Clarkson Rallies To Overtake Saints 4-3
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Wally JohnsonMatt Weninger stops Clarkson's Jake Morley in close in Saturday's game.
Goaltender Matt Weninger was brilliant with a 46-save night and the Saints managed to score three goals on Clarkson goalie Paul Karpowich for the third time this season, but Clarkson rallied from a 3-2 deficit with a pair of third period goals to hand the Saints a 4-3 loss at Cheel Arena on Saturday night.
Clarkson, 11-10-5 overall and 5-4-3 in league play, outshot the Saints 50-13 in the win as SLU managed just two shots on goal in the first period and three in the third. Clarkson had 71 total shot attempts to 33 for the Saints, now 8-13-3 overall and 4-7-1 in league play.
The first period was a shooting gallery for Clarkson, but thanks to goaltending heroics by Weninger and a late power play goal by Greg Carey, the Saints came out of it tied 1-1.
The Golden Knights jumped on the Saints early and had a 22-2 first period advantage in shots on goal, but thanks to save after save by Weninger, the Saints held Clarkson to a single goal. Louke Oakleywas credited with the goal in a melee in the crease area with Weninger down after Oakley walked in and got a point blank shot away which Weninger stopped to begin the scoring play. The goal came at 9:28 of the first and the Saints didn't get their second shot of the first 20 minutes until 1:38 remained.
That second shot ended up in the net as Chris Martin passed the puck back out to Carey at the right point and Carey took two strides and snapped a wrist shot past Karpowich at 18:22 on the power play with Kyle Flanagan picking up the second assist.
The Saints got the shot count to a more reasonable 14-8 in the second period and came out of the period with a 3-2 lead. Jake Drewiske put SLU in front just 1:51 into the second period on a Saint power play as his shot from the right circle hit a Clarkson defender at the opposite post and deflected past Karpowich with Kyle Essery and Pete Hughes picking up assists on the goal. Clarkson came back to tie it again at 5:38 as defenseman James Howden took a hard shot from the top of the right circle at the other end of the ice and it slid past a screened Weninger.
SLU retook the lead with 3:48 to go in the second as Chris Martin scored his eighth of the year unassisted. Martin, who beat Karpowich with a wraparound goal in the first meeting of the season, did it again as he circled behind from the left to the right and roofed a shot under the crossbar on Karpowich's stick side to give the Saints the lead.
The third period turned dismal for the Saints as two giveaways turned into goals for the Golden Knights and SLU lost a third period lead for the fifth time in its last ten outings.
Nick Tremblay scored his 11th of the year on a power play as the Saints gave the puck away just outside their defensive blue line and Tremblay went in on a two-man break with Ben Sexton. Sexton made the goal mouth pass and Tremblay tucked the puck inside the post to make it 3-3 at 6:12.
Weninger kept it tied with a couple of big saves as Clarkson outshot the Saints 14-3 in the third and the Knights scored the eventual game winner at 10:50 as Sexton worked the puck in deep, walked out to the side of the net and fed freshman Patrick Marsh, who scored his second career goal with Tremblay also assisting.
The Saints pulled Weninger in the final minute, but could not get a quality chance at the tying goal.
The Saints will be out to snap a five-game league winless streak when they play at Rensselaer and Union next weekend.