Colgate beat Cornell 7-3 Thursday night in the first game of a
home-and-home series.  I expect the box will be posted at some point, so
I will just provide a summary and  make a few comments on this game.
Factual errors are my own -- I have not seen the box yet.
 
It was close at the start.  Colgate scored the first two goals toward
the end of the first, followed quickly by the first Cornell goal.  The
Cornell goal was rather strange -- the Big Red had a two on one break,
Colgate goalie Dan Brenzavich appeared to save the shot, but then the
Colgate defender came close to the net and either knocked it it or
caused Brenzavich to drop it in.
 
It remained 2-1 Colgate throughout the second, with the Red Raider defense
shutting down Cornell's offense.  During the first two periods, Colgate
had about twice as many shots on goal as Cornell.  Cornell's few shots
were impressive, however.  Twice, the feeling of forboding one gets
before the opposing team scores came over me, but both time Brenzavich
made excellent saves on perfectly screened shots.
 
The Big Red defense played rather poorly all night, leaving Jason Elliott open
to many Colgate shots.  The Cornell defensemen seemed to be much more
interested in creating turnovers than in playing disciplined defense,
and were generally unable to capitalize when they did have the puck.
Cornell goaltender Jason Elliott cannot be blamed for this loss; while
he looked rather pedestrian when compared to Brenzavich at the other end,
he did play a solid game.  Which brings us to the third...
 
Colgate scored two more quick goals at the start of the third, with the
first a complete surprise (puck rolls out of a crowd in front of the net
and past Elliott) and the second a very deliberate shot by Earl Cronin
that was misplayed by Elliott.  Cornell called a time out right after the
fourth Colgate goal, pulling Elliott in favor of backup Eddy Skayzk (sp?).
This was a major coaching error.  Skayzk faces three shots and allows
two goals, both on easy rebounds, after which Elliott returns.
 
Why did the Cornell coaching staff choose to do this?  They were only
down by three goals, and they pull a goalie who is playing reasonably
well for one who has played (according to the radio post-game) in a total
of three games this season.  You are supposed to coach yourself out of
situations like this -- Elliott and the defense just needed advice, not
an act of desperation.  This game may have been stolen from the players
by the coaches.
 
Anyway, midway through the third it became 7-1 Colgate, after which
started the late-game decline which Colgate has suffered from all season.
The defense gets sloppy, Brenzavich makes less of an effort, and stupid
penalties occur.  The Big Red took advantage of this period of malaise
by scoring two goals (one during a 5-on-3 power play), but by that point it was
academic.  I still cannot help but think that Cornell might have pulled
off the victory had Elliott been kept in the game.
 
For the Red Raiders, it was an good return to ECAC play after
the disappointing weekend at Western Michigan.  The offense is looking
very strong, with less reliance on breakaways and more emphasis on
disciplined pressure and teamwork.  The defense continues to play very
well with the exception of occasional lapses.  Dan Brenzavich continues
to impress in his first year of play -- although he occasionally gives up
soft goals (especially toward the end of games), his ability to trap
rebounds has stolen many, many scoring chances from opposing teams.
 
Colgate visits Cornell on Saturday night, with hopes of keeping our
current 3-game ECAC win streak (wow! :-)) alive.
 
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James Clippinger
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