Matt Moulson scored two goals and four of his teammates tallied at least two points apiece as the Cornell Big Red offense rolled to its second consecutive 7-1 victory, this time over Sacred Heart in non-league action at Lynah Rink on Saturday night.
Moulson got the scoring started in the ninth minute of the game with a power play goal coming off assists from junior Shane Hynes and senior assistant captain Charlie Cook. Cornell (2-0-0) kept the pressure on the Pioneers’ (3-3-0) goalie Kevin LaPointe. He was forced to make 13 stops in the first period and 28 overall. He was able to keep the Big Red from scoring again until just under five minutes remained before the first intermission. Senior assistant captain Mike Iggulden teamed up with senior Jeremy Downs and senior captain Mike Knoepfli to net the game winner.
Knoepfli was credited with a goal and an assist on the night, while Cook and Iggulden recorded a goal and two assists each.
After both sides went scoreless in the first 17:44 of the second period, both lit the lamp within 13 seconds of each other. Knoepfli struck first, but Sacred Heart’s Garrett Larson answered off the next face off. The Pioneers outshot the Big Red 13-9 in the frame.
The Big Red continued its two-night power-play scoring binge in a penalty-ridden third period. The Pioneers took seven penalties for a total of 33 minutes and one game disqualification in the period, and Cornell converted on two-of-three power plays. With Moulson’s first period power-play goal and one on Friday scored by freshman Sasha Pokulok, the team has four in the first two games of the season. Pokulok added another goal on Saturday.
Cornell has had one of the most impressive offensive weekends in recent memory this week. The 14 goals scored against Army and Sacred Heart mark the highest single-weekend output since the Big Red scored eight and six goals against Dartmouth and Vermont, respectively in February 2003. The Red has not scored as many as seven goals in back-to-back games since hanging eight on Colgate in both games of the 1996 ECAC quarterfinal.
Sophomore goaltender David McKee looked sharp in the opening period with nine saves, including a nifty stop on Sacred Heart’s Chris Connerty and the follow up rebound by Chmiel with just over three minutes left. Iggulden increased the Big Red lead to 2-0 at 16:39 when he flipped a rebound into the top of the cage.
The Big Red came out in a determined mood in the third period and blew the contest open with four scores in less than four minutes. Moulson tallied his second goal when he poked in a rebound of a shot by Cook at 2:24, and Pokulok caught the upper left corner of the net for a 5-1 lead at 3:30. Less than 30 seconds later, junior Cam Abbott tipped in a great pass from classmate Daniel Pegoraro, and Cook wrapped up the scoring with a blistering shot at 5:58.
McKee made 24 saves for Cornell to pick up his second win of the season, and the 18th of his young career.
