Jarred Smith '12 scored a goal in each of two games to lead the men's hockey team (2-13-4, 2-8-2 ECAC Hockey) this weekend.
Smith scored the go-ahead goal with 12 seconds left in the second period in a 4-1 victory Friday night over the Colgate Red Raiders, and the Bears' lone goal in a 5-1 loss to No. 1 Cornell the following night.
The Colgate win was the first win for the Bears since they defeated Union on Dec. 6. The Bears had two ties over the stretch, one against Western Michigan and another against Harvard, on Jan. 3 and 9, respectively. They dropped their next two games by a combined score of 11-2 before losing in overtime to Clarkson on Jan. 17.
Brown hadn't defeated Colgate (6-13-5, 1-8-3 ECAC) in Hamilton since 1993, but the Red Raiders have struggled everywhere this year. They are last in the ECAC and entered the game on a three-game losing streak.
After a scoreless opening period against Colgate, Jeff Buvinow '12 fired a shot from the left point just 1:05 into the second period. Colgate goalie Alex Evin didn't see the shot that beat him, as he was screened. Smith and Assistant Captain Matt Vokes '09 assisted on the play.
The lead didn't last long, as Colgate got one back just eight seconds later. Tom Riley of the Red Raiders won the face-off to Nick St. Pierre, who passed it back to Riley. Riley rushed into Brown's defensive zone and shot from the top of the right face-off circle. The puck beat goalie Mike Clemente '12 for the only time all night, as the freshman tallied 32 saves.
The score remained knotted at 1-1 until Smith scored on a power play with just 12 seconds remaining in the middle frame.
Sean McMonagle '10 scored his third goal of the season just under 14 minutes into the final period. McMonagle took the puck from behind the net and tried a wrap-around shot. Evin stopped the first but couldn't corral the rebound. McMonagle collected the rebound in traffic and scored on a wrist shot, giving the Bears a 3-1 advantage.
The Raiders pulled Evin with 1:33 left in favor of an extra attacker. Mike Stuart '09 intercepted a pass at mid-ice just under a minute later. Stuart scored on the empty net to make the final score 4-1.
The following night, the Bears kept the game close against Cornell (14-2-3, 9-1-2 ECAC) until the third period, but lost 5-1 after the hosts scored three goals in the final frame.
The Big Red received six of the 30 first-place votes in the USA Today Poll this week, and received the No. 3 overall ranking. They entered their match against Brown atop the ECAC standings though they had lost 4-3 to Yale the night before. The Yale loss was their first loss since November and only their second of the season.
The Big Red came out like a top-ranked team in the first period, scoring on just their second shot 1:38 into the game. When the Bears turned the puck over in the defensive zone, Cornell's Michael Kennedy collected the puck and fired a rocket that beat Clemente top shelf.
Both teams got friendly with the penalty boxes in the first period. Brown gave Cornell four power play opportunities and received two as well. Assistant Captain Jordan Pietrus '10 was whistled for slashing at 4:18 into the opening frame.
As Pietrus's time in the box expired, Joe Devin of Cornell scored the first of his two goals that night, putting Cornell ahead 2-0 in the second period.
The Bears made it a one-goal game under a minute into the final period. Buvinow skated down the left wing as Smith trailed behind. Buvinow left the puck for Smith at the top of the face-off circle. Smith took it, and flung a wrist shot past Ben Scrivens glove-side low to bring the Bears within one.
The Big Red increased their lead under five minutes later when Devin scored his second of the night on a two-on-one fast break. Devin's wrist shot from the left circle ricocheted off the crossbar and into the net.
Cornell tacked on two more goals in the last five minutes to make the final score 5-1.
The Bears return to home ice Friday night when they take on Quinnipiac (13-9-2, 6-4-2 ECAC Hockey) at 7 p.m. in the first match-up between the two conference rivals this
season.
