No. 19 Cornell men’s hockey edged No. 20 Union, 2-1, on Friday night at Lynah Rink, using a late second-period strike from Charlie Major to secure its fifth win in seven games. The Big Red improved to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in ECAC Hockey, while Union dropped to 8-3-1.
Cornell drew even midway through the opening period when Xavier Veilleux blasted in a one-timer just five seconds into the Big Red’s first power play. The goal answered Union’s earlier man-advantage tally, a shot from the left circle by Will Felicio that ended Cornell’s run of 10 straight penalty kills.
Major delivered the decisive moment with 1:49 remaining in the second. After a dump-in, he forced a turnover along the far wall, walked into the left circle and snapped home his second goal of the year to put Cornell ahead for good.
From there, Cornell’s defensive structure took over. Facing one of the nation’s highest-scoring offenses, the Big Red held Union to 19 shots and only nine over the final two periods. Freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer made 18 saves, including two in the closing seconds as Union pressed for the equalizer. Cornell controlled much of the third, limiting the Garnet Chargers to a single shot on goal in the first 15 minutes of the frame.
Union’s Cameron Korpi stopped 21 shots in the loss.
Cornell closes its homestand Saturday against RPI, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. at Lynah Rink.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].