Brown soundly beat a flat Clarkson team Saturday night at the Cheel Arena.
(I didn't send this out sooner because I went skiing at Whiteface, not
because the team lost.  I had to take advantage of the 2 feet of snow we
got since Thursday.)
 
Goals:
Brown    1 2 1- 4
Clarkson 2 0 1- 3
 
I don't have the full stats, but here some info.
 
Shots on Goal:
Brown      15 12 10(?) 37
Clarkson    7  8  7(?) 22
 
 
Goalies:
Brown: Finch,  Clarkson: Currie
 
Power Plays:
Brown 1 for 9
Clarkson 1 for 7
 
For some reason I had a sense of doom from the start of the game.
Before the drop of the puck, it was announced that SLU was beating
Harvard 1-0.  This game a sinking feeling, remembering what happened to
BC last year in the HE and NC$$ play-offs.
 
Eventhough Clarkson took the puck from the face off into the Brown zone,
it was Brown who scored first.  Early in the period, Brown cleared thier
zone with a 3 on 2.  A nice give and gone took one of the Clarkson
players out of the play and caught Currie on the wrong side of the net.
Soon after Clarkson managed to get their first shot on goal, Mueller
snet a shot in from the point that went onto Robitaille's stick.
Robitaille steered the puck past Finch.  It should have been Brown
scoring the next goal, but it was alucky break for Clarkson.  A Brown
was allowed to roam free behind the Clarkson net.  He did a quick
maneuver from one side and was at the other empty side of the net for a
wrap-around before Currie could move an inch.  However, he brought the
puck in too tight and it never went fully into the goal (just 85%).
Currie was able to reach back for the puck jammed against the post and
sling it out.  Currie had to be real sharp as Clarkson continued to turn
the puck over in their own zone, usually onto a Brown stick.  Clarkson
did score the next goal while on the power play mid way through the
period.  It was the second shot on goal.  I believe Conroy scored from
the left side of the net.  The end of the first period started getting
chippy as Brown was starting to get at Clarkson and penalties were being
called against both teams.  This disturbed the flow of the game and got
Clarkson off of their game.  If an opponent wants to play chippy,
Clarkson will play along as well, much to the detriment of Clarkson.
 
Early in the second period Clarkson was in a position to put the game
away.  They went on a 5 on 3 power play advantage.  However, Clarkson
never got set up in the Brown zone or fired on net during the minute of
5 on 3 that was shortened by a Clarkson penalty.  With most of the
penalties ending a little later on and with Clarkson on the power paly,
the momentum really swung in Brown's favor with a short handed goal.
Clarkson coughed the puck up near their own blue line.  Not even Hugo
Belanger could catch the Brown forward who took Currie wide and slid it
under him.  Clarkson has had trouble getting through the last minute of
a period without being scored upon.  Brown scored to go ahead with less
than 30 seconds left in the second period.
 
The third period saw ref Mike Noeth swallow his previously active
whistle and call no penalties, I believe, in the period.  This was to
both teams advantage as there were several holds, hooks and
interferences that could have been called on both teams.  Brown scored
their fourth goal early in the period.  Currie made the initial save,
but the rebound bounced up in the air inches from his outstretched
glove.  A Brown player (as all Brown players were doing) beat any
Clarkson player to the puck and put the puck in the net under Currie as
soon as it hit the ice.  Clarkson controlled more of the play in the
third period, but weren't looking sharp.  Passes weren't connecting and
shots weren't getting though as Brwon jammed up the middle of the ice.
Currie had to stop several Brown rushes to provide any chance for
Clarkson to get the tie they needed.  Clarkson did pull to with in one
with about three minutes left when they beat Finch.  I believe it was
shot #5 or 6 for the period.  Finch didn't have much work in the game
but made several saves as the game wound down to maintain the margin of
victory for the Bruins.
 
With the SLU 4-0 win over Harvard and Clarkson loss, Harvard won the
regular season and SLU and Clarkson tied on points.  SLU wins the head
to head tie breaker and gets seeded second.  This is bad news for third
seeded Clarkson, because Brown wound up in sixth place.  So, for
Clarkson to get to Boston Garden, they'll have to beat Brown on
Saturday.  Brown and SLU were the only teams to beat Clarkson twice this
year.  Now if Clarkson gets to Boston, they might have to face SLU to
make it any further.
 
Mike Zak
Clarkson '87, '90,...