The Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team defeated the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Tigers 4-0 in the first game of NCAA Tournament East Regional at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York.
Quinnipiac captain Soren Jonzzon scored two goals for the Bobcats and Devon Toews had three assists.
With 7:42 to go in the third, Quinnipiac defenseman Connor Clifton took the puck coast-to-coast, sending a pass behind his back as he reached the hash marks to a streaking Jonzzon.
The captain found the back of the net to give the Bobcats a 3-0 lead about ten minutes following Scott Davidson’s goal to put the Bobcats up 2-0.
Jonzzon added an empty-net goal with 2:50 to go in the third period to put the Bobcats up 4-0.
Quinnipiac junior Sam Anas, who was listed as a game-time decision after leaving the ECAC Championship game a week ago due to injury, was inserted into the lineup about an hour before puck drop in place of Craig Martin.
Anas assisted on Quinnipiac’s first goal of the game, scored by Travis St. Denis.
On its second power play of the game, the Bobcats’ head coach Rand Pecknold sent out his top unit, including Anas.
Anas assumed his usual position in the high slot on both of Quinnipiac’s early power plays.
St. Denis received a pass from Toews at the top of the right circle and sent it to Anas who one-touch passed it right back to St. Denis.
The British Columbia native took a slap shot, firing it past Rochester goaltender Mike Rotolo.
Pecknold commented on Anas after the game.
“Sam practiced yesterday. He didn’t practice today at the pregame skate and it was a game-time decision,” Pecknold said. “He’s got a letter on his shirt for a reason, I felt like he could give us something on the power play tonight, and maybe some shifts here or there…”
But the Tigers weren’t going down easily.
RIT held Quinnipiac in check, keeping it a 1-0 game until the third period and pressuring the Bobcats every so often.
The Tigers came close to breaking through, including a shot off the cross bar and a loose puck behind Garteig that the Quinnipiac defense had to clear out of harm’s way.
RIT’s head coach Wayne Wilson used the word “resilient” to describe his squad’s efforts, not only in this contest but for the entire season as well.
“I was very proud about the way we played tonight. I thought we played a good game,” Wilson said. “I thought we were a very resilient group…I thought coming off of last year, this group got us back to a position that we feel very good about and I think they set a bar for all of our young guys to emulate as they go along.”
The win is the Bobcats’ first NCAA Tournament win since 2013 and first shutout in the national tournament in program history.
Garteig saved all 27 shots he faced for his eighth shutout of the season and 19th of his career, tying him for fourth all time in the NCAA Division I hockey with former Cornell goaltender Ben Scrivens.
The Bobcats will face the winner of the Yale/University of Massachusetts-Lowell game after its action on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for a chance to return to the Frozen Four.
