and, for the second time that night, came back from two down to tie it up at four. Chad Ziegler ’12 got the Bulldogs back in it with a power play goal off an assist from fellow forward Laganiere. It was Yale’s fourth power play goal over the course of the two games against Brown.
Laganiere got back in on the goal-scoring action less than a minute later with this second goal of the night and his fifth on the season. After a Yale face-off win, he fired a quick shot toward Brown’s Jeff Clemente that was too hot to handle.
But Yale was unable to make a final push and take the lead. With only 2:13 remaining, Brown pulled ahead for the third time with a goal from captain Jack Maclellan. After the game, head coach Keith Allain ’80 said that his team did not work hard as hard as it should have.
“Our work ethic wasn’t where it needs to be and our team structure wasn’t either,” Allain said in an interview with Yale Athletics.
The Bulldogs will hit the ice again when they travel to UMass for a Wednesday night showdown. The Elis are 12–6 all-time against the Minutemen but fell 4–3 in overtime when the teams last played at Ingalls Rink in 2009.