Brendan Gorman’s game-winning goal with 6.4 seconds left in overtime guided Princeton to a 2-1 victory over the No. 10-ranked Cornell men’s hockey team before a sold-out crowd of 2,500 at Hobey Baker Rink on Saturday night.
Gorman’s goal was aided by superb goaltending by freshman netminder Arthur Smith, who made a season-high 36 saves for the Tigers (3-2-1, 3-2-1 ECAC Hockey). Smith stopped the final 22 Cornell shots he faced, aiding the Tigers to their third overtime victory on the campaign.
Junior forward Kyle Penney scored the lone goal for the Big Red (4-3-1, 2-3-1 ECAC Hockey), while sophomore goaltender Remington Keopple made his first start of the season and his first in nearly a full calendar year (Nov. 19, 2022 vs. Brown). Keopple stopped 22 shots in the setback, matching his career high for saves, which he established in relief against Quinnipiac the night before.
Following a scoreless first period, Cornell drew first blood in the second period on a wrist shot by Penney from the left faceoff circle following a draw that freshman forward Jonathan Castagna won.
Cornell’s lead lasted only three and a half minutes as Adam Robbins split a pair of Big Red defenders, leading to a quick wrist shot that beat Keopple to his low blocker side.
Keopple preserved the tie in the early stages of the third period with a fantastic cross-crease save, one of six he had to make in the final regulation period.
Princeton was assessed a five-minute major penalty for contact to the head, which the Big Red could not convert on its five shots on goal.
The Big Red had many scoring chances in the later stages of the third period, but Smith stood tall in the crease, saving all six shots over the final three-plus minutes of regulation.
A late Princeton penalty in the third period caused overtime to start with a 4-on-3 situation for the first 1:46 of the extra frame. The Big Red mustered just one attempt during the man advantage in overtime, which Princeton’s Tyler Rubin blocked.
An intense Princeton forecheck allowed the Tigers to regain possession in their offensive zone, leading Gorman to deposit his wrist shot from the top of the slot to net the game-winning goal for the Tigers.
GAME NOTES
• Cornell and Princeton met for the 161st time on Saturday night. The Big Red’s mark over the Tigers now stands at 99-54-8. It is the first time Cornell lost at Hobey Baker Rink since Nov. 7, 2014, when it also dropped a 2-1 decision.
• Saturday marked Cornell’s first road game to end in an overtime loss since Jan. 30, 2016, when the Big Red lost to St. Lawrence, 2-1. The Big Red’s previous 13 road games that needed overtime had resulted in ties.
• With his goal, Penney has scored three times and posted four points against the Tigers in five career games.
• Freshman forward Tyler Catalano made his collegiate debut, registering a blocked shot while going 1-for-2 at the faceoff dot.
• The Big Red posted a 77-48 ledger in shot attempts while outshooting the Tigers 37-24 in shots on goal.
UP NEXT
No. 10-ranked Cornell will return to action next Saturday when it travels to New York City to take on No. 8-ranked Boston University in the highly anticipated biennial Red Hot Hockey contest. The Big Red and Terriers will face off at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden, with game action broadcast on ESPN+. It will also be available for Canadian viewers on TSN+. The contest will be carried over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, whcuradio.com).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].