Union sweeps Cornell out of the ECAC Hockey playoffs

ITHACA – Late in the second period, Cornell forward John Knisley stole the puck from Union goalie Colin Stevens and had a chance to score into an empty net.

But he lost control as he got shoved behind the cage, and a Union defender was able to sweep the puck off the goal line and out of harm's way.

It was that kind of season for the Big Red in 2014-15.

Failure to capitalize on scoring chances was a familiar refrain for Cornell, which was eliminated in no uncertain terms from the ECAC Hockey playoffs by Union, 7-0, Saturday night at Lynah Rink.

Freshman right wing Spencer Foo scored twice for the Dutchmen (18-16-2), the defending conference and NCAA champions, who swept the best-of-3 series and advance to the quarterfinals next weekend.

Michael Pontarelli, Eli Lichtenwald, Mike Vecchione, Matt Wilkins and Sam Coatta also scored for the Dutchmen. Senior goalie Colin Stevens turned aside all 29 shots he faced, including 15 in the second period, to hand Cornell its seventh shutout loss of the year.

Cornell finishes the season at 11-14-6, its fourth sub-.500 record in Coach Mike Schafer's 20 seasons but the second in the past three years.

"It just unraveled," Schafer said after Saturday's game, Cornell's most lopsided loss since a 10-0 shutout at Quinnipiac in game 2 of the 2013 conference quarterfinals. "It unraveled everywhere, from special teams to discipline to goaltending, you name it, it happened. And they (Union) have a good hockey team and they played well."

Freshman Hayden Stewart (five saves) got the start in goal for Cornell, after sophomore starter Mitch Gillam was roughed up in a 4-2 game 1 loss on Friday night. But Stewart had similar misfortune, yielding three first-period goals and giving way to Gillam (15 saves) for the final two periods.

"They're both tremendous goaltenders, and we wouldn't be where we are now without them," senior Cole Bardreau said. "Both of them stood on their heads and single-handedly won us games and put us higher into the standings. We're confident with both of them, and by no means was any of this their fault."

Union got to Stewart in the first period, though the freshman could hardly be blamed for any of the three goals. On the first, at 9:38, Foo was johnny-on-the -spot to poke home a Matt Wilkins rebound off an odd-man rush, that coming just moments after a pair of scintillating saves from Stewart. The big rookie stoned Ciampini on a one-timer from between the circlel at the 3:38 mark, and 51/ 2 minutes later he denied Max Novak on a slapshot off a rush up right wing.

Less than two minutes later, Union played pinball and doubled its lead, a Coatta slapshot bounding off Pontarelli's skate and up over Stewart's right shoulder. The goal was reviewed to see if it had been put in with a kicking motion but allowed without too much delay.

The score was 3-0 exactly five minutes later, at the 16:02 mark, as Lichtenwald cashed in on a 5-on-3 power play. Bardreau very nearly stole the puck and cleared it at the left point, but Union was able to retain possession and work the puck down low for the goal. Ciampini and sophomore defenseman Jeff Taylor got the assists.

Union had an 8-6 edge in shots in the period.

Gillam came out to start the second period, but the return of one of the nation's statistical leaders didn't help. Cornell freshman Dwyer Tschantz drew a penalty early in the period on a nice individual play, stealing the puck off of defenseman Nick DeSimone's stick as he started the puck up ice, then getting off a shot as DeSimone hooked him. But the Red was unable to capitalize on the ensuing power play.

Vecchione made it 4-0 at the 5:45 mark on a beautiful individual effort. Taking the puck over the Cornell blue line at the right point, he split a pair of defenders with some nifty stickwork, then beat Gillam with a pretty backhand flip shot to the far post.

The Union power play cashed in again later in the second following a senseless cross-checking penalty in the neutral zone incurred by Bardreau. Foo unleashed a wicked slapshot from the right point that whipped past Gillam's outstretched right pad and just inside the far post with 3:59 left in the period.

Cornell put 15 shots on the Union goal in the period, more than half of them from in or near the crease, but Stevens stood tall every time.

"It's tough to come back when you feel like you're outplaying them and you're down 5-0," senior captain John McCarron said. "There's not much you can do about it."

Wilkins collected Union's third power-play goal of the night at 8:36 of the third period, poking home a loose rebound in the crease, and right wing Coatta closed the scoring with 56.1 seconds left with a wicked slapshot as he crossed over the Cornell blue line.

The Big Red gave Union eight power-play chances on Saturday, and took six penalties in the third period alone, including a five-minute major for cross-checking by senior assistant captain Joakim Ryan. He took umbrage at Union's Tyler Hynes' jab at Gillam after the whistle, and shoved him headlong into the end boards. Wilkins' goal came during the ensuing man-up situation.

"I'm disappointed in our guys," Schafer said. "I talked to them in between the second and third periods about all I wanted to do was to stay out of the penalty box, and I couldn't even get through to them for that. Their kid slashed our goaltender, Joaky (Ryan) cross-checked him, and that was it for the rest of the period, we were undisciplined.

"It unraveled," he said, "everything that could possibly go wrong in this hockey game went wrong for us."

Women

Cornell 3, Clarkson 1: On Saturday in Potsdam, the fourth-seeded Big Red (19-10-3) earned a berth in Sunday's ECAC Hockey championship game, scoring three times in the third period to rally past the top-seeded Golden Knights (24-10-3).

Cornell, ranked ninth nationally, takes on No. 4 Harvard (24-5-3) at 2 p.m. Sunday in Cheel Arena for the conference title. The second-seeded Crimson outlasted Quinnipiac, 2-1 in overtime, in Saturday's other semifinal.

Cayley Mercer gave Clarkson a 1-0 lead late in the first period with her 24th goal of the year, but the Red tied it up on a power-play goal by senior Jillian Saulnier at 6:52 of the third, then took the lead just 23 seconds later with a goal by sophomore Hanna Bunton.

Senior Brianne Jenner gave the Red some breathing room with her 15th goal of the season at the 13:12 mark.

Cornell had a 21-20 edge in shots; sophomore goalie Paula Voorheis made 19 saves to earn her 17th win of the year.

Shea Tiley stopped 18 shots for Clarkson, which lost to Cornell 1-0 in last year's conference title game, also in Potsdam.