Hartford Courant article

[John Annese \'97]

Not sure if this has been posted already, but here's a copy of today's piece from the Courant.


Cornell Tops BC In 2nd Overtime
March 31, 2003
By MARK PUKALO, Courant Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- It took longer than they had hoped, but the Big Red machine kept moving forward Sunday afternoon.

Next stop, Buffalo and the Frozen Four.

Senior forward Matt McRae scored 1:09 into the second overtime as Cornell defeated Boston College 2-1 in the Eastern Regional final of the NCAA tournament before 7,489 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

The Big Red (30-4-1), the top defensive team in the country, will make its first Frozen Four appearance since 1980. Cornell plays New Hampshire in the semifinals April 10. In the other semifinal, Michigan faces Minnesota. Michigan beat top-seeded Colorado College 5-3 in the Midwest final Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

"These guys were so disappointed last year to lose to Harvard [ECAC final], and they were devastated losing to New Hampshire [NCAA quarterfinals]," Cornell coach Mike Schafer said. "It's all come full circle for them. They've come back and given us a chance to win a national championship.

"It was a close, low-scoring game like we expected. I give our guys a lot of credit. They stayed the course, and found a way to win. Good teams have that ability."

Cornell, which has given up 43 goals in 35 games, waited patiently until McRae seized the moment.

He zipped into the zone on a quick transition and snapped a wrist shot over BC goalie Matti Kaltiainen's glove, just under the crossbar from a tough angle for his fifth of the season.

"I was coming across center ice, the puck was there and the defensemen were a little flat-footed," McRae said. "[Kaltiainen] was cheating far side. He stopped me with 11 seconds left in the first overtime, so I thought I'd change it up."

Ryan Vesce scored 10:05 into the game to give Cornell the lead, but Boston College (24-11-4) grew strong enough to battle the Big Red's size advantage (average of 7 pounds a player).

The Eagles tied it 8 minutes into the second when J.D. Forrest fought to the net, and the puck went in off his right skate while he was being taken down by Cornell defenseman Mark McRae. The play was reviewed, but it was ruled that Forrest had not intentionally kicked the puck.

Video replay was used again in the third period when BC defenseman Peter Harrold, who had barreled to the net for a shot, was ruled to be in the crease when Stephen Gionta flipped in the rebound with 7:59 left.

"It was real tough on us," said Boston College coach Jerry York, who did not dispute the call. "But we showed a lot of resiliency."

BC, 2-8 in NCAA tournament overtimes, could not find the winner.

Matt McRae said that when he arrived on campus, the freshmen were asked to study the Big Red program's history and where they intended to take it. The Frozen Four was a place for which they were preparing, he said.

"We've been working for this for a long time," Cornell senior Stephen Baby said. "But at the same time, we're not satisfied."