NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Preseason tune-ups were tossed in favor of fully fledged rotations as travel partners Yale and Brown opened the ECAC Hockey slate with a 4-1 Bears victory.
The party in New Haven, Conn. was halted on Friday as the preseason’s last place Bears blocked the Bulldogs’ victory on the back– or glove — of goaltender Gavin Nieto. He was peppered with 45 shots on goal, surrendering his lone goal in the first minute of the second period.
“Nieto was very, very good in terms of making saves when we needed him,” Brown coach Brendan Whittet said. “He was smart. He tied up pucks when we needed a break and needed to calm down a bit. He played very well.”
After an up and down first year, Nieto has jumped at the chance to hold down the role for this Bears club that returns most of its 2016-17 team. Nieto worked on having a more active glove and keeping his blocker high and it showed on Friday with a calm, confident performance.
His game has had a marked uptick in strength of execution, including a more active glove and blocker up high.
“I take it one shot at a time,” Nieto said. “If I make the saves I’m supposed to make and one or two I’m not supposed to, I think we have a chance to win a lot of games.”
“One of the things I tried to change from last year was to keep my hands looser and track pucks better to react to them better,” he added. “If I was able to see the shot, I know I’d be able to make the save. Last year I was getting beat high glove, high blocker a lot. I would tense up and wasn’t allowing myself to be loose or get pucks.”
Yale’s power play, 21st in Division 1 last season, struggled, going 0 for 6.
“Our power play was not effective,” Bulldogs coach Keith Allain said. “I just thought we were deliberate with everything we did on the power play. You want to create puck movement and we moved it and stopped it, which made it pretty easy to defend.”
Like its Ivy League opponents, Yale has only had exhibitions and no nonconference games, forcing a greater amount of adjustments in games that carry weight in the standings. Despite the opening loss, Allain knows there is still development ahead for his club.
“Every game is important, I put a lot of stock into it,” he said. “I also think we’re growing as a hockey team. I believe we’re going to be a good hockey team before it’s all said and done.”
“In college hockey there are a lot of similar teams and ultimately it boils down to specialty teams and goaltending,” Brown’s Whittet said. “This game is behind us; we’re trying to solely focus on what’s coming.”
For both, March and the yawning sheet of ice in Lake Placid are still so close, and yet so far away.
ECAC Roundup
Union 4, RPI 3
RPI mounted a furious rally behind three third-period goals but could not overtake host Union.
Union scored both a power play goal from Sebastian Vidmar and a shorthanded by Brett Supinski en route to the rivalry win.
Colgate 3, Arizona State 0
Colgate goalie Colton Point made 20 saves for the home shutout while teammate Evan Peterson recorded a goal and assist against the independent Sun Devils.
Cornell 5, Alabama-Huntsville 1
The Big Red roared in its opener at Lynah, scoring five against the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Chargers. Cornell’s power play went 2-for-4 with Jeff Malott scoring twice in the third period to make it 5-0 before Brennan Saulnier scored for UAH. Cornell goalie Matthew Galajda made 28 saves.
Holy Cross 5, Dartmouth 3
Scott Pooley’s hat trick gave Atlantic Hockey’s Holy Cross the win at ECAC Dartmouth Friday. Two of Pooley’s came on the power play, with Johnny Coughlin and Kevan Kilistoff scoring on the man-advantage as well.
No. 7 Minnesota 3, No. 9 Clarkson 1
The Gophers were paced by two assists by Casey Mittelstadt as three different Minnesota players staked the hosts to a 3-0 lead. The Golden Knights outshot the Golden Gophers in two of the three periods, but was unable to score before late in the third period with the win well in hand for the Big Ten school.
No. 5 Wisconsin 4, St. Lawrence 2
Wisconsin opened the scoring less than a minute into the game and didn’t look back, scoring another two on the power play for the win. Callum Cusinato scored two for the Saints against the Big Ten’s Badgers.
