A battle. That’s what Quinnipiac Head Coach Rand Pecknold described Friday night’s game against St. Lawrence (16-11-2, 12-5-0 ECAC) as. Passion and aggression were in high supply as the puck dropped between the number one and two teams in the ECAC.
Quinnipiac (19-8-2, 14-2-1 ECAC) looked nervous in the first period as St. Lawrence took the early lead. Sean McGovern snuck one in past junior goaltender Michael Garteig off an assist from Ryan Lough.
“It’s been a recurring thing that we haven’t been getting first periods,” senior captain Matthew Peca said.
The Bobcats penetrated the Saints’ zone countless times but couldn’t capitalize. On the other end they struggled to clear the zone as St. Lawrence pelted shots against Garteig.
The game started off very hostile with pushing and shoving, and this trend would continue until the final buzzer. With three minutes left in the first senior Danny Federico was called for hooking and St. Lawrence gained a power play. The Bobcats killed the penalty and went into the locker room looking to shift the momentum.
The second period brought out a reenergized and more confident Quinnipiac squad.
The Bobcats easily killed off an early penalty by junior Travis St. Denis and then got to work at scoring goals of their own.
Junior Soren Jonzzon lit the lamp first for the Bobcats on a bullet from the blue line and freshman Landon Smith added another goal just two minutes later for the Bobcats to take the 2-1 lead. Peca assisted on both goals adding to his team lead in assists.
The Bobcats went into the third period on the power play but McGovern had other plans. On a breakaway he split up the Quinnipiac defense and was taken down hard, resulting in a penalty shot. Garteig stood strong and deflected the puck handily to keep the lead for the Bobcats.
The aggression only increased after this play, as St. Lawrence looked to get a tying goal. Christian Horn had a lot of good looks for the Saints but nothing was finding the back of the net. Standout goalie freshman Kyle Hayton was noticeably agitated for the Saints, resulting in him kicking sophomore Tim Clifton’s dropped stick, to a chorus of boos from the Bobcat fans.
In the last minute the Saints emptied their net and took a few good shots at Gartieg who would hold strong. The Bobcats would come away with the 2-1 victory and a guarantee that they will finish no lower than the fifth spot in the league standings.
While Quinnipiac got off to a slow start it was a great effort by Garteig, capturing his 18th win of the season. Garteig, who struggled earlier in the season, has figured it out according to Pecknold who says the goalie has been trusting his instincts more lately.
The Bobcats will face off next against Clarkson on Feb. 14. A win or tie against the Golden Knights would ensure a first round bye in the ECAC tournament.
