Jason Elliott was the undisputed series MVP, the sophomore netminder letting
by just one goal all tournament, as the Big Red men's ice hockey team
defeated Harvard 2-1 on Saturday to come away with the ECAC championship
title and a spot in the twelve-team NCAA playoff field.
 
The Crimson leapt out to an early 1-0 lead as Tommy Holmes scored his eighth
goal of the season just thirty-six seconds into the first period. Harvard did
itself in almost ten minutes later when Tripp Tracey deflected a Matt Cooney
shot on goal that then went in off Harvard defenseman Jeremiah McCarthy at
10:05 in the first. Cooney was credited with the goal even though he hadn't
been the last to touch the puck; Jeff Burgoyne and Brad Chartrand earned
assists.
 
Just over two minutes into the second stanza, Mike Sancimino put in what was
to be the game-winner, his tenth of the season, with assists from Tony Bergin
and Andre Doll.
 
Neither team scored on the power play tonight; Harvard went 0 for 4 and
Cornell 0 for 2 in man-up situations. The Red had 12 minutes of penalty time
to Harvard's 16.
 
Cornell now takes its 21-8-4 record into its first NCAA tournament appearance
since 1991. The Red will be joined by the Catamounts, who earned a spot in
the tourney thanks to their regular season title. Vermont, who fell to
Harvard in yesterday's early semifinal match, defeated Clarkson today in the
consolation round. Games in the two western conferences may not yet be over,
so not all of the participants may be certain at this point, much less their
rankings. The twelve-team field, the seedings, and the game arrangements will
be announced Sunday night at 9:00 EST on the Empire Sports Network, which is
currently enjoying a nine-day "preview" on
Ithaca's Time Warner Cable service, on channel 52.
 
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 Mark H. Anbinder                  |              [log in to unmask]
 Public Communications Inc.        |                      [log in to unmask]
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