The 14th-ranked Cornell men’s hockey team completed a weekend sweep with a 5-2 win over Alaska on Saturday night at Lynah Rink, scoring three goals in the final 1:19 to pull away from a 2-2 tie. The Big Red improved to 11-4-0 overall, extended its win streak to five games and pushed its home winning streak to 10 games.
Junior forward Jonathan Castagna broke the tie with 1:19 remaining, finishing a breakaway off a stretch pass from Caton Ryan. Cornell added two empty-net goals just six seconds apart to seal the victory, with Ryan Walsh scoring first before Castagna capped a two-goal night with a short-handed empty-netter. Walsh finished with two goals and one assist, while Hoyt Stanley contributed two assists. Senior goaltender Remington Keopple made 15 saves to earn his third win of the season.
Cornell opened the scoring midway through the first period on the power play when Walsh one-timed a cross-slot pass from Xavier Veilleux. Alaska answered early in the second period, but the Big Red quickly regained the lead on Charlie Major’s wrist shot. The Nanooks tied the game again midway through the third period before Cornell’s late surge. Peyton Platter factored into both Alaska goals, and Calvin Vachon stopped 19 shots in the loss.
Cornell dominated the faceoff circle, winning nearly 63 percent of the draws, and improved to 9-0-0 this season when scoring first.
Cornell continues its homestand next weekend, hosting Princeton on Friday, January 16, at 7 p.m. and Quinnipiac on Saturday, January 17, at 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].