Potsdam, NY – Sophomore goaltender Dustin Traylen (Kirkland, QUE) stopped 36 of 37 shots and Clarkson University received goals from three different players as the Golden Knights defeated arch-rival St. Lawrence University 3-1 before 3,817, the seventh-largest crowd ever at Cheel Arena, in the 163rd game between college hockey’s greatest rivals. Clarkson, which closed out a nine-game home stand, improved its record to 5-3-3 overall and to 2-2-1 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). St. Lawrence, which dropped its second straight game, falls to 3-8-3 overall and to 2-3 in the league.
After a scoreless first period, Clarkson gained the advantage at 13:45 of the second frame when freshman Max Kolu (Tuku, Finland) tallied his first collegiate goal. Senior co-captain Tristan Lush (North Andover, MA) set-up the play with a quick pass from behind the net that Kolu one-timed in from the bottom of the left circle to give the Knights the lead. Just 1:05 into the third period, Clarkson made it 2-0 when the ECAC’s leading scorer, junior Max Faulkner (King City, ONT), positioned at the top of the crease, redirected in a shot from the point by senior defenseman Mike Nagai (Mississauga, ONT) for his team-high seventh goal of the season.
St. Lawrence made it 2-1 with John Zeiler’s power-play goal at 4:44. But the Knights withstood the late pressure by the Saints and sealed the victory on senior Jean Desrochers’ (Dalhousie, QUE) empty-net goal with 14 seconds remaining.
St. Lawrence outshot Clarkson 37-32. Mike McKenna posted 29 saves for the Saints. The Knights were 1-of-6 on the power play, while St. Lawrence was 1-of-7 with the man-advantage.
Clarkson takes to the road for the first time since mid-October when they play at Brown and Harvard next weekend.
