Smith Lifts #20 Raiders with Four Tallies

By Matt Faulkner, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

(Troy, NY – Feb. 4, 2012) Austin Smith became only the fourth player in
Colgate history to reach 30 goals in a single season after scoring
four times in the 20th-ranked Raiders’ 8-3 win over Rensselaer on
Saturday night at Houston Field House.

Colgate (15-10-3, 9-6-1 ECAC) saw Smith tally a career-high four
goals, while Robbie Bourdon tallied two goals and two assists for a
career-high four point night. Jeremy Price, Chris Wagner and Joe
Wilson each had a pair of helpers in the win. Thomas Larkin and Nick
Prockow also scored goals for the Raiders. Alex Evin earned his fifth
win of the year and 18th of his career with 28 saves.

The Engineers (7-19-2, 4-10-2 ECAC) got goals from Guy Leboeuf,
Patrick Cullen and Zach Schroeder in the loss. Bryce Merriam got the
start and gave up a total of five goals, including four in the first
36 minutes of action. Scott Diebold came in to replace Merriam and
gave up three goals on 10 shots. Merriam then came back in the game
for the final 13 minutes. He made 18 stops and took the loss.

Smith jumped from 11th on the all-time single-season scoring list to
the sixth position after tonight. He has 73 goals in his career, which
is just outside the top-10. He still has work to do to reach the
top-10 in total points as he has 148 and 10th all-time has 168.  He
has a nine-goal lead as the nation’s top scorer and at the end of the
game was leading the country in points with 45.

The Raiders opened the scoring with a power play goal from Smith with
10:27 left in the first frame. Bourdon and Price added the assists.
The Raiders scored on their first power play and Smith got started
with his first of four on the night and his fifth goal on the man
advantage.

Bourdon pushed the lead up to 2-0 with less than three minutes left in
the first.  Bourdon rushed down the ice with Mayer and flipped the
puck, looking for the senior and the puck deflected off of a
Rensselaer stick and into the net. Colgate came out in the first and
outshot the Engineers, 10-6.

Rensselaer got on the board just over three minutes into the second
period to cut the Raider lead to 2-1. Leboeuf scored from the point as
the puck went through traffic and beat Evin. Smith answered right away
to get back the two-goal lead as the Engineers coughed the puck up
right in front of Diebold and he buried it. Wagner did an excellent
job putting pressure on the defense to force the turnover.  The goal
came 1:34 after the Engineers cut the lead to one.

The Raiders increased the lead to 4-1 with Prockow scoring from the
right faceoff dot. He pulled up, put a wrister on Merriam right before
he was checked and it went five-hole for his third of the season.
Price and Kurtis Bartliff were given assists on the play. Smith
notched his third career hat trick after a lucky bounce off the end
boards. He went in on the forecheck and as Diebold, who just entered
the game, went to play the puck behind the net, it kicked out to Smith
in the slot and he put it home.

After failing to score on a 5-on-3, the Raiders saw Larkin tally his
fourth goal of the season and first on the power play. The goal came
right after the Engineers cleared off the 5-on-3. Corbin McPherson
gloved down a clearing attempt and connected with Larkin along the
blueline. He then ripped a bomb from the point that got by Deibold.
Smith then netted his fourth of the game on an easy shot from the slot
to make it 7-1. Bourdon then got in on the scoring with his 10th of
the year with assists from Matt Firman and Mayer. The goal came with
5:43 left in the game. Schroeder and Cullen closed out the scoring in
the final minutes to make the final score 8-3.

Colgate outshot Rensselaer, 33-31, and scored two power play goals on
seven chances. The Engineers got one goal on the man advantage on
seven opportunities.

The Raiders will be back at Starr Rink this coming weekend to host
Yale and Brown with the matchup against the Bulldogs on Time Warner
Cable Sports. Both games are set for a 7 p.m. faceoff.

NOTES: The game was the 35th annual Big Red Freakout at Houston Field
House … Mayer scored his eight goal of the season … Colgate scored
first for the sixth time in the last seven games …  Smith tallied his
ninth multi-goal game of the season and is back to averaging a goal a
game … Smith became the first player since Jon Smyth in 2003 to tally
four goals in a game. … he has hit two goals 16 times in his career …
Price set a career-high with his four multi-assist goal of the season
… Smith tallied his third career hat trick and second of the season
and the first one against an opponent that wasn’t Quinnipiac …
Colgate is now outscoring opponents in the first period, 29-19 (+10) …
the Raiders scored five goals in the first two periods for the first
time since Oct. 28 against Niagara …  first time since beating
Canisius 9-0 in 2006 that Colgate reached eight goals … first time in
conference since a 9-4 win against Vermont in 2004 …  the Raiders are
now tied with Harvard for third in ECAC Hockey with 19 points.

Men’s Basketball Drops Heartbreaker to American

By Jeremiah Hergott, Director of Athletic Communications 

(Hamilton, NY – Feb. 4, 2012) Charles Hinkle scored a game high 23 points including a three pointer with 33 seconds remaining to help lift American past the Colgate men’s basketball team 59-58 Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court.

After Hinkle’s three pointer gave the Eagles a 59-57 lead, senior Sterling Melville was fouled and split a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left. Melville then made up for his missed free throw by stealing the inbounds pass to give the Raiders one more chance with eight seconds left. After a Colgate timeout junior Mitch Rolls missed a three point attempt with three ticks left, got his own rebound but couldn’t get a second attempt off before the buzzer sounded to give American the one point win.

Senior guard Mike Venezia scored in double-figures for the third-straight game to lead Colgate with 13 points, including a three-pointer with a minute remaining to put the Raiders up 57-56. Classmate Nick Pascale and sophomore Pat Moore both scored nine points while Melville pitched in eight in the loss.

Both teams exchanged baskets for a majority of the first half as the score was tied four times with eight lead changes. American made the first run of the game 11-5 to break open a 14-14 tie to give the Eagles a 25-19 lead with four minutes remaining. But Colgate ended the half with a 5-0 run to make the score 25-24 as both teams entered the locker room.

Colgate (7-16, 1-7) scored the first five points of the second half, off a jumper by Venezia and three-pointer form Brandon James, to give the Raiders a 29-25 lead with 18 minutes remaining. But the Eagles answered back with five straight points to retake the lead 30-29 with 16:13 left. The teams would then exchange baskets for the next seven minutes, before the Eagles opened their largest lead of the game 47-40 with 8:20 remaining. Colgate then put together a 12-2 run over the next five minutes, including a pair of layups from Rolls, to give the Raiders a 52-49 lead with 3:34 remaining. After a 4-0 run gave American the lead 53-52 with 1:47 left, the two teams then exchanged the lead three times in the final minute before American was able to hold on for the one point win.

Hinkle shot 9-of-19 on the day including 5-of-8 from downtown to lead American, while Troy Brewer scored nine points and Blake Jolivette pitched in seven.

American (15-8, 6-2) shot 43.9 percent from the floor, including 7-of-13 from beyond the arc, while Colgate shot 41.3 percent overall and 4-of-14 from downtown. Colgate won the battle on the boards 30-29, and only turned the ball over five times.

Colgate will continue Patriot League play when it hosts Bucknell on Wednesday, Feb. 8. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cotterell Court.

Women’s Hockey Secures 3-2 Win Over Rensselaer

By Gloria Nantulya, Athletic Communications Assistant 

(Hamilton, NY – Feb. 4, 2012) The Colgate women’s hockey team was able to secure a 3-2 win over Rensselaer on Saturday afternoon after a scoreless first two periods.

Freshman Melissa Kueber led the way with two goals, including the game-winner, while sophomore Rachel Walsh tallied the first goal and sophomores Jocelyn Simpson and Taylor Volpe added two assists apiece.

The first period started off a little slow, with both teams struggling to find their rhythm on the ice. A penalty on Colgate (10-18-1, 5-12-1 ECAC Hockey) nine minutes into the game allowed the Engineers to gain the first power play opportunity of the game. The Raiders were able to hold Rensselaer scoreless in the two-minute advantage and then again in its second extra skater advantage six minutes later to keep the score at 0-0 at the end of the first frame. Both teams had four shots on goal.

The second 20 minutes of play were similar to the first, this time however it was more physical as both teams searched for the first goal of the game. The aggressive play led to four penalties on Colgate and three on the Engineers, but neither team was able to capitalize on its power play opportunities. Rensselaer held a 10-5 shooting advantage in the second period.

The final frame was by far the most exciting, with a total of five goals being scored between the two teams. The Raiders struck first with their first goal just over two minutes into the stanza to take a 1-0 lead. Walsh picked up a pass from Volpe and blasted it into the back of the net to score the opening goal. Freshman Taylor Craig was also credited with an assist. Colgate held the 1-0 lead for only 48 seconds, with the Engineers striking back with a goal from Taylor Horton to tie the game at 1-1. The quick response did not topple the Raiders, who then reclaimed their lead 40 seconds later with a goal at the 3:38 mark. Kueber scored the second goal with assists from junior Jenna Klynstra and Simpson.

Colgate then earned two power play opportunities midway through the period, scoring on its second advantage at the 14:53 mark courtesy of Kueber once again, to increase the scoring margin to two goals. The rookie had help from Simpson and Volpe. The Engineers were not discouraged, trading in their goalie for an extra skater in the closing minutes of the game. The aggressive strategy eventually helped them find a second goal with just 41 seconds left in the game. However, despite its best efforts Rensselaer could not find an equalizer, giving the Raiders their second win of the weekend.

Senior Kimberly Sass had 19 saves in the game while Kelly O’Brien had 15 stops for the Engineers. Colgate held Rensselaer scoreless on five extra skater advantages and scored on one of its four opportunities.

The Raiders will resume ECAC Hockey play on the road next weekend when they travel to Yale and Brown on Feb. 10 and 11.

Women’s Basketball Falls at American

By Jeremiah Hergott, Director of Athletic Communications 

(Washington, DC – Feb. 4, 2012) The Colgate women’s basketball fell behind early and could not regroup in time as it dropped a Patriot League contest to American 70-47 Saturday afternoon at Bender Arena.

Junior Jhazmine Lynch led the Raiders with 12 points and four rebounds, while senior Tricia Oakes added nine points and seven boards.

After leading 5-2 with 18:23 remaining American used a 25-2 run to put the game out of reach early leading by as much as 22 points at the eight minute mark. The Raiders used a run of their own to put the game within reach, going on a 16-5 run before halftime to make the score 34-23.

Momentum carried over into the second half as Colgate continued to pressure American and found open baskets to trim the lead to 34-27 with 17:28 remaining, the closest the Raiders had been since 16:44 in the first half. American made sure Colgate got no closer. The Eagles used a 23-9 run to extend their lead to 21 points, 57-36, and put the game out of reach. The Raiders continued to fight with time winding down, but American was able to continue hitting shots as the Raiders fell 70-47.

The previous two games, Colgate had turned the ball over a combined 16 times. The pressure from American forced the Raiders into 21 turnovers. American also out rebounded Colgate 40-32.

Colgate will stay on the road, as it will travel to Bucknell on Wednesday, Feb 8. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.

By Matt Faulkner, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

(Schenectady, NY – Feb. 3, 2012)  The 20th-ranked Colgate men’s hockey team was able to score first, but Union came away with the 3-1 win on Friday night at Messa Rink.

Colgate (14-10-3, 8-6-1 ECAC) got its lone goal from Mark Nasca, which was his first of the season. Assists went to Billy Rivellini and Mike McCann. Eric Mihalik got the start in net and made 19 saves between the pipes.

Union (16-6-6, 10-3-3 ECAC) saw Wayne Simpson score two goals, while Jeremy Welsh added the other. Welsh also added an assist for two points, while Greg Coburn was awarded two helpers in the win. In net was Colin Stevens, earning his first career start and he made 27 stops to earn the win.

Nasca tallied his first of the season to the Raiders an early lead just 3:11 into in the game to make it 1-0 in favor of the Raiders. Rivellini hustled to get the puck deep in the offensive zone flipped the puck on net and Nasca redirected it in past Stevens. It was Nasca’s fourth score of his career and Rivellini’s first point of the season.  McCann was also given an assist for his third helper of the year.

Union evened it up with just over eight minutes remaining in the first as Welsh scored from the left faceoff circle with assists to Daniel Carr and Coburn to make it 1-1. The Raiders came out in the first and outshot the Dutchmen, 13-9, and stayed out of the penalty box. Colgate got one chance on the man advantage and put two shots on Stevens, but didn’t score.

After scoreless and defensive second period, Union earned its first lead of the game early in the third with a power play goal. Simpson scored the goal three minutes into the final frame. Shayne Gostisbehere took a shot from the high slot that got knocked down in front and it came right to Simpson to the right of Mihalik. He didn’t waste anytime getting it on net and gave the Dutchmen the lead.

Colgate had its best opportunity in the third while shorthanded. Austin Smith got a drop pass in the slot and made a move to get open. He tried to get it past the glove of Stevens, but the netminder made a great save to keep the Dutchmen ahead for good at 2-1. Union added an empty net goal with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. Simpson added his second of the night to wrap up the scoring at 3-1.

The Raiders were able to outshoot the Dutchmen, 28-22, and Union capitalized on one of the three power plays awarded. Colgate got two chances on the power play, but didn’t score.

Colgate returns to the ice tomorrow night at Rensselaer as the Raiders head to Houston Field House for a 7 p.m. start and the game can be seen locally on TWCS2 (channel 1026).

NOTES: Union and Rensselaer were the only ECAC Hockey teams Colgate had or has yet to play this season … Colgate wore its white jerseys on the road tonight … goalie Troy Grosenick sat out for Union due to a lower body injury … Rivellini became the 21st Colgate skater to earn a point this season … it was only the fourth time this season that the Raiders were held to one goal … Colgate is now 5-5-1 against ranked opponents this season … when scoring first, the Raiders are 8-5-1.

By Gloria Nantulya, Athletic Communications Assistant 

Senior goalie Kimberly Sass recorded her third shutout of the season to lead Colgate to a 3-0 win over Union Friday night at Starr Rink. (Photo by Bob Cornell)

(Hamilton, NY – Feb. 3, 2012) The Colgate women’s hockey team lit up Starr Rink with a 3-0 shutout win over ECAC Hockey opponent Union to celebrate the launch if its 2012 Autism Awareness Project.

Freshman Taylor Craig scored her first collegiate goal, which proved to be the game-winner, while sophomore Rachel Walsh tallied one goal and two assists and senior co-captain Amanda Kirwan scored the team’s third goal. Sophomore Shannon Doyle also added a pair of assists in the Raiders’ win.

Colgate (9-18-1, 4-12-1 ECAC Hockey) came out to an aggressive start, putting pressure on the Dutchwomen’s goalie as it fired numerous shots at net. The Raiders continued to create majority of the scoring opportunities as they moved the puck around the ice in their blue and black autism awareness jerseys. Midway through the period, things picked up for Colgate, resulting in its opening goal at the 12:25 mark. Walsh blasted the puck at the goalie, it rebounded to Craig who then then fired it into the top of the frame to record her first collegiate point.

Freshman Miriam Drubel was also credited with an assist. Less than two minutes later, the Raiders increased their lead to two goals in a similar fashion, this time during a power play with Doyle firing the puck at the frame and Walsh knocking the rebound off the goalie’s pads into the back of the net to give her team a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period. Junior Jenna Klynstra also had an assist. Colgate outshot Union 17-1 in the opening 20 minutes of play.

The second frame was not as fruitful for the Raiders. Both teams had eight shots on net but neither one could find a goal. Colgate was able to hold the Dutchwomen scoreless on two power play opportunities in the stanza, one of which had carried over from the first period.

After a scoreless second frame, both teams picked up the intensity as they fought to break the scoring drought from the previous period. Union held an 8-6 shooting advantage, courtesy of three extra skater opportunities in the period, however it was the Raiders that were able to find a power play goal in its only opportunity early in the stanza. Kirwan picked up a loose puck and then slipped it into the low right corner of the goal to eventually give her team the 3-0 shut-out win. Doyle and Walsh had assists in the goal.

Senior Kimberly Sass had 17 saves for Colgate in her third shut-out of the season while Shenae Lundberg had 28 stops for the Dutchwomen. The Raiders held Union scoreless on five power play opportunities while scoring on two of their four extra skater advantages.
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By Matt Faulkner, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

(Albany, NY – Feb. 2, 2012) Joe Wilson, who earned the league’s rookie of the week honors just two days ago, raked in another award as he was the named the ECAC Hockey/Fischer Hockey Rookie of the Month with seven points on four goals and three assists during the month of January.

Wilson had his best month in a Colgate uniform as he entered January
with six points and tallied seven points in eight games last month.
Wilson is currently riding a four-game point streak, including a
three-point outing against Cornell in a 5-3 key win. He has three
goals in the last three games and tied for a team-high +5 during the
month. Wilson scored the game-winner in the 2-1 win over Cornell last
Friday and was named Rookie of the Week this past week.

He is the second player for the Raiders to earn a monthly award as his
linemate Austin Smith is a two-time ECAC Hockey Player of the Month.
Overall, Wilson has 13 points on seven goals and six assists. He has
made his goals count as three have been gamewinners, which is second
on the team behind Smith’s five. The rookie jumped up to ninth in the
conference among freshmen in scoring and he leads Colgate in that
category. Spiro Goulakos isn’t far behind as he has 12 points on a
goal and 11 assists for 12th among league rookies.