Cornell men’s hockey continued its strong run Friday night, rolling to a 5-2 ECAC Hockey victory over Yale at Ingalls Rink.
Jonathan Castagna scored twice and Jake Kraft added a goal and an assist as Cornell improved to 15-5-0 overall and 10-3-0 in league play. Ryan Walsh and Aiden Long each recorded two assists as the Big Red earned its ninth win in the last 10 games.
Cornell controlled play throughout, outshooting Yale 42-17 and holding the Bulldogs to seven shots or fewer in each period. Freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer made 15 saves to earn his 12th win of the season.
After a scoreless opening stretch, Cornell broke through with two goals in 32 seconds late in the first period. Gio DiGiulian opened the scoring by finishing a rebound in front before Castagna doubled the lead moments later. The Big Red carried a 2-0 advantage into the first intermission.
Cornell extended the margin just 30 seconds into the second period when Kraft snapped a shot off the crossbar and in. Yale answered on a power-play goal to make it 3-1, but Cornell responded quickly with a tally from Caton Ryan to restore a three-goal cushion.
Bills' Greg Rousseau named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after clutch overtime block Yale pulled within two with an extra-attacker goal late in the third, but Castagna sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Cornell finished with a 42-17 edge in shots and remained perfect this season when scoring first and when scoring at least three goals.
Cornell concludes its road trip Saturday, January 31, with a matchup at Brown. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
