Canton, NY– Some teams wither away when their backs are up against the wall, others thrive.
The Quinnipiac Bobcats proved to be part of the group who thrives, facing adversity throughout game three, and downing the St. Lawrence Saints,3-2, and clinching another trip to the ECAC Semifinals in Lake Placid.
“We are excited to move on. I think St. Lawrence put up a great battle this weekend,” head coach Rand Pecknold said after the game. “We were fortunate to come through.”
The adversity for the Bobcats started less than six minutes into the game, when an elbow by a Saints’ skater sent Tommy Schutt out of the game, forcing the Bobcats down a skater.
“Obviously he is a huge part of the team, especially winning draws,” Connor Clifton said about Schutt. “Naturally, guys have to step up and I think we battled, and we did that.”
The Bobcats bounced back, finding the scoreboard first when the Saints gave them a power play opportunity halfway through the first period after Lough was called for tripping.
On the man advantage Thomas Aldworth gathered a pass from Bo Pieper and found himself right near the goal line to the right of St. Lawrence’s goalie Kyle Hayton. Aldworth looked to pass to a teammate who was at the opposite post, but when he delivered the pass the puck ricocheted off a Saints’ skate and found its way into the net, giving Quinnipiac the 1-0 lead.
“I think it’s very important,” Alex Whelan said about scoring first. “We get a lot confidence when we score first. It definitely puts the other team on their heels.”
Quinnipiac extended its lead to two when Connor Clifton came barreling into the offensive zone with the puck to the left of Hayton, throwing the puck on net where it bounced off Landon Smith’s skate and up into the air. Clifton stormed around the net and smacked the puck behind Hayton, who was out of position, giving Quinnipiac the 2-0 lead with a little more than eight minutes to play in the second.
The Bobcats continued their scoring touch in the second period, when a familiar source came up with the game-winning goal. Whelan, who scored 16 seconds into game two, came speeding into the zone, sniping one past Hayton glove side, stunning the St. Lawrence crowd and pushing Quinnipiac’s lead to 3-0.
“It’s hard to put a team away,” Whelan said. “Their season is ending, so everyone had to block shots, we all just put it out there.”
The Saints would not go down easily, getting back into the game when they struck for another late-period goal.
St. Lawrence’s Eric Sweetman gathered a pass from Ben Finkelstein with a lot of ice in front of him and just 10 seconds on clock. Sweetman sent a wrist shot past Shortridge, drawing the Saints within two as they entered the second intermission.
“It was a battle,” Pecknold said.
With the crowd back on their feet at the start of the third period, the Saints continued to keep the pressure going when they pulled within one with 11:45 to play in the final period.
The Saints’ Jacob Pritchard dished it to Mike Marnell who scored on Shortridge, sending the tense crowd into a frenzy and the Bobcats on their heels as they lead 3-2.
After the goal, Quinnipiac’s Tanner MacMaster was sent off the ice for a 10-minute misconduct, the Bobcats were left with two centers in their lineup available, making everyone regardless of position step up. Faceoff plays were tossed and lines were shaken up, but Quinnipiac held strong throughout the final 11 minutes.
“I just think that was a great team effort, probably the best game we came together the whole season,” Whelan said. “We are really starting to click at the right time, and everyone sacrificed. That was our main thing before the series started- we just had to sacrifice to win the game.”
The Bobcats continued to weather strong chances for the the Saints offensively with blocked shots and big saves from Shortridge.
“ I think our character came through the last two nights,” Pecknold said. “Again, it wasn’t perfect, but it’s a great group of players, great character, it’s our culture; we win with our culture.”
The Saints gave their final push with Hayton pulled, forcing the Bobcats to ice the puck multiple times in the final minute. However, Quinnipiac held strong, clearing the puck at big moments until the final horn sounded, sending the boys in blue over the boards and onto Lake Placid.
Quinnipiac will look to defend their Whitelaw Cup Friday afternoon when they face top-seeded Harvard at the Herb Brooks Arena in the first semifinal of the ECAC Tournament in Lake Placid, New York.
