By Marc Schwartz, QBSN Co-Director
Atlantic City, N.J. – In their first ECAC tournament semifinals appearance since 2007, the top-seeded Quinnipiac Bobcats fell to the seventh-seeded Brown Bears, 4-0, Friday afternoon.
The Bobcats (26-6-6) were never able to get themselves established against a Bears squad that was out to prove they could play with the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, according to the latest USCHO.com poll.
“We just knew we could play with them, and that we could beat them,” said Anthony Borelli, the senior goaltender for Brown, who made 29 saves en route to the first shutout of Quinnipiac since the Bobcats’ 4-0 loss to Robert Morris on Oct. 14. The Bears are the only team in the ECAC to have not lost to Quinnipiac this season.
“We stunk in every facet of the game; it was our worst game of the year,” Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold said. “We’re disappointed. It’s almost inexplicable how bad we played today.”
Brown started the scoring 9:05 into the first period when Matt Lorito received a pass from Mark Naclerio to the left of Quinnipiac goaltender Eric Hartzell, and fired the shot past the Hobey Baker finalist.
Brown tacked on its second goal seven minutes later on beautiful individual effort from Garnet Hathaway. Roughly 20 seconds after Quinnipiac killed off a Brown power play, Hathaway skated into the Bobcats defensive zone, evaded defenseman Zach Tolkinen and beat Hartzell glove-side to give the Brunos a two goal lead.
Quinnipiac stormed out of the gate for the beginning of the second period, with four shots-on-goal in the first three minutes. That was the last sign of life from the Bobcats, as Brown controlled the final 37 minutes to complete the upset.
Brown added two more goals in the second period, which put the game out of reach. Both teams skated to a scoreless third period.
“That was as complete of a game that we have played all year,” said Brown head coach Brendan Whittet.
With the loss, Quinnipiac is still in position to not only make the NCAA Tournament, but to do so as the number one overall seed.
For Brown, the win places it in the ECAC Championship game for the first time in 20 years. The last time a team seeded as low as Brown (seven) won the ECAC Championship was back in 1998 when the Princeton Tigers took home the Whitelaw Cup.
Quinnipiac is back in action Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the ECAC Championship consolation game. It will take on the loser of the Union – Yale game.
