Morley Scores Knights' Game Winner
By DANIEL J. CASSAVAUGH
CANTON - Two games, two overtimes, and two different winners as Clarkson handed St. Lawrence a 4-3 overtime loss Saturday, forcing a decisive Game 3 in the men's ECAC Hockey Tournament opening round.
"You can't ask for more as a player," St. Lawrence defenseman Derek Keller said of the impending final game. "This is where players are made."
In front of 1,891 people on Saturday, it was Ogdensburg native Jake Morley who provided the heroics for Clarkson in overtime.
Morley was already breaking down ice when Clarkson's Brandon DeFazio tried to clear the puck with St. Lawrence in the offensive zone.
Morley gloved the puck and found himself one-on-one with SLU goalie Alex Petizian.
"I was thinking shot first because (Petizian) drops his pads behind him all the time," Morley said. "I faked the shot and he tucked the pads behind his legs. I went to my backhand and chipped it over."
It capped a game in which Clarkson refused to go away, even after St. Lawrence twice took the lead.
"The way we played last night and the way we came out tonight was a completely different effort," Clarkson coach George Roll said. "We didn't win every battle, but we were in all the battles."
The Golden Knights could have easily surrendered in the third period. First, the Saints gained a 4-on-3 advantage just 22 seconds into the final 20-minute session.
The Saints were on top 2-1 and their power play had already scored one goal — Aaron Bogosian at 3 minutes, 25 seconds of the first — when Mike McKenzie passed the puck just in front of the crease to the waiting Keller.
"I didn't get all of it," Keller said of the shot. "If I get good wood on that, the goalie doesn't have a chance."
Instead, somehow, Clarkson goalie Paul Karpowich made a stick-handle save to keep the Golden Knights within a goal.
"Keller made a great play and I don't know how Karpowich stopped it," Marsh said. "That's playoff hockey."
Said McKenzie: "We had a chance to put them away and couldn't capitalize. We just didn't bury it when we had the chance."
Then Clarkson knotted the score at 2-2 when Matt Beca, who has 14 points in 12 career games against St. Lawrence, broke his series silence.
The senior rifled a loose puck in front to Petizian's stick side, scoring at 8:21 of the third.
"It was a pretty big goal," Beca said. "It gave us a little bit of momentum."
Whatever momentum Clarkson gained, St. Lawrence stole back when McKenzie scored a seemingly devastating goal at 12:47 to give SLU a 3-2 advantage.
"I think some of the guys thought Clarkson was going to roll over and let us have the win," Keller said. "That's not the case. They're going to fight to the end."
Nick Tremblay forced overtime for the Golden Knights with just 3:32 to play in regulation, nearly four minutes after McKenzie's go-ahead goal.
"You see how difficult it is to send a team home," SLU coach Joe Marsh said. "These teams are absolutely dead even in so many ways."
After five deadlocked games this year, one team's hopes of extending its season rests on a final matchup at 7 tonight.
"I think now we have all the momentum," Morley said. "We outskated them the entire game. We played a hard 60 (minutes) tonight."
St. Lawrence now has to recover from its own crushing loss the way Clarkson did in order to win and play next weekend.
"We just have to match their desperation tomorrow," Keller said. "We win or we go home Hopefully that's enough motivation to get the guys going."
NOTES: Petizian finished with 22 saves, falling to 5-5-3 overall this season. Karpowich stopped 13 shots in the third period, three in overtime and finished with 31 saves for Clarkson. So far this series, the sophomore has 78 saves. He is now 7-18-4. ... SLU's Jake Drewiske has five career goals. All of them have come this season and three were against Clarkson. He had St. Lawrence's second goal. ... Travis Vermeulen added to team-leading point total, picking up one assist. He has 39 points this season... Should Clarkson win, it will play at Yale in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals. St. Lawrence would play at Colgate if it wins.
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CLARKSON 3 - SLU 2
First: Borowiecki (C) from Tamblyn, Becca) 5:19. Second Period: Bogosian (SLU) from Flanagan, Caister) 3:25, Drewiske (SLU) from Klancher, Armstrong) 4:50. Third Period: Becca (C) from Tremblay 8:21, McKenzie (S) from Vermeulen 12:47 12:47, Tremblay (C) from Borowiecki, Tamblyn 16:28. OT - Morley (C) from DeFazio, Himelson 6:48.
Saves: Karpowich (C) 31, Petitzian (SLU 24.
