The Quinnipiac Bobcats (21-1-6, 4-10-2 ECAC) defeated the Colgate Raiders (8-19-2, 4-10-2 ECAC), 6-3 on Saturday night, relying on their lethal power play that netted three goals on five chances, including two in the second period to put the game away.
Freshmen defenseman Luke Shiplo was a late addition to the line-up before Friday’s game against Cornell. He was stout defensively as he hummed around the ice all night Friday. Just 24 hours later, he found the puck on his stick and made the most of it. The Ontario native’s third goal of the season gave Quinnipiac its 12th game of the season in which the Bobcats have had multiple power play goals.
“You have to take your opportunities when you get them,” Shiplo said of his playing time this weekend. “I tried to play as hard I could this weekend and we came out with a win.”
Shiplo’s goal added to a great weekend of play that was highlighted by his play off a faceoff in the second period with Quinnipiac on the power play. The first-year defenseman dangled three Colgate players before rifling one past Raiders’ goalie Charlie Finn to give the Bobcats a 3-2 lead.
“It was a five on three, and I’m pretty sure the play was suppose to go to Barron,” Shiplo said of his goal. “But I kind of just saw an opening and just threw it at the net. It was nice.”
Before Shiplo’s go-ahead goal, Sam Anas extended his point streak to 11 games when he opened up the scoring in the first with a shot from the point that found the top shelf of the net, sending the Bobcats up one going into the first intermission. The Bobcats then found themselves in a back-and-fourth battle that saw three goals in four minutes.
The three-goal frenzy started when Colgate struck early in the second period with a Ken Citron goal to tie it up at one. Just a little less than two minutes later, Quinnipiac’s Connor Clifton received a pass from Travis St. Denis who was behind the net and put it home to give the Bobcats the lead, 2-1. Colgate tied it up less than three minutes later when Tim Harrison found a puck out in front of the net and beat Quinnipiac’s goaltender Michael Garteig to tie the game at two apiece.
During Anas’s current streak, he has acquired 17 points, 10 of them being goals. Anas later scored his second goal of the night when he bulleted out of the box and broke free for an easy break away goal to put the Bobcats up, 5-2.
“I’m just focusing more on team play,” said Anas of his remarkable past 11 games. “I think tonight was a big win for us to get back to playing our game.”
The Bobcats continued their onslaught on the power play late in the third following a gut-wrenching hit on Kevin Mckernan to extend their lead to two. After wheeling the puck around the offensive zone, Anas took a shot from the offensive circle that squirted by Finn when Tim Clifton slammed it home for his 14th of the year.
Clifton’s goal was the Bobcats’ 34th goal on the power play this season, good for fourth in the country.
Quinnipiac will pick up the action next week when they travel to Canton, NY to face off against St. Lawrence. The teams skated to a 0-0 tie during their first meeting.
