John Knisley
Junior forward John Knisley secured his first goal of the season in a two-score effort to lead the men’s hockey team past Penn State 3-1 in the Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden Saturday.
Penn State put early pressure on the Big Red with numerous opportunities and an eventual goal from Nittany Lion sophomore David Goodwin with 10 minutes and 49 seconds left in the first period. However, Knisley knotted the game up midway through the second on a tip-in, which shifted the momentum to the Cornell side.
After a scrum in the corner, senior John McCarron gained possession in the offensive zone and then fed a pass to sophomore Holden Anderson, who was parked on the left, just inside the blue line. Anderson ripped a shot toward the goal, which Knisley redirected out of midair in the slot, providing no possibility for Penn State goaltender Matthew Skoff to react in time.
Following Lowry’s game-winning goal, Knisley put home the empty-netter late in the third period to guarantee a Cornell win.
With the victory, the Big Red has now won four of its last five games, improving to 4-4-1 after a rocky start to the season. Cornell will host No. 10 Denver for two games at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Lynah Rink to conclude the fall semester.
Nicholle Aston
Despite falling to Bucknell on Saturday, sophomore Nicholle Aston posted her first career double-double to lead the women’s basketball team over previously undefeated Marshall 58-49 on Wednesday.
Aston finished with a career-high 16 points and 10 rebounds, while seeing just 28 minutes of action as a result of early foul trouble.
She also broke a Cornell record for field goal percentage in a single game by shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor. The previous record holders were Allie Fedorowicz and Allie Munson, both recording field goal percentages of .889 in 2009 against Tennessee State and Columbia, respectively.
Aston played a big part in the Big Red’s dominance on the backboards, as the squad achieved a decisive 22-15 advantage on the glass. Cornell held the Thundering Herd to only one offensive rebound.
The Big Red will finish the fall semester by welcoming Buffalo at 7 p.m. on Thursday and then hosting Bryant at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Wrestling
The Big Red demonstrated great depth over the weekend in powering through the competition in the Journeyman/ASICS Northeast Duals, going a perfect 3-0.
Cornell beat Division II powerhouse Kutztown 43-4, No. 23 North Carolina State 20-13, and West Virginia 26-9 to remain undefeated at 4-0 on the season.
Standouts junior Nahshon Garrett (125) and sophomore Gabe Dean (184) anchored the Big Red, along with senior Chris Villalonga, each going an undefeated 3-0 to produce a combined six bonus point wins, half of which were earned by Garrett.
Cornell came out to a hot start, walking away victorious from the team’s first nine bouts of the duals to jump out to a quick 43-0 lead.
The Big Red will return to action for the Las Vegas Invitational, which is set to kick off on Friday.
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