The Clarkson University Hockey team's lengthy regular-season unbeaten streak against ECAC Hockey foes at Cheel Arena came to an end on Saturday night as Yale edged the Golden Knights 3-2 before 3,014 fans in Potsdam.
Sean Backman scored two goals and Alec Richards posted 22 saves as the Bulldogs handed 15th-ranked Clarkson its first regular-season loss to a conference foe at home in 22 games (15-1-6). Trailing 2-1 in the opening minute of the third period, Yale tallied twice in a 51-second span early in the final frame to gain the one-goal victory.
Strong puck control in the Golden Knights’ end resulted in Yale’s second goal. Jimmy Martin stopped a Clarkson clearing attempt at the blueline and sent a wrist shot in from the point for his first goal of the year at 3:53. The Bulldogs connected on the power play at 4:44 when Backman took a perfect feed in the slot from Mark Arcobello and flipped in his third goal of the year for the game-winner.
“We battled much harder than we did last night (in 3-1 win over Brown),” stated Clarkson head coach George Roll. “Yale is a good hockey club with good speed. They certainly took advantage of that tonight. Our guys played hard. It is unfortunate to come out on the losing end.”
Junior Matt Beca (Mississauga, ONT) gave Clarkson a 1-0 first-period lead, scoring late in the opening frame. Beca tried to stuff in a wraparound shot at the left side of the net, but was stop by Richards on his initial attempt. The Knights’ leading scorer from last season gathered in the loose puck off the rebound and swept in a shot while on his knees for his second goal of the year at 17:19. Freshmen Corey Tamblyn (Mississauga, ONT) and Nick Tremblay (Candiac, QUE) assisted.
Yale tied the game with a fortunate break to start a power play early in the second period. Just as a Bulldog man-advantage opportunity started when a player came out of the penalty box, Backman took a shot from the top of the right circle that deflected off a Clarkson defenseman’s stick and past the Knights’ freshman goaltender Paul Karpowich (Thunder Bay, ONT) at 6:40 of the middle stanza.
Clarkson took a 2-1 lead just 21 seconds in the third as sophomore Lauri Tuohimaa (Helsinki, Finland) deflected in a shot from the point by classmate Brandon DeFazio (Oakville, ONT) for his fourth goal of the season. Senior captain Tyrell Mason (Dawson Creek, BC) also assisted on the power-play goal.
Yale out shot the Knights 34-24. Karpowich finished with 31 saves. Clarkson was 1-of-10 on the power play while the Bulldogs went 2-of-9 with the man-advantage.
Clarkson, with a 2-2-2 overall record and a 1-1-0 ECAC Hockey mark, plays at Harvard next Friday. Yale, at 2-1, 1-1, plays at Connecticut on Tuesday.
