Princeton University Athletics
Clarkson Wins Playoff Series in Overtime of Game 2
BOX SCORE
POTSDAM, N.Y. (3/5/16) - For the second straight game Princeton and Clarkson played an overtime playoff game in men's hockey. And for the second straight game it was James de Haas playing spoiler. After scoring the overtime winner on Friday night, de Haas did it again tonight with the walk off goal at 17:23 in overtime.
deHaas skated across the blue line and fired through traffic after getting the puck off the half boards in front of the Clarkson bench from teammate Jeff DiNallo. DiNallo was pressured and dropped the pass for deHaas who broke free and lofted a shot on target.
It marked the second time in program history that Princeton played two overtime games in the same playoff series. The first time was in 2007, when Princeton and Brown split the first two overtime games with the Tigers winning the series with Game 3.
Clarkson had jump from the opening puck drop and scored twice in the first period. But then the Tigers took over with a ferocious second period. Freshman Max Véronneau made it a one-goal game before sophomore Ben Foster evened it in the third.
Aaron Throw scored off an offensize zone face off, taken by Ben Dalpe. Perry D'Arrisso came in frtom the wing to send the put to Thow at the top of the blue line and and Pat Megannetty set a screen on netminder Colton Phinney as the puck made its way to the back of the net.
Simon Bessette made it 2-0 at 9:41 when he fired from the low slot on a feed from the right corner by Jeff DiNallo.
Greg Lewis closed out the final seconds of the first with back-to-back stops to keep the clean sheet, though his best save came on a shot by Véronneau after a great feed from Ryan Kuffener after a Spencer Kryczka poke check.
Tigers began to really test Lewis in the second and Kuffner nearly banked the puck in off the post from behind the goal where it went under Lewis and he sat on it. Lewis was caught off guard again midway through the second when he misplayed the puck and the Tigers had an open net before a Clarkson defender swept the puck out of danger.
Véronneau broke through at 10:45 with linemates Kuffner and freshman Alex Riche assisting. Kuffner had a great break-out pass to Riche on the right wing and he had a two-on-one with Véronneau and the rookie dazzled past his defender and scored.
It took less than two minutes into the third for the Tigers to tie it. Foster split his D and launched a shot from the blue line that went five hole on Lewis. Senior Mike Ambrosia got the puck in a trap on the right boards after sophomore Joe Grabowski outletted.
Phinney made 44 saves inthe game and brought his A game in the third period. He made a big time save on Powers after a turnover in the Princeton zone just five minutes in. Another big stop came on Dalpe with 1:09 to play as he kept things even at 2-2.
Both teams exchanged spurts of energy in the the overtime session. Princeton's best chance was an wrister by Garrett Skrbich that was brought down by an outstretched glove of Lewis which came a minute after a scrum on the doorstep.
Lewis finished the game with 31 saves as Clarkson advances to the quarterfinals to face St. Lawrence.