By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor
Friday the 13th came early for the No. 5 Quinnipiac Bobcats. With a 12-game unbeaten streak on the line and an overtime clock ticking, Jordan Samuels-Thomas (Windsor, Conn.) rocketed his second game winning goal of the season. Not only did the 3-2 victory over No. 8 Dartmouth extend the streak but it kept the Bobcats perfect in ECAC Hockey play, 9-0.
“We’re a pretty resilient team, and someone steps up every night. It just happened to be my night tonight,” Samuels-Thomas said in a post-game interview on NESN. “It’s a blessing to get that goal, but it’s kind of our team. We find ways to win ever night.”
Before the thrill of overtime, the Bobcats led 2-0, a lead that carried them into the third period.
Freshman Travis St. Denis (Trail, British Columbia) put the Bobcats up 1-0 with his fourth goal of the year in the first period. Kellen Jones (Montrose, British Columbia) and Loren Barron (Glendora, Calif.) skated away with the assists. Then, after a silent but tense middle frame, Bryce Van Brabant (Morinville, Alberta) opened up the two-goal lead with help from Cory Hibbeler (St. Charles, Mo.) and Zach Davies (Smithers, British Columbia) in the third.
The Big Green silence lasted only another 44-seconds.
Dartmouth’s Matt Linbad flipped the momentum in favor of the Big Green with a shot that made it by senior goalkeeper Eric Hartzell (White Bear Lake, Minn.). Tyler Sikura and Ryan Bullock earned the assists. With the Dartmouth offense pressuring, it broke through the Quinnipiac defense again to tie the game, this time off the stick of Tim O’Brien.
Despite surrendering the two-goal lead, the Quinnipiac defense came through in the end, as Hartzell turned away 17 shots in the third and overtime periods.
With the win, Quinnipiac pushed itself further ahead in the ECAC Hockey standings, leading the pack with 18 points. Dartmouth, Union and Princeton follow with nine apiece.
The second game of the ECAC Hockey weekend takes place Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Harvard Crimson. The puck drops at 8 p.m. and will air live on NESN as well as at theqbsn.com.
