After a tightly contested matchup yesterday versus the Black Bears that resulted in a 4-4 tie, the Bobcats looked to rebound and get a much-needed ranked victory.
Going into the game, Quinnipiac had a record of 3-1-1 and was 10th in the USCHO Poll, three spots down from Maine who was ranked No. 7 with a 2-1-1 record.
Quinnipiac killed off an early penalty from senior center Victor Czerneckianair, which allowed the Bobcats to keep control of the puck and avoid any big plays from the Black Bears.
“We’re getting better. We are cleaning some stuff up,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “I thought the guys were really working and trying to be more detailed, which is what we need.”
After a double penalty was called midway through the first period on Maine freshman center Jaden Lipinski for kneeling and game misconduct, the Bobcats had a prime opportunity to score on a lengthy power play.
Less than a minute later, Bobcats senior left wing Jeremy Wilmer passed the puck to sophomore right wing Aaron Schwartz, who seamlessly moved the puck to defenseman Will Gilson, who buried a shot from far right in the Bobcats’ attack zone to give them an early 1-0 lead.
“I love being a leader and just trying to help out in any way,” Gilson said. “Just making guys feel light in the room and having some fun.”
The offense continued their aggression while staying away from penalties that would continue to be a problem for the Black Bears, leading to Quinnipiac scoring around seven minutes into the second period, where junior left wing Mason Marcellus rapped around the goal to perfectly fit the puck on the inside right corner of the net to score the second goal of the game.
Overall, the Black Bears tried to get back into the game in the second period as they outshot Quinnipiac, but defense was the key for Quinnipiac, who limited any dangerous Black Bear advances..
The third period is where Quinnipiac put the dagger in Maine with two power-play goals. First, Wilmer lined up a shot right in front of the goal, assisted by Marcellus and Schwartz.
Then, less than four minutes later, another double penalty was assessed on Maine, this time on junior defenseman Brodie Nobes, which allowed for freshman left wing Antonin Verreault to make a beautiful move with the puck to fellow first-year Ethan Wyyttenbach to score on the right corner to give the Bubcats the commanding 4-0 victory against Maine.
Overall, the Bobcats played a very efficient game, with junior goalkeeper Matej Marinov saving all 18 shots on goal to record his fifth career shutout and only giving up four penalties that only lasted eight minutes.
The Black Bears’ penalties prevented any chance of winning, with 10 total, which put them at a disadvantage for 42 minutes.
Maine was also not shooting the puck much all game, as Quinnipiac attempted 69 shots compared to Maine’s 32.
Quinnipiac will start a three-game road trip against Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass, on Oct. 21 with puck-drop at 7 p.m.
