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RFH 2010, Cover Stories, Colgate Hockey

Smith's Hat Trick Leads Colgate Past Bobcats

Sat, Nov 19, 2011

Austin Smith celebrates the second of his three goals in Colgate's 3-1 win over Quinnipiac Friday night at Starr Rink. (Photo by Bob Cornell)

Smith's Hat Trick Leads Colgate Past Bobcats

 Austin Smith tallied his second career hat trick to lead the 17th-ranked Colgate men's hockey team to a 3-1 win over Quinnipiac Friday night at Starr Rink.

The Raiders will be back at Starr Rink for Don Vaughan Night at 4 p.m. against Princeton this afternoon. The first 450 fans that enter the rink will get a free Don Vaughan bobblehead and anyone that has a mustache, real or fake, will get one free general admission ticket.

Colgate (7-4-1, 3-2-0 ECAC) got the three goals from Smith and Chris Wagner assisted all three goals to tie a career-high with three helpers. Jeremy Price, Spiro Goulakos and Thomas Larkin also added assists in the win, while Alex Evin looked impressive in net with 31 stops to move to 2-1-1 on the season.

Quinnipiac (7-4-3, 1-3-2 ECAC) saw Connor Jones put home its lone goal of the game and the Bobcats have now scored just four goals in their last four games. Goaltender Eric Hartznell pushed aside 23 shots, including 10 in the final frame, but took the loss.

After an entertaining end-to-end game the first 15 minutes, Quinnipiac got on the board with Jones lighting the lamp with 4:10 remaining in the first.

Colgate answered after killing off the first power play of the game. Smith scored his 11th goal of the season off a faceoff in the offensive zone. Wagner won the draw back to Price, who then passed it on to Smith. The leading scorer for the Raiders then beat the Bobcat netminder to knot the game at 1-1 after the first period of play.

Colgate got the lone goal of the second period with Smith tallying his second of the night with a nice wrap around move that got the puck inside the far post. The play started as Goulakos and Wagner helped clear the defensive zone. Wagner then found Smith in front of the Colgate bench and he did the rest. Smith shielded off a defender and went around the net. Hartznell was caught up with bodies in the crease and couldn't get to the far post and Smith tucked it in for the 2-1 lead. Colgate carried that lead into the final period.

The Raiders were able to kill of two power plays in the final period and Smith put the nail in the coffin with his third of the night coming as an empty netter with 28 seconds remaining in the game.

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