Senior center Sean Collins scored just 36 seconds into overtime to lift Cornell to a 4-3 ECAC Hockey victory over St. Lawrence at Appleton Arena Saturday night, keeping the Big Red in the thick of the battle for the ECAC regular season title and snapping the Saints' five game win streak.

Cornell, 14-6-7 overall and 11-3-6 in the league trails Union by two points in the league standings and the two teams meet next Friday on the next to last night of league play. St. Lawrence, 13-16-3, 9-10-1, remains in the hunt for a first round bye with help and is firmly in the mix for home ice in the first round of the playoffs with games at Harvard and Dartmouth to go.

"That was a battle from start to finish, but that's what you get when you play Cornell," said Saint associate head coach Mike Hurlbut. "It is the kind of hockey we are going to see in the playoffs and we were pleased with the way the guys worked their way back into it after falling behind.

"We have a chance to make some positive things happen on the road next weekend and we just have to keep playing and working the way we have been for the last six games."

Collins picked up a pass from linemate John McCarron on Cornell's first rush into the Saint end in overtime and tucked the puck past Saint goalie Matt Weninger from point blank range for the game winner, his 12th goal of the year.

St. Lawrence had battled back from a 2-0 deficit after the first period to tie the game on sophomore defenseman Justin Baker's unassisted goal at 4:51 of the third period. Baker broke up a Cornell clearing try with a steal and put a backhand into the upper corner over the shoulder of Cornell goalie Andy Iles to for the only goal of a third period dominated by the Big Red, who outshot the Saints 12-3.

Cornell opened the scoring 14:04 into the first when Greg Miller came down the slot and sent a shot along the ice which nicked the skate of Weninger and slid inside the far post. It was Miller's 13th of the season. Sophomore wing Dustin Mowry scored his fourth of the season just 2:02 later after a Saint turnover in their own end. Mowry's shot from right in front banked in off the right post.

The Saints came back to tie it in the second as freshman Chris Martin scored his 10th of the year, going hard to the net and putting the puck through the pads of Iles at 5:11. SLU had a goal waived off after review when it was ruled that a power play rebound was batted into the net by hand, but got the tying goal at 11:07 when senior captain Jacob Drewiske deflected a shot from the point by sophomore defenseman Riley Austin into the net for his eighth of the year.

Locke Jilson put Cornell back in front at 17:52 of the third when he scored through a screen with a shot to the upper corner for his sixth of the season.

Weninger finished with 26 saves for the Saints while Iles had 24 for Cornell.