Back in early December, the Union Garnet Chargers snapped Quinnipiac’s seven-game winning streak with a 4–0 shutout. On Friday night, the Bobcats returned the favor — erupting for seven goals in a blowout at M&T Bank Arena.
Coming into the matchup, statistics said it was going to be offense-heavy — both squads currently rank in the top four of scoring in ECAC play, with Quinnipiac and Union scoring 3.55 and 3.11 goals per game, respectively. The Garnet Chargers were completely overmatched though, allowing 13 different Bobcats to record a point.
“I just think the buy-in’s have been better. Kids are buying in, battles are there,” head coach Rand Pecknold said, praising his players for their sense of urgency.
The standout player was first year Ethan Wyttenbach, who notched two goals in the win. Coming into the game, Union hadn’t seen an opposing player record more than two points in any game this season; Wyttenbach broke that streak with a three-point performance, continuing his stellar first season in blue and yellow.
After Mason Marcellus went down and left the game in the first period, Wyttenbach quickly rejuvenated his team’s bench by netting his first goal of the night. “It was nice to get a goal quickly after Mason got hurt,” Wyttenbach said. His fellow 18-year-old teammate Matthew Lansing also found the back of the net with a filthy backhand shot, leading the way in the win.
Despite Wytennbach’s superb performance, he believes he and his team still have plenty to improve on, including working in the defensive zone. “Obviously it’s nice to get a huge win like this but we need to be a little bit better,” Wytennbach said.
This was also Anthony Cipollone’s 100th career game, joining a long list of Bobcat legends in the victory. “He’s been great. All three games, he’s been excellent,” Pecknold said regarding Cipollone’s strong start to the second half of the season. He had a +3 differential in the victory, including a beautiful assist to Wytennback on his first goal of the night.
Cipollone credits his hot start to the work he put in over his brief winter break. “Got a little bit faster, better shape, and obviously its translating,” he remarked. He has two points in three games to start his final months as a Bobcat.
It was an extremely chippy game from the start, with each team’s players jawing at each other seemingly at every whistle. The Bobcats put on an impressive display of physicality on all sides of the ice. They blocked 13 shots in total, higher than their ECAC average of 11.5. “I think they’re a top 20 team,” Pecknold said about the Garnet Chargers. Quinnipiac has now knocked off two ranked teams and a conference rival to start their strong second half.
The stand-out defensive performance wasn’t centered around a Bobcat this time—it was about the domination of Union’s Brandon Buhr. Coming into the game Buhr was averaging .74 goals per game, good for seventh best across the entire NCAA. The Bobcats held him scoreless on just three shots, an uncharacteristic performance from his usual dominance.
Buhr and his teammate Ben Muthersbaugh were riding a three-game point streak to match Union’s three-game win streak heading in, but both streaks were snapped. Goaltender Dylan Silverstein had a large part to do with that, saving 24 shots and giving his squad the best possible chance to win.
Heading into the matchup, the Garnet Chargers were outshooting their opponents by 13.5, one of the top marks in the ECAC. Against Quinnipiac, they were outshot by nine. The Bobcats’ all-around stellar defense was the unsung hero in the victory, even with the offensive explosion.
With playoffs quickly approaching in the coming months, Quinnipiac has to be pleased with their recent play against strong opponents. But Pecknold kept it simple postgame: “Good win, and gotta reload for tomorrow.” It seems the Bobcats are always focused on the next matchup, the next goal, the next play, a strategy that seems to be working perfectly as they enter the back half of their season.
