The Quinnipiac Bobcats (5-5-1 overall, 2-4-0 Eastern College Athletic Conference) renewed their in-state rivalry with the Yale Bulldogs (3-5-0 overall, 3-5-0 ECAC) in Hamden Saturday night. The bad blood was certainly flowing.
In a game that was anticipated to be one of the most intense on the Bobcats’ schedule, the two sides came out of the gates swinging and weren’t afraid to dish out a big hit. Though the first period consisted of a number of Quinnipiac scoring opportunities, including a Tanner MacMaster penalty shot that was saved by Yale goalie Sam Tucker, the first twenty minutes set a tone of anger and hostility between the two benches.
The second period provided more of the same—more hits, more penalties, and continued Bobcat press. Their unrelenting barrage of offense finally paid off just over two minutes into the period, as sophomore defenseman Brogan Rafferty got the puck high in the zone and rifled a shot off the pad of Tucker and into the top shelf.
“He came around, faked a shot, Brogan did a great job of opening up, finding the seam of the net, calling for the puck, and putting it right on the staple,” captain Chase Priskie said on his teammate’s goal.
The goal, Rafferty’s first on the season, is all the Bobcats needed to break through – they continued to keep possession in the Bulldog zone, outshooting Yale 19-6. Though it may have seemed like a breakthrough game for the recently frustrating Bobcat offense, head coach Rand Pecknold saw it as business as usual, saying that his players are just “playing to their identity.”
“I just thought our competing was great,” Pecknold said on what was different about tonight than past games. “I really thought we played to our identity tonight.”
Things got interesting in the third period, as a combination of Yale frustration and Quinnipiac aggression led to a controversial and physical twenty minutes. Bobcat defenseman Brandon Fortunato and Bulldog defenseman Chandler Lindstrand were both sent to the penalty box just two minutes into the period for hitting after the whistle. Craig Martin joined them just a minute later for a delay of game, only to be followed by another two minutes for Fortunato for tripping. With thirteen minutes left in the game, Tanner MacMaster took the big blow, as he took both a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct penalty, which led to his ejection.
The Bobcats proved strong, however, as they went the full five minutes without conceding their slim lead. Sophomore goaltender Andrew Shortridge made save after flashy save to ensure the Bobcats retained their lead until the end, but he thinks the credit should go to the guys who play in front of him.
“It’s a team sport, and everyone in front of me is doing everything they can to block shots, push shots to the outside, and give me one-and-done opportunities to make it easy on me,” Shortridge said. “I can’t give enough credit to the guys in front of me right now.”
Two minutes after the Bobcats killed the penalty, Craig Martin doubled the Quinnipiac lead as his shot from the top of the zone took a high bounce and sailed right over the right leg pad of Tucker. 103 seconds later, Thomas Aldworth stole the puck off a Bulldog skater’s stick, went one-on-one with Tucker, deked right, and flicked the puck into the top right corner to put the nail in the coffin and send Quinnipiac fans home happy.
The Bobcats’ 3-0 victory on Saturday came just twenty-four hours after a 5-0 victory over Brown, with the stories of both games being Andrew Shortridge. Coming off a spectacular second half last season, he’s picked up right where he left off. His teammates noticed.
“He dominated the crease. He did what he had to do. He played big, he came out and challenged guys, and that’s just how Shorty plays,” Priskie said.
The Bobcats get almost a full week off before hosting the UMass Minutemen (5-6-0 overall, 2-3-0 Hockey East) in a non-conference home-and-home. The first game of the two-game stretch will be Friday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. inside the Frank Perrotti, Jr. Arena.
