How they got here
The Bobcats bolted out of the gates Saturday night, striking in the first 16 seconds to snap the Saints’ goaltender Kyle Hayton streak and take a 1-0 lead. Quinnipiac continued their high intensity and ferocious attack throughout the game, holding on to take down St. Lawrence, 3-2.
With the win, the Bobcats force an all decisive game three at Appleton Arena Sunday night with the winning making the trip to historic Lake Placid for the ECAC Semifinals next weekend.
Penalty kill: The Bobcats took a handful of penalties Saturday night, but the penalty continued to come up huge throughout the game. Friday night was a different story when the Bobcats allowed the Saints to score with less than a second left on the clock in the second period. Quinnipiac will need to continue their ability to kill penalties and not allow that back backing power-play goal late in the game.
Andrew Shortridge: The talk coming into the series and in the first game have been about Hayton, but it has been the goalie at the other end of the ice who has put together the prettier weekend. Shortridge has bailed out his defenseman numerous times this weekend with big time saves on odd-man rushes and breakaways. The Bobcats will look for him to come up big again Sunday night.
Players to watch in game three
Brosh:
Nick Jermain: The freshman battled in game two, not really allowing anyone on the opposing team to push him around. You feel as though one of his highlight reel goals are coming and could silence a deafening crowd in North Country Sunday night. Pecknold said Saturday night that he loved the way some of his freshmen were playing and Jermain was one of them, the kid has a knack for stirring the pot.
Tim Clifton: There is only one person who can set the tone for the Bobcats coming out on the first shift, and that is Tim Clifton. The Bobcats always seem to start the game stale or absolutely on fire, so if Clifton can win the face-off, get down the ice, and lay the body on someone, the tone will be set for an intense game-three showdown.
Clouts:
Connor Clifton: A close game comes down to blocked shots, and there are not many players in the NCAA that will get in front of the puck like Clifton can. He leads the Bobcats in block shots and in tonight’s game it is pivotal for either team to get into the scoring lanes no matter the sacrifice. Clifton had two goals in two games against Brown in the last playoff series, so look for him to jump into the play tonight on an odd man rush. If he can get the puck as the trailing man on a three-on- two, the opposing team better watch out for his quick release. Connor plays big minutes for this Quinnipiac team, so expect him to lead by example and have a big game.
Tommy Schutt: When you’re a team with its back against the wall, you look to your seniors to have big games. Last night, the Bobcats saw some of the best penalty killing out of this senior than he has played all season. Schutt won seven faceoffs out of 15 draws in last night’s win for Quinnipiac, so expect him to be locked in tonight to have another good performance.
Predictions
Brosh: This game is going to be one of the best hockey games the Bobcats have played in the past two teams. You felt the intensity rise with every shift and every shot Saturday night. I expect it to be just as intense, if not more intense Sunday. This will come down to who will set the pace of play and the tone early Sunday night. I think the Bobcats are capable of doing that.
Quinnipiac moves on, upsetting St. Lawrence in OT 3-2.
Clouts: The Bobcats seem to be locked in, and I think they are going to out class St. Lawrence in this final game. This Quinnipiac team has a lot of character, and they are buying into Pecknold’s system more than ever. Last night’s win is a huge confidence booster for this team, so I think they replicate that same energy from last night to out to an early lead and win the game 4-2.
