The game that everyone had circled on their schedules finally arrived today when the No. 2 Boston University Terriers (2-0, 0-0 Hockey East) traveled to Hamden, Connecticut to take on the hometown No. 14 Quinnipiac Bobcats (0-1-1, 0-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference). Despite a 3-2 Bobcats loss, the game certainly lived up to the hype.
One main storyline surrounding the Bobcats leading up to today was who head coach Rand Pecknold would start in goal. He ended up giving highly-touted freshman Keith Petruzzelli, a third-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2017 NHL draft, his first collegiate start against the Terriers. Petruzzelli’s name was met with roars of applause from Quinnipiac’s student section during the lineup introductions, but it was Alex Whelan who quickly stole the show in the first period. Whelan pounced on a loose puck around center ice, found himself one-on-one with Boston University goalie Jake Oettinger, and beat him to the top right to give Quinnipiac an early 1-0 lead.
“He just keeps getting better. He’s got a quick release, he’s starting to pick his corners better, but I think more than that is his competitive level,” Pecknold said on Whelan’s goal. “He’s what we’re all about. We just need to get a few more guys in that range with how hard he hustles with the puck.”
Despite having been outshot 11-6, the Bobcats managed to hold the lead until the end of the period. They entered the locker room with a one-goal advantage over the Terriers, but that lead would quickly vanish.
Just three minutes into the second period, ex-Terrier Kevin Duane was sent to the penalty box after a scuffle with Boston University forward Jordan Greenway. The Terriers didn’t wait long to capitalize, as Patrick Harper leveled the score line just 26 seconds after the penalty.
The Bobcats weren’t down for long, however, as Bo Pieper ripped a shot that beat the glove hand of Oettinger just ten minutes later.
Quinnipiac started the third period holding a 2-1 lead, but it was the Terriers again coming out strong out of the gate, as Harper scored an equalizer just 53 seconds into the period. Harper’s goal, his second of the game, was a clinic on skating agility, as he weaved and sliced his way through the entire Bobcats defense and slotted to puck in the bottom right.
The score would hold at 2-2 until the end of the third period, and the two teams went into overtime. Despite numerous golden opportunities for Quinnipiac in the “next goal wins” format, it was the Terriers who ended the game in the midst of absolute mayhem in front of the goal. The referees reviewed the goal, and the call stood, giving Boston University their second win of the season.
When asked about the overtime goal, Petruzzelli said, ““They went to video for it, so I trust the refs. They made the right call.”
The loss is the second of two disappointing results for the Bobcats, who were leading Boston College on Friday up until the Eagles tied the game with less than five minutes to play. The Bobcats were forced to settle for a tie, but Pecknold said that what he saw this weekend was not entirely negative.
“I’m not a moral victory guy, but I do like the way we played this weekend. We made mistakes in both games, which you expect early on, but I thought our battle level was really good, and I thought we played to our identity,” Pecknold said.
Another bright spot in the Bobcats’ locker room today was the performance of Petruzzelli, who turned heads and opened eyes in his collegiate debut. He finished with 31 saves on the afternoon, and seemingly made spectacular saves to keep the Bobcats in the game time and time again.
“I thought Keith was good. We got a good evaluation on him, his strengths, and we can see why he’s a high NHL draft pick,” Pecknold said on Petruzzelli’s performance. “We also saw some things that he needs to work on and what we can work on with him.”
It still remains unclear whether or not Pecknold will stick with his freshman or if he will turn back to sophomore Andrew Shortridge in their next game against the Vermont Catamounts (1-1, 0-0 Hockey East). The one thing that is certain, however, is that this Bobcats team will be hungry and determined to pick up their first win of the season. The Catamounts travel to Hamden on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 4 p.m.
