Junior Shawn Weller (South Glens Falls, NY) scored two goals and classmate David Leggio (Williamsville, NY) posted 31 saves as Clarkson University extended its winning streak to five games with a 3-1 victory over arch-rival St. Lawrence before 3,525 North Country fans at Cheel Arena Tuesday night.
The 17th-ranked Golden Knights, who are now off until participating in the Badger Showdown on December 29, improve their record to 11-5-1 overall and move into tie for second place in the ECAC Hockey League with a 5-2 league mark.
Sophomore Shea Guthrie (Carleton Place, ONT) and Weller scored late in the third period as the Knights broke a 1-1 tie to gain their third win over their Route 11 rivals in their last four meetings. Guthrie put Clarkson ahead at 12:31 when he took a pass from senior defenseman Michael Grenzy (Lockport, NY) along the left boards and skated into the slot where he sent a quick wrist shot through traffic, beating St. Lawrence freshman goaltender Kain Tisi for the game-winner on his fourth goal of the season.
In a bid to tie the game, the Saints pulled Tisi for the extra attacked with 1:37 left in regulation, but Weller iced the Clarkson win with an empty-net score with 25 seconds remaining. Senior Max Kolu (Turku, Finland) picked up an assist.
Despite holding the better of the play in the first period, St. Lawrence found itself down 1-0 late in the opening stanza when Weller scored on a rebound at the top of the crease for a power-play goal with just seven seconds left in the period. Junior captain Nick Dodge (Oakville, ONT) started the play with a pass from along the left boards out to classmate Steve Zalewski (New Hartford, NY) at the point. Zalewski’s slapshot found its way on net through traffic in front, where Tisi made the save. Weller, however, fought of a St. Lawrence defender in front, picked up the rebound and chipped in his sixth goal of the year.
The Saints, benefiting from five power plays, controlled play again the second period, but Leggio was on top of his game with 13 saves. Late in St. Lawrence’s second man-advantage opportunity of the stanza, at 3:58, Leggio robbed the Saints’ leading scorer, freshman Mike McKenzie with a stick save.
St. Lawrence finally got on the scoreboard when Travis Vermeulen tallied a shorthanded marker early in the third. With Clarkson on the power play, Leggio tired to clear the puck around the boards from behind his net, but Vermeulen picked it up along the left wing and sent a quick shot on net before Leggio could get back to the crease to tie the game, 1-1, at 3:33 with his third goal of the season.
Clarkson appeared to tie the game at 8:55 on a power-play goal by Zalewski, but after reviewing at the replay, referee Peter Feola waved the goal off, ruling it never cross the goal line.
St. Lawrence out shot the Knights 32-23. Leggio finished with 31 saves, including 25 through the first 40 minutes. Tisi posted 20 stops. Clarkson was 1-of-4 on the power play and extended its penalty-killing streak to 31 straight by shutting down all seven of St. Lawrence man-advantage opportunities.
