Kirby Paulson and Gabbi Riggi provide post game analysis from The Bank.
When Quinnipiac’s Andrew Shortridge arrived from Anchorage, Alaska at the beginning of the season, the goalie did not know what his role was going to be on the team; but one thing was for sure: he was going to do whatever it took to make sure the team was succeeding.
Shortridge continued this motto Friday night when he continued to make a multitude of big saves for the Bobcats en route to a 3-2 victory over the rival Yale Bulldogs.
“I just try to do my job.” Shortridge said about the challenges he faced in net tonight. “Keep us in it whenever I can, try to make a big save and just keep everything in the moment. Focus on what I have to do to give us a chance to win.”
Shortridge stood strong in the crease to make 19 saves on the night, including a handful of saves where he was left alone with the puck-handler.
Offensively, the Bobcats struck before some of the sold-out crowd had even found their seats when Yale’s Chris Izmirlian took a penalty for goalie interference.
With a strong breakout, Tim Clifton bursted into the zone and rifled one off the pad of Yale goalie Sam Tucker, who saved the initial shot but could not make the save on a rebound shot from Craig Martin, who gave Quinnipiac the 1-0 just two minutes into the opening period.
“I think every game you always want that first goal,” head coach Rand Pecknold said after the game. “But it was big tonight. It got the fans into it.”
The line to get into the 15th Annual Heroes Hat game started around 11 a.m and was wrapped around the building by dusk.
When they made their way inside the building, the crowd of 3,695 did not disappoint as they hung on every shot, call and whistle.
“ I think the fans were awesome. I think it was just a phenomenal experience for our athletes to play in front of a crowd like that.. It was more of an event than a game,” Pecknold said.
The Bobcats forced the crowd out of their seats once again when they doubled up their lead back on the power play.
With the puck loose near the Yale crease, Quinnipiac’s Bo Pieper buried the puck in the back of the net, pushing the Quinnipiac faithful into another frenzy and giving the Bobcats a 2-0 lead.
The offense did not stop there for Quinnipiac.
With the period winding down, Landon Smith skated up the boards and put a strong shot on net. Tucker was not able to get ahold of the puck when Smith found the puck back on his stick, catching Tucker out of position and finding the top right corner of the net and giving Quinnipiac a 3-0 lead with less than a minute before the first intermission.
However, Yale would not go down quietly as a strong second period left them with a chance to tie things up in the final frame.
Just 51 seconds out of the first intermission, Yale’s Joe Snively received a pass from Frankie Dichiara, who had two goals when these two teams met a month ago, and played the puck into the slot to captain John Hayden whose shot found the back of the net to cut Quinnipiac’s lead to two.
Shortridge continued his strong game in the second period, making seven saves in the second period including a huge save on Snively, who found himself on a breakaway while on the penalty kill.
“Coming into the game you hear all the hype from the school, hear everything from the guys that have played it before that it is just a fun time and stay in the moment,” Shortridge said about infamous Battle of Whitney. “I Just remember that at the end of the day we are here to play hockey, have fun, and get a win.”
However, a Bobcats turnover allowed the Bulldogs to cut their deficit to one when Evan Smith gathered the puck in the offensive zone after a Quinnipiac turnover. Smith made a move on Shortridge, who made the initial save and scored for his fourth goal of the season.
Shortridge continued to stay strong in net during the final 20 minutes, making six more saves and keeping Yale shooters itching for the game-tying goal, solidifying the victory for Quinnipiac.
“I’ve just tried to keep my head down and work day in and day out. Wait for my opportunity to get in net and do anything I can to give us the best opportunity to win that game,” Shortridge said.
Quinnipiac will return to the ice tomorrow night when they host Brown in a preview of the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Playoffs that begin next week. The Bobcats will also honor their six seniors during a pregame ceremony.
