Freshman forward Jonathan Castagna scored two goals to lead the No. 14-ranked Cornell men’s hockey team to its ECAC Hockey-leading 13th Whitelaw Cup with a 3-1 victory over St. Lawrence before 4,912 at Herb Brooks Arena on Saturday evening.
Cornell’s victory was its first time claiming the Whitelaw Cup since 2010, when it shut out Union, 3-0, on March 20 at the then-called Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
Junior defenseman Hank Kempf and sophomore forward Dalton Bancroft, who each chipped in two assists, joined Castagna in having multi-point nights. Junior forward Jack O’Leary tacked an empty-net goal to solidify the Big Red, clinching ECAC Hockey’s automatic qualifying bid for the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Championship, which begins next weekend.
Ian Shane made 31 saves in the victory as the junior goaltender secured his 48th collegiate win. Shane is now tied with Dave Elenbaas (1970-73) and Corrie D’Alessio (1987-91) for the seventh-most wins by a Big Red netminder.
Cameron Buhl recorded the lone goal for St. Lawrence (14-19-6), which had a 26-save performance from Ben Kraws between the pipes.
Castagna potted the first of his two goals when he lofted a puck after a Saints defender blocked Bancroft’s shot attempt early in the first period.
The latter Castagna goal doubled Cornell’s lead in the second, as the first-year forward cleaned up a loose rebound of Kempf’s shot from the point.
Kraws made a stellar save in the middle of the third period, robbing Bancroft of a goal on a one-timer near the left post, keeping the Big Red’s lead to 2-0.
Just 38 seconds later, St. Lawrence used the momentum from Kraws’ save to score its lone tally when Buhl wristed a shot from the right faceoff circle, beating Shane to his high-glove side.
O’Leary had a chance to give Cornell a two-goal lead, but his backhand shot attempt toward an empty net hit the left post, leading to St. Lawrence generating a couple of chances to tie the game. With 28…
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