CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts – With less than a second left in the third period, the puck would leave the stick of Markus Vidicek from the back end of Quinnipiac’s zone and glide into Harvard’s empty net to seal the deal for the Bobcats and end the match with a score of 4-1.
For the sixth consecutive season, the Quinnipiac Bobcats raised the Cleary Cup above their heads. Not only that, but for the first time in ECAC Hockey history, a team has clinched the title six straight times and tied Michigan State’s NCAA conference regular season champions streak record.
“I know it’s a lot, it’s crazy,” said Quinnipiac’s head coach Rand Pecknold. “The interesting thing is a lot of the time we weren’t the best team, but we found a way to grind over a long season, which I think we did again this year and win games…It’s part of our culture.”
The Bobcats would come out strong once the puck was dropped in Cambridge, outshooting Harvard 22-16. Yet it would remain a scoreless first period of play, thanks to the likes of Harvard’s Ben Charette and Quinnipiac’s Dylan Silverstein.
“I thought we were great, but their (Harvard’s) goalie was awesome,” said Pecknold. “He was making saves when I thought we could have been up one or two.”
The second period is where the scoring opened up for the match, when just over a minute into the action, Harvard’s Heikki Ruohonen would slot the puck just past the shoulder of Silverstein and put the Crimson up 1-0.
Unlike the collapse of the Bobcats that was seen the previous night during the team’s 7-4 loss to Dartmouth, Quinnipiac would find a way to battle back.
A shot by Anthony Cipollone off the pass from senior captain Victor Czerneckianair would deflect off the pad of Charette right to the stick of Antonin Verreault, who would find the back of the net and tie the game at one. Just five minutes after that, Aaron Schwartz would unknowingly make the game-winning goal, assisted by Ethan Wyttenbach and Will Gilson to send the Bobcats into the second intermission ahead 2-1.
The third period would see another pair of goals for Quinnipiac, the first from Matt McGroarty and then the final second empty netter from Vidicek.
“We got down early, but this is what we do,” said Pecknold. “We battled and stayed in it. I thought we were awesome in the second and third periods and dominated the game.”
After battling illness for the better part of the previous week, the Bobcats saw the return of Silverstein to the crease, where he faced 20 shots on goal and 53 overall from Harvard.
“I thought he (Dylan Silverstein) was excellent,” said Pecknold. “Honestly, I thought he was our best player and the best player on the ice. The best two being the two goalies; they were both great.”
The win marked not only the sixth cup for the Bobcats since 2021 but also the fourth consecutive cup for Czerneckianair.
“It’s great to keep the legacy going for the past four years,” said Czerneckianiar. “There’s no better feeling”.
The senior captain who began his journey at Quinnipiac on the 2023 National Championship team spent some time reflecting on the similarities between this year’s squad and that one, noting that the biggest one was simply their passion. To capitalize on this passion, the team will have to carry this passion into every game and stay consistent.
“I’m going to be hammering it home that I haven’t even been to the [ECAC] finals yet,” said Czerneckianiar. “So we are just taking every game do or die through the second round and Lake Placid.”
The Bobcats finished their regular season with a record of 26-7-3, going 17-4-1 in conference play. Looking ahead to the postseason, the Bobcats will have a bye in the first round due to them clinching the regular season title, something they have done consistently for the last few years. Pecknold noted that the team would make sure to stay competitive during this two-week break and keep the intensity up to uphold this momentum, but the bye is something they are used to having.
“It’s crazy the run that we are on,” said Pecknold. “We keep doing it and we are going to try to do it again next year. Now we have to reload and reset and get ready for the playoffs.”
The Bobcats will be back in action on March 13, when they will host the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals.
