The third annual Friendship Four tournament wrapped up Saturday in Belfast, Northern Ireland with No. 3 Clarkson beating No. 9 Providence 4-2 in the championship game.
Following Erik Foley’s tally at 10:16 of the first period for the Friars, the Golden Knights scored the next four goals, all from different skaters, to claim the Belpot trophy at SSE Arena.
Clarkson (12-3-1, 6-0-0 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association) goaltender Jake Kielly compiled 20 saves in the victory to earn his 12th win of the year — the most in the nation.
The Golden Knights’ championship marks the first time an ECAC school won the post-Thanksgiving tournament as UMass Lowell (2015) and Vermont (2016) won each of the first two.
Devin Brosseau scored on a 5-on-3 power play early in the second period to tie the game 1-1. Kevin Charyszyn then fired a slap shot past Providence (8-5-1, 5-3-1 Hockey East Association) goalie Hayden Hawkey at 12:13, putting Clarkson up 2-1.
In the third period, the Golden Knights lit the lamp twice on markers from Nico Sturm and Grant Cooper, to make it 4-1 just three minutes into the final frame.
Brandon Duhaime scored his third of the season after Foley’s initial shot was stopped to double the Friars’ output at 13:18.
The loss snapped Providence’s 3-0-1 unbeaten streak and extended Clarkson’s win streak to eight straight.
Black Bears win Friendship Four consolation game
Maine forward Mitchell Fossier’s game-winning goal 35 seconds into the third period in Saturday afternoon’s consolation matchup with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute secured the Black Bears third place with their 4-2 win against the Engineers.
Brendan Robbins, Nolan Vesey and Tim Doherty also registered goals for Maine (5-7-0, 3-4-0 Hockey East) in the victory over RPI (2-9-3, 1-4-1 ECAC).
The Black Bears outshot the Engineers 27-20, and Jeremy Swayman put up 18 saves for the victors.
Boston University downed by Cornell at MSG
For the first time in six years, No. 5 Cornell came away victorious in the Red Hot Hockey showdown at Madison Square Garden, beating Boston University 4-3.
Tristan Mullin’s first goal of his career was the difference as the Big Red weathered a late Terrier comeback to take home the Kelley-Harkness Cup, named after legendary coaches Jack Kelley (BU) and Ned Harkness (Cornell).
BU (6-8-1, 4-4-1 HEA) defenseman Dante Fabbro notched three points (one goal, two assists), the highest amount among any skater for both teams, in the defeat while Cornell (9-1-0, 5-1-0 ECAC) saw strong games from Morgan Barron and Alex Green (two assists each), as well as from goal scorers Beau Starrett, Trevor Yates, Alec McCrea and Mullin.
Starrett was dominant in the faceoff circle in particular, winning 12-of-15 draws over the course of the contest.
Big Red goalie Matthew Galajda was active in the win, making 35 saves in the historic victory for Cornell.
The Terriers are now set to battle longtime rival, No. 15 Boston College, in a home-and-home series beginning Friday Dec. 1.
Ryan Ames can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @_RyanAmes.
