It was an emotional night on Saturday at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden. After a poignant tribute to the late Quinnipiac student and Ice Cat, Jackie Gray, the solemn atmosphere in the arena quickly became hopeful as the No. 2 Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team went on to defeat No. 15 Northeastern in the second game of their weekend series. With a late empty net goal by senior Tim Clifton with less than two minutes left in the game, the Bobcats captured the 5-2 win over the Huskies, who they tied the night before. The Bobcats improved to 1-0-1 while the Huskies dropped to 0-1-1.
Unlike on Friday when Quinnipiac went 0-6 on the man advantage, the Bobcats truly capitalized on their power play on Saturday night. Clifton’s first goal was scored with two seconds remaining on the power play giving them an early 3-0 lead in the second period and their first power play goal of the season. He entered the season ranked third among active players with 14 career power play goals. He led the team with two goals, followed by freshman Karlis Cukste’s first career goal as well as a first of the season for both sophomore Chase Priskie and junior Landon Smith.
In the third period, the crowd was enraptured by a power play goal by Priskie, who intercepted the puck in Quinnipiac’s defensive zone and skated down for a breakaway extending Quinnipiac’s lead. The goal came right as a five-on-three had expired, and a plethora of penalties on both sides followed. With a total of 24 penalties, Tim Clifton said it was difficult to stay in the flow of the game.
“With constant stops, emotions are flying everywhere,” Clifton said. “Everyone’s mad at the refs and both teams are yelling; it can be a little hectic at times. I think we as players need to control our emotions and focus on what we can control.”
Head coach Rand Pecknold felt that his team is still just trying to adjust to the tougher calls made by the referees.
“The phrase that the referees are using is ‘reclaiming the rulebook’,” Pecknold said. “We’ve been told that and we certainly saw it tonight. We need to adapt; all the teams need to adapt. That’s why the power plays are so high. It is what it is. We have to adapt and figure it out.”
Junior Chris Truehl, an Air Force transfer, certainly figured something out, proving himself again in net. Truehl stoned Northeastern on 32 of its 34 shots on goal with his first victory as a Bobcat.
“I thought he was good,” Pecknold said. “I thought our shot-blocking was phenomenal.”
Truehl made three saves on the penalty kill early on in the second period and had six saves in 12 minutes in the first period, keeping the Huskies off the board until Northeastern sophomore Adam Gaudette cut the Bobcat’s lead 3-1 on a rebound late in the second period.
Another difference from Friday night’s game: Quinnipiac started off exceptionally strong in the first period on Saturday and remained constant throughout. Unlike in the first game, the Bobcats were confident, and it was evident. Quinnipiac killed a penalty midway through the first period and Landon Smith led a three-on-one rush into Northeastern’s zone and roofed one over the Northeastern goaltender Ryan Ruck. Less than three minutes later, Karlis Cukste capitalized on a loose puck and scored his first career goal.
“It was awesome,” Cukste said. “I don’t think there’s another word to describe it.”
The ambience in the arena might have partially contributed to Quinnipiac’s success. The arena echoed with disapproval as the audience booed a Northeastern goal that had been under review for a possible high stick early in the third period, and cheers ricocheted off the walls as Truehl made an impressive three saves on a penalty kill early in the second.
“When you have a group of guys who want to win, they’ll do anything for the greater good of the team,” Clifton explained. “Tonight’s a perfect example. The boys were selling themselves for the win. We’re willing to eat pucks to win a game.”
The Bobcats will face off next against the University of Maine on the road on Oct. 14 and 15.
