Cornell makes early statement with victory over Harvard
Can the Big Red keep it up Friday at nemesis Yale?
Original Airdate: Tuesday, November 10, 2009. This is a part of the 93-Second Sports Shot series. 93-Second Sports Shots air weekday nights at 6pm.The Cornell Big Red defeated Harvard Saturday Night 6-3 to improve to 2-0-0 in the ECACHL and 3-0-0 overall. The Big Red trailed the Crimson 3-1 midway through the second, but stormed back with five unanswered goals, including four in the third period.
Cornell both proved their mettle and asserted their status as a league favorite with the victory over the rival Crimson. Other projected top-tier teams struggled- Yale needed a late comeback tonight to salvage a tie with Union and garner a point for the weekend, Princeton split, and Harvard took two losses. Meanwhile, the Big Red outscored their opponents 11-4, had a lockdown penalty kill, and looked nearly unstoppable on the power play. All this while goalie Ben Scrivens didn't even have one of his best weekends. It's very early, but thus far Cornell has easily legitimized the lofty preseason predictions bestowed on them by the coaches and media in the league and in the country.
The rest of the country has taken notice as well, as Cornell is ranked a season-high third in the USCHO.com Men's Division I poll. This is also matches the Red's high point from a season ago. That occurred in January, when the Red led the ECAC and had the highest RPI in the country. From that point onward, however, Cornell dropped in the standings and the rankings as injuries and inconsistent play caught up with team in a hurry. Such a slide seems unlikely this year, as the Red are deeper, stronger, and possess last year's experience as a lesson.
Nevertheless, Cornell will have a chance to really prove themselves this coming Friday as they hit the road for the first time this season to visit Yale. The Bulldogs defeated Cornell three times last year, including the ECACHL Championship Game. Yale was picked to repeat as league champions by the coaches, but struggled last weekend against Union and RPI. An impressive showing in New Haven would be huge, and after watching the Red this weekend, it seems very possible.