Yale's 5-2 victory over Clarkson tonight was physical and hard-fought. It was also an important win, if only because the Bulldogs showed they are still in control of the third period.

Last Sunday, Yale took the lead in the third at Brown only to watch the Bears score two in the final 7 minutes, the winner coming on a breakaway with 46 seconds left, to hand the Bulldogs their second loss of the season. In Yale's only other loss this year, it took a three-goal third-period lead only to see Air Force storm back with four unanswered goals and the win.

So when Clarkson's Julien Cayer tied it at 2-2 early in the third period, there may have been reasonable cause for concern. But Yale, which has now outscored opponents 30-14 in the third period, took the lead for good on Kenny Agostino's impressive individual effort at 8:44.

Agostino, a freshman, controlled a long chip pass from Josh Balch around the Clarkson blue line. He squeezed between two defenders into the slot and, holding off one defender with his left hand, swung his stick one-handed like a polo player to beat goalie Paul Karpowich. Denny Kearney and Chris Cahill added goals in the final minute to seal the deal for Yale.

"We went into the third period with the lead, we relinquished the lead and on some teams that would make you weaker,” Yale coach Keith Allain said. “It appeared to make us stronger. We came right out after they tied it, and we had our best moments of the game after that. It tells you a lot about the character and makeup of this group.”