Sophomore Paul Karpowich (Thunder Bay, ONT) posted 38 saves and three different Golden Knights scored goals as the Clarkson University Hockey team closed out the regular season with a 3-3 overtime tie against Dartmouth College before 2,383 fans in ECAC Hockey action at Cheel Arena on Saturday night.
Clarkson, which ended the season with an 8-22-4 overall record and a 4-15-4 ECAC Hockey mark, will open postseason play next weekend at arch-rival St. Lawrence University in the best-of-three game first round series.
Dartmouth, which ended the regular season unbeaten in its last five games (3-0-2), will play at Quinnipiac in the first round of the league playoffs. The Big Green finished with a 7-12-3 ECAC Hockey slate, and own a 9-17-3 overall record.
Audio Head Coach George Roll postgame
Junior assistant captain Brandon DeFazio (Oakville, ONT) and freshmen Adam Pawlick (Utica, NY) and Markus Piispanen (Vantaa, Finland) scored on Saturday for the Knights, who ended the home campaign with a 7-7-2 mark at Cheel.
After a fast-paced, but scoreless first period, Clarkson and Dartmouth combined for four goals in the second stanza, including three in the opening 2:28 of the period. The Knights started the scoring burst with Pawlick’s power-play tally 13 seconds in. With the Green and Gold skating on a 5-on-3 advantage, Pawlick one-timed a pass from junior defenseman Bryan Rufenach (Cameron, ONT) from the top of the right circle for his ninth goal of the season and team-high sixth power-play marker. Senior Matt Beca (Mississauga, ONT) also assisted.
Audio of Pawlick's Goal
Dartmouth came right back 51 seconds later to tie when Joe Stejskal pushed in a wraparound shot for a shorthanded marker. Doug Jones set up the goal. Scott Fleming put the Big Green on top 2-1 at 2:28 when he knocked in a rebound at the top of the crease for his team-high 20th goal of the season. Adam Estoclet and Jim Gaudet assisted.
Midway through the period, DeFazio came out of the box after serving a penalty and stole the puck at center ice, skated into the Dartmouth zone and connected on a hard wrist shot from the right circle for his 10th goal of the year at 9:47.
Audio of DeFazio's Goal
The Big Green made quick work on their third power-play opportunity of the game early in the third period to regain the lead. Nick Walsh one-timed a pass from defenseman Peter Boldt 13 seconds into the man-advantage for a 3-2 Dartmouth lead at 4:22
Less than a minute later, Clarkson once again tied the game as Piispanen fired off a quick wrist shot from the top of the left circle at 5:19 for his second collegiate goal. Classmate Matt Wilson (Liverpool, NY) set up the play with a long outlet pass, recording his first collegiate point.
Audio of Piispanen Goal
Dartmouth out the Knights 41-24, but Karpowich, who has been in top form down the stretch, backstop the Green and Gold to the hard-earned tie. Karpowich posted eight saves in the first period, 12 in the second, 16 more in the third and two in the five-minute extra session.
James Mello finished 21 saves for the Big Green.
Clarkson was 1-of-2 on the power play, while Dartmouth was 1-of-4 with the man advantage.
