Game Thread: Cornell 4, OSU 3 (OT) FINAL

[atb9]

National anthem was at 4:02pm, puck dropped at 4:05pm

Iggy scores the first goal for Cornell!  And he scores the second!!  Moulson on the third goal!!! Hornby puts in the game winner in OT!!!!

Adam W confirmed that Ohio State is in fact backing out of the Everblades next year for their own holiday tournament to get their stadium ready for the 2005 FF.  BC will be the rotating team while St. Cloud will replace OSU.  OSU will probably be back for 2005.

Recap from BRA:
First period was almost all OSU. The Buckeyes are moving the puck well and hitting hard. Cornell's passing is sloppy, but the AHA line is skating very well and will generate some opportunities. Cornell had two good scoring chances - Vesce sweeping in from the goalie's right side, but he couldn't squeeze the puck in and then later Bitz missed a not-quite-open net.

McKee didn't have a chance on the OSU [PP] goal. Everyone was watching the puck while an OSU player held it in the office and nobody tried to stop the scorer from skating right down in between the circles to take the puck. Otherwise, a scramble or two aside in which he kept his composure and covered up, OSU hasn't really generated chances despite controlling play.

Cornell really controlled play in the 2d. All three goals were hard-earned.  I assure you all that the first Iggulden goal came on a pass from McCutcheon.  McCutcheon is having a great game. The second goal was mostly Cook's. He really blistered a shot from the point, Betz couldn't handle it, and Iggy just barely poked it through. I have to see the replay on the Moulson goal to see how he got set up. It was a great shot though, from a short angle to the goalie's right.

OSU is at their best when they have a little space. They have had some very good 2-on-1 chances that they didn't convert on (they keep missing the net). Caponegri's goal was amazing he came in from McKee's left, held off his defender and just flat beat McKee top-shelf. A real goal-scorer's goal.  Both teams are hitting HARD. A great game to watch.

The third period was just dominated by OSU. Cornell was content to just casually clear the puck, but they did a very poor job of it. They started the period by giving the puck away right in front of McKee three times, but McKee made a great save and OSU just flat missed the net twice. 12 minutes into the period, CU had only one shot.

All that mediocrity paid off when tOSU tied it up after winning the draw after a Cornell icing. Shortly thereafter, Caponegri committed the boner of the tournament. He mouthed off after getting called for icing with 5:02 (he thought he was close enough to the red line for government work) and was given a 10 minute misconduct. He missed the rest of the 3d and all of OT. Cornell generated one spectacular chance, but Betz saved the game (temporarily) by stoning one of the Abbotts with a little over 2 minutes left. As the clock ran out Cornell did all it could to give away the game, but a level head by McKee and some good fortune sent the game to OT.

Absolutely the worst period I've seen this team play all year. But then ...

The OT started badly as O'Byrne just handed the puck to tOSU in the slot 10 seconds into the period, but McKee saved O'Byrne's bacon. Finally the Red got the puck in deep on OSU, Cam tapped it to Chris who fed it to a charging Hornby; Hornby beat Betz to the short side. A great finish by Hornby, and a great play by the line.
I told you that the AHA line would generate a chance. See, First Period Recap.

General impressions. Great games from Iggy, Knoepfli and the AHA line.

It is tough to give defensive grades because there was so much sloppy D. O'Byrne may be big and strong, but his skating and stickwork is often oafish and he can get buffaloed by little guys. He may be a future-Bâby, but he isn't a present-Bâby. Moulson had a great goal, but I can't really describe the play because it developed so quickly and the replay by CSTV was awful (it was cut tight; all they showed was the shot).

McKee came up big when he had to, and only the third tOSU goal can really be pinned on him.

Caponegri can flat play. I hate him almost as much as Kolarik. Revenge is sweet. Down go the Buckeyes.

And the curse is off the Bell jersey. LET'S GO RED!!!



Post Edited (12-28-03 19:02)

[atb9]

Steckl is out of the game with a shoulder injury

[judy]

excellent...all righty...lgr!!!

now i gotta figure out if i can get to the chat without installing excessive crap on someone elses computer....

[calgARI \'07]

Steckel's absence is HUGE.  He was outstanding in the first matchup this year.

[atb9]

Ohio State gets another early power play??  Struggling to hear the broadcast...

[Greg Berge]

Cornell kills off the OSU pp.  0-0, early.

[atb9]

back to 5x5...5th straight game with an early penalty

[judy]

early pp killed off.

okay, so i'm not the only having difficulty hearing...

it was chris abbott with a cross check

[jnachod]

ya, they got one, but its 5 on 5 now

[atb9]

Tony is especially hard to hear...boasted my system sound to 100% but it is still soft...oh well

[jnachod]

go to the graphic equalizer in real player and fiddle with it a little

[Greg Berge]

Audio is fine here.  Reload, maybe?

[atb9]

did they just boost it during the commercial?  It got really loud

[Greg Berge]

Penalty on Hynes,  OSU on pp.

[jnachod]

Ugh