Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Cornell Goalie Scores in Debut
Gillam becomes 8th NCAA goalie credited with a goal, just the third to score on his own shot.
Freshman Mitch Gillam (Peterborough, Ont./Chilliwack-BCHL) was already enjoying a memorable NCAA debut, poised to record a home win against Niagara, when he gloved the puck to the left of his goal in the final minute of the third. With the Purple Eagles’ goaltender pulled for an extra attacker, Gillam saw an opening and fired the puck the length of the ice for a goal.
With the goal, Gillam became:
- The 8th NCAA goaltender to be credited with a goal and first since 2008 (see full list, below)
- The 3rd NCAA goaltender to score on his own shot, joining Western Michigan’s Mike Mantua (2002) and Michigan State’s Chad Alban (1998)
- The first Cornell goaltender to score a goal
- The first NCAA goaltender to score in his debut and just the second freshman to do so (Vermont’s Andy Allen, 1998).
Gillam’s start ended a string of 80 consecutive starts for Big Red senior Andy Iles, the fifth-longest such streak in NCAA history. His goal became the No. 3 highlight in SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays.
Gillam and the Big Red move on to Madison Square Garden for their next game, Saturday against Boston University.