SIOUX FALLS, S.D.- It’s been two weeks since the Quinnipiac Bobcats last took the ice. Two weeks since the Bobcats were swept at home by Clarkson University in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals, and missed Lake Placid for the first time in five years.
But two weeks can do plenty for a team when they come into the NCAA Regional Semifinals in Sioux Falls hungry for a win to push them to the Championship. It’s that hunger that pushed the No. 10 Bobcats to defeat the No. 7 Providence Friars with a final score of 5-2.
“Our second game against Clarkson I thought we played great, we just didn’t finish them out,” said head coach Rand Pecknold. “I just thought tonight the buy-in was excellent. Not perfect, as we had some bad penalties and a bad turn over late. We need to grow up a little bit and mature if we want to get back to the Frozen Four.”
A quiet first period that was played predominantly on Providence’s side of the ice helped set up the Bobcats for a hot start in the second period when an early roughing penalty sent the play to a 4-on-4. It was just as the penalties expired, however, when the scoring sheet opened up for the Regional Semifinals when Elliot Groenewold took a shot from the blue line and slotted it past Providence’s Jack Parsons.
“There’s a lot of pivotal moments in that game,” said Pecknold. “But Elliott’s goal just to get us going and go up 1-0 just changed the game a little bit and put more pressure on them…I thought that was one of the key moments of the game.”
Groenewold played a strong game defensively as well, notching four blocked shots and shifting momentum of play entirely to carry the Bobcats to the final result.
“He is going to play in the NHL one day,” said Pecknold. “I don’t know when but he will. He is one of our leaders and was an absolute beast tonight.”
Yet Groenewold’s goal wasn’t the only noise that would be made by Quinnipiac during the second period. Sioux Falls Stampede alumni Chris Pelosi and Antonin Verreault each picked up goals to put the Bobcats up by three heading into the third.
Providence responded with two goals in the third. The first coming from John Mustard just over five minutes into the third and the second from Logan Sawyer just three minutes after. Quinnipiac slammed the door shut with two empty net goals from Ethan Wyttenbach and Graham Sward in the final minute of play.
“I think the boys were just connected,” said senior captain Victor Czerneckianair.” It was all passion and relentless the whole game and just the connectivity really set us apart this game”
Even though the Bobcats had the two late empty net goals, it still was not a guarantee they would come out on top, as the Friars attempted a late push and landed huge two shots on goal against Dylan Silverstein.
“We still had a job to do…credit to those two shots blocked at the end,” said Groenewold. “That shows our character in our team. We have a great group of guys in that room and when you see that on the ice, it’s just really special when we win.”
That starting lineup of Verreault, Czerneckianair and Tyler Borgula that Pecknold described as selfless and locked in on their details was huge for the Bobcats tonight, racking up a collective four points on the night.
“I love playing with those two guys,” said Czerneckianair. “I think we just hunt pucks the whole time and create offense and tire them[opposing teams] out and the rest of it comes up from there.”
Tonight’s win also held a few historic moments for the Bobcats, with Ethan Wyttenbach tying the single-season point record with Collin Graf (22-23) and Bryan Leitch (08-09) at 59 points. It also marked a program record for Czerneckianair, who tied the program record for most playoff wins by a Bobcat at six with Travis St. Denis.
Heading into Saturday’s match, the Bobcats will look to punch their ticket to the Frozen Four in Las Vegas. The message from their captain to the team? Stay level. Don’t get too high or too low. Support each other. That is the Bobcat way.
“It’s just another game,” said Czerneckianair. “It’s on a big stage, but we practice so much, we work out so much, getting up so early. All this stuff just comes with fruition when we are on the big stage.”
The Quinnipiac Bobcats will be back in action against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Saturday, March 28th at 6:00 p.m. CST(7:00 p.m. EST) for the NCAA Regional Championship.
