Behind a stingy defensive effort, backstopped in goal by freshman Greg Lewis (Mars, PA) and an opportunistic goal from junior Jarrett Burton (Echo Bay, ONT), the Clarkson University Hockey team opened the ECAC campaign with a thrilling 1-0 victory at Yale University on Friday night.
The Golden Knights, who stand at 1-4-3 overall, will look to ride the momentum of their first win of the season, and a four-game unbeaten streak (1-0-3) when they play at Brown University in Providence, RI on Saturday afternoon beginning at 4:00 p.m.
Audio Head Coach Casey Jones postame
Clarkson, led by a strong effort on the blueline by senior Nik Pokulok (Vaudreuil-Dorion, QUE), shut down the high-powered Yale offense, handing the Bulldogs their first shutout loss since late in the 2009-10 season. The Knights outshot Yale 28-22, including by an 11-2 margin in the final period, and held the home team scoreless on three power-play opportunities.
Lewis’ first collegiate win will be a memorable one as he recorded Clarkson’s first shutout win on the road since last November. He posted six first-period saves, 14 more in the middle frame and two stops over the final 20 minutes.
Audio Lewis Save
Emerging as the Green and Gold’s top offensive threat, Burton tallied his team-high fifth goal of the season with just 2:09 remaining in regulation. Burton picked up a rebound off a shot by junior Will Frederick (Allison Park, PA) at the side of the net and lifted in a shot under the crossbar for the game’s only goal.
Audio Burton Goal
Clarkson also benefited from the return to the lineup of seniors, forward Adam Pawlick (Utica, NY) and defenseman Andrew Himelson (Monroe, NY). Pawlick played in his first NCAA game of the season since being injured in the exhibition contest against Carleton on October 7. Himelson, the Knights’ assistant captain, missed the previous three games with an injury. Freshman forward Simon Bessette (St. Jean, QUE) also made an impact returning to the lineup after missing the previous two games with an injury.
Yale (2-2-1, 1-2), which was coming off a 5-1 victory at Harvard last Saturday, hosts St. Lawrence tomorrow.
Here is a Youtube Video of Friday's entire game - courtesy of Yale All-Access
