The Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team defeated the Harvard Crimson 4-1 in the ECAC Tournament championship to capture its first Whitelaw Cup in the team’s 10th year in the conference.
This was just the second time the Bobcats made it to the ECAC Tournament championship game. Their first appearance came in 2007, where they lost to Clarkson.
Harvard’s Luke Esposito took a five-minute major for boarding Quinnipiac’s Sam Anas with nine seconds remaining in the first period, a hit that left Anas shaken up.
Anas did not return to action for the rest of the game.
“We don’t want anyone to get hurt, and then your All-American gets run from behind…” Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold said. “You gotta wonder if he’s going to be okay or if it’s going to be like the injury we had to deal with last year.”
The Bobcats went to work on the major at the beginning of the second period.
“We knew if we could take advantage we could get a huge push,” Quinnipiac captain Soren Jonzzon said.
The Bobcats scored twice on the major, the first coming from Tim Clifton 1:11 into the middle period.
After a shorthanded attempt by the Crimson went off the post, the Bobcats returned up ice.
Quinnipiac’s Landon Smith sent a pass over to Tim Clifton, who sent it past Harvard goaltender Merrick Madsen.
A little over a minute and a half later, Bo Pieper scored to put the Bobcats up 2-0, catching a piece of a Smith shot.
That was all for the major, but the Bobcats got another power play toward the middle of the period.
K.J. Tiefenwerth scored to put Quinnipiac up 3-0, taking advantage of a holding penalty to Adam Baughman.
“We have one of the best (power plays) in the country right now,” said Quinnipiac defenseman Connor Clifton, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player with one goal and eight assists this weekend.
Harvard’s Ryan Donato scored eight seconds after that to keep the Bobcats in check, rifling a wrist shot past Michael Garteig.
But Scott Davidson would add an empty netter with less than two minutes to play in the third to seal it for the Bobcats.
Harvard head coach Ted Donato noted the Bobcats’ special teams efforts.
“They made the big plays on the power play and the big saves when they needed them,” Ted Donato said.
With the conference championship title, the Bobcats get an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and will be the No. 1 seed in their regional, which will be determined Sunday morning at 11:30.
