The No. 1 ranked Quinnipiac Bobcats (20-1-6, 11-0-3 ECAC) tied with the No. 17 Cornell University Big Red (11-7-3, 6-6-2 ECAC) Friday night in Hamden. Cornell got the game-tying goal with just under three minutes to play from Mitch Vanderlaan. His seventh goal of the season came as a result of a giant scrum in front of the net that left Quinnipiac senior goaltender Michael Garteig screened and trying to fend off a handful of skaters in the crease.
“It’s a frustrating play,” Garteig said about the tying goal. “I couldn’t really move too much on that play and the a puck squirts out to a guy while there is two guys in my crease so I can’t really get out and challenge the guy and then I just have to pray it hits me.”
This was Quinnipiac’s fourth tie since coming out of the long winter break, but the Bobcats still refuse to give up that extra point to their opponents. The team has relied on their two biggest weapons; their lethal power play and leading scorer junior Sam Anas.
Halfway through the second, after a chance by sophomore Kevin McKernan was spoiled by a Cornell penalty. The Bobcats went to their third ranked power play in the nation in search for the lead. Junior Devon Toews squished up against the board to keep the puck in the zone. Toews then saw Anas, who was all-alone on the other side of the ice and delivered Anas the puck that deposited for his 18th goal of the season.
The Maryland native’s goal was the Bobcat’s second power play goal of the game, improving their number of games in which the team has scored multiple goals with the man advantage to 11.
“The power play was good tonight,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “We had two power play goals and only had three power plays tonight.”
Quinnipiac has relied heavily on the power play this year and has used it to its advantage. Anas, Travis St. Denis, Tim Clifton, and Landon Smith all have combined for 25 of the 31 goals this season. The 25 goals combined between the four players are more than 50 NCAA Division I hockey teams.
For Anas, it extended his point streak to 10 games in which he has rallied up 14 points with eight goals and six assists.
“He’s playing well, he’s confident,” Pecknold said of Anas. “He’s had a great year. He’s worked really hard trying to round out his game.”
Sophomore forward Landon Smith got the scoring started when he deflected a Tim Clifton rocket off the front of his stick and up into the net to give the Bobcats the early 1-0 lead. Smith’s eighth goal of the season was the 12th QU shot in a first period that saw a plethora of chances for both Quinnipiac and Cornell, but both goalies held strong.
The Bobcats will pick play back up tomorrow night when they welcome in the Colgate Raiders in for a match up at 7 p.m. at the High Point Solutions Arena.
