SLU Weekend (Part I)

After a six hour trip from Boston for me, and a three hour trip from Rochester for Gobe, we converged on Cheel Arena for the first of a home and home series against the hated Saints of St. Lawrence and were rewarded with a 3-2 victory in front of the 3rd largest crowd in Cheel Arena History*

Clarkson went down early when Mike Zbringer scored on the Power Play to make the score 1-0. Mike Grenzy evened it up later in the first when he stole the puck and rifled in a slap shot to make it 1-1. Clarkson opened the second with a timely first career goal from Jon Marshall who banged in a rebound created by a rocket from Chris Brekelmans to make it 2-1. In the third, T.J. Trevelyan tallied another PPG to even the game at 2-all. Shea Guthrie then scored the eventual game winner in the 3rd, leading to perhaps the scariest ten minutes ever for Clarkson fans. St. Lawrence applied constant pressure, jamming the net and creating chances in front of Clarkson netminder David Leggio, who made several stellar saves to preserve the victory.

From a fans perspective this was one of the most enjoyable and nerve-wracking games to watch that we can remember. The final ten minutes of the game were almost exclusively played in the Clarkson end of the zone, leading to one of the more exciting finishes in recent memory. David Leggio stood on his head for the home crowd, and he was rewarded with a well-deserved #1 star.

The student section was packed and loud. The sea of gold looked good and the chants started were clear and humourous. A fan who was arriving late and listening on the radio said the price is wrong cheer was crystal clear over the radio. Finally for the first time in a while, we can remember Cheel starting to feel like a very intimidating place to play. The home ice advantage is a very real part of college hockey. The classic example of this is Cornell's Lynah Rink. Cornell has the record to prove that to be true. Clarkson's record at home (9-2-1) is becoming an a testament to the effort and enthusiasm the students are providing. As the team continues to improve look for the record at home to improve, and for Clarkson to be a team that is truly feared at home.

Brett Gobe's Unsung Hero: Adam Bellows had a very solid game on the blue line and on the penalty kill. He was crucial in the second making several nice hits and one outstanding steal behind the net. Adam ended up with a +2 for the night and his hard work was noted.

Ron Ayers' Unsung Hero: Jon Marshall, a Freshman walk-on from my hometown of Victor, NY scored his first collegiate goal in possibly the biggest game of his career. He made himself noticable early on throwing some big checks and getting the crowd into it in the first, and then sent the Cheel crowd into a frenzy in the second.

Interesting Fact: This is Clarkson's first win of the season when scoring less than four goals.