Potsdam, NY - Senior center, co-captain Tristan Lush (North Andover, MA) scored one goal and assisted on another as Clarkson University snapped a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Brown University before a crowd of 2,672 at Cheel Arena Saturday night. The Golden Knights, who won for the first time since January 30, improve their record 12-15-5 overall and to 7-11-2 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Brown, which fell out of first place in the league, has lost three straight and is winless in its last four games (0-3-1). Overall, the Bears stand at 14-8-5 overall and 12-6-2 in the conference.
Looking to break out of its winless skid, Brown jumped on top just 57 seconds into the game capitalizing on a Clarkson turnover in its own zone. Pascal Denis picked up an errant drop pass by the Knights between the circles and fed Corey Caouette, who fired in his fifth goal of the season. The Bears dominated the first period holding an 18-5 shot-advantage and did not allow Clarkson its first shot on goal until there was 8:59 left in the stanza.
Clarkson came to life in the middle frame, out shooting the Bears 21-8 and connecting for three straight goals to take control. Senior Jean Desrochers (Dalhousie, QUE) started the Knights’ roll with his sixth goal of the year, lifting a shot from in tight just under the crossbar at 3:14. Clarkson then scored twice on the power play in a span of 1:48, snapping a lengthy drought with the man-advantage. On their fourth opportunity of the contest, Lush scored the Knights’ first power-play goal in their last 34 chances, and his fourth goal of the season, tipping in a shot from the point by freshman defenseman Nathan Beausoleil (Moose Creek, ONT) at 10:54. Junior Jay Latulippe (Saratoga Springs, NY) continued the Green and Gold’s new found success on the power play, knocking in a rebound off a shot by classmate Chris Blight (Cambridge, ONT) at 12:42 for his second goal of the weekend and 11th of the season.
Brown pulled to within one midway through the third when Paul Crosty connected on a slap shot from the point after Nick Ringstad won the draw for his second goal of the year, a power-play marker at 12:42. The Bears pulled Yann Danis with 56 seconds left for the extra skater, but could not come up with the tying score.
Brown out shot the Knights 32-30, but Clarkson sophomore Dustin Traylen (Kirkland, QUE) was solid in the Knights’ goal with a 30-save effort, including 17 stops in the first period when the Bears had the opportunity to blow the game open early. Danis posted 27 saves, including 18 in the middle frame.
Clarkson, which enter the game 0-of-30 on the power play, was 2-of-8 with the man-advantage against Brown. The Bears were 1-of-8 on the power play.
With two games remaining in the schedule, the Knights are in ninth place in the ECAC standings, one point behind eighth-place St. Lawrence. Clarkson plays league-leader Colgate on Friday and at defending ECAC champion Cornell on Saturday.
The fifth- through eighth-place teams in the ECAC standings will host first-round ECAC playoffs series from March 5-7 in the best-of-hree games format.
Class of 2004 with family:
Rob McFeeters, Tristan Lush, Trevor Edwards,
Jean Desrochers
