Brown Preview
This could be one of the biggest games of the season for Clarkson (5-15-3 overall, 1-8-2 ECAC Hockey) if it wants to get its season turned around.
The Golden Knights begin the second half of the conference season at 7 tonight against Brown (5-12-1, 3-7-1) at Cheel Arena and with an 0-6 home record in conference games cannot afford a loss to a Bears team it should have an edge at home against, statistically.
Friday's Games
Yale 3, Clarkson 2:Sixth-ranked Yale proved too strong for the Golden Knights, despite a spectacular goaltending effort from Paul Karpowich, who made 41 saves and had a .932 save percentage. One bright spot for the Golden Knights was the play of sophomore forward Jake Morley and freshman forward Adam Pawlick, who each had one goal and one assist.
St. Lawrence 5, Brown 2:The Bears were even after one period and trailed by just one after two, but SLU eventually wore them down and produced a convincing victory. Goalie Dan Rosen struggled, giving up five goals on 33 shots before he was yanked 8 minutes, 33 seconds into the third period. Harry Zolnierczyk led the Bears with one goal and one assist and defenseman Sean McMonagle also scored.
Stat of the Night:If there was ever a game where scoring the first goal was important, it's tonight. Clarkson has not scored the first goal in seven straight games and the Golden Knights are 2-11-3 when the opponent scores first. Brown is even worse in that department, with an 0-11 record if it does not score the first goal.
Who to Watch
Clarkson:Senior Matt Beca has two goals and six assists in six career games against Brown. Junior Scott Freeman has one goal and three assists in four games and classmate Lauri Tuohimaa has one goal and two assists. Sophomore Nick Tremblay scored one goal with one assist in his rookie season against the Bears. Sophomore Paul Karpowich has outstanding numbers against the Bears, with a 2-0 record, 1.98 goals-against average and .927 save percentage.
Brown:Aaron Volpatti has two goals and one assist in five career games against Clarkson. Two other Bears have scored goals against Clarkson: Jeff Buvinow and Devin Timberlake. Goalie Dan Rosen has struggled against the Golden Knights with an 0-5 record, a 3.42 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. Mike Clemente is 0-1 with a 3.85 goals-against average and .900 save percentage.
Special Teams Watch
Clarkson:Brandon DeFazio and Adam Pawlick each have four power-play goals. Matt Beca has three goals and one shorthanded goal and Corey Tamblyn and Jake Morley each have two goals.
Brown:Harry Zolnierczyk, Jordan Pietrus and Devin Timberlake each have two power-play goals. Zolnierczyk and Pietrus each have one shorthanded goal, as well. Aaron Volpati has two shorthanded goals this season.
Last Meeting:Matt Beca scored 2:31 into overtime to give the Golden Knights a 4-3 win at the Meehan Auditorium last Jan. 17. Clarkson trailed the Bears 3-1 after two periods and rallied in the third period with goals from Bryan Rufenach and Beca, who scored with only 14 seconds left to tie the game.
Stats and Notes:Clarkson has won seven straight games against the Bears. ... Brown is 3-17-3 lifetime at Cheel Arena and is 1-8-1 in road games this season, including a 1-4-1 conference record away from the Meehan Auditorium. ... Beca has been a key player for Clarkson this season, with 21.4 percent of the team's total goals and when his assists are added in he's played a role in 39 percent of the team's goals. ... Brown's Zolnierczyk has had two of his career multi-point goals in the last two games against Yale and SLU.
