A stretch of strong offensive outings for the Clarkson University Hockey team came to an end on Friday night as the Golden Knights opened a four-game road trip with a 4-1 loss at Minnesota-Duluth before 3,701 fans at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. The Golden Knights, who had out scored their opponents 13-7 during a three-game winning streak, failed to record at least three goals in a game for the first time since their season-opening 6-1 loss at Michigan State on October 9.
At 3-3 overall, Clarkson will look to gain its first road win of the year when it battles Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EST.
After a scoreless first period, the home standing Bulldogs broke the game open in the middle frame with three unanswered goals. Mike Connolly tallied at 5:53, followed by his brother’s Jack’s goal 42 seconds later. Jack Connolly netted his team-high sixth goal of the season at 10:54 to put UMD firmly in control.
The Knights, who had seven power plays in the contest, finally connected on their last man-advantage opportunity when sophomore Jake Morley (Ogdensburg, NY) tallied his first goal of the season, finishing off a pass from defensemen Nik Pokulok (Vaudreuil-Dorion, QUE) and Mark Borowiecki (Kanata, ONT) at 16:20 of the third period.
The Bulldog’s Drew Akins added an empty net goal with 53 seconds remaining to close out the scoring.
UMD dominated on the shot charts out shooting Clarkson 50-17, including a 42-12 margin over the final 40 minutes. Sophomore Richie LaVeau (Arlington Heights, IL) posted a career-high 46 saves.
The Knights' efforts were hindered by the loss of junior assistant captain Brandon DeFazio (Oakville, ONT), who was given a game-misconduct just 4:46 into the game for checking from behind. Clarkson was also battling illness and injuries. Senior assistant captain Matt Beca (Mississauga, ONT) was limited to playing time due to the flu, and junior captain Scott Freeman (Whitby, ONT) and sophomore Corey Tamblyn (Bobcaygeon, ONT) suffered ankle injuries during the game.
