HAMDEN, Conn. — No. 13 Cornell came away with two points after the Big Red upset No. 5 Quinnipiac, 2-1, at the High Point Solutions Arena Friday night. Cornell improves to 12-7-5 (11-4-3 ECAC), while Quinnipiac falls to 21-6-5 (11-4-3 ECAC).
Senior goalie Andy Iles carried the team to the victory, turning away 40 out of the 41 shots the Bobcats sent his way.
“We got a little bit of puck luck tonight, fought it off at times,” Iles said. “The ‘D’ was unbelievable, keeping things to the outside and clearing out the rebounds.”
Cornell’s offense only managed 12 shots, including one in the third period, but made the most out of their opportunities.
“It wasn’t a thing of beauty I told our guys, but it was a road win and a much-needed road win,” said Cornell coach Mike Schafer. “Our league is tough. If you look around the ECAC, they’re a lot of good hockey teams and to get two points was a huge accomplishment.”
Tommy Schutt picked up the first goal of the game when he threw the puck in front of the net and it deflected off the skate of the Cornell defense. The goal stood after it was reviewed to see if Bryce Van Brabant kicked it in.
Cornell answered back less than a minute later on Joakim Ryan’s sixth of the season. The Big Red’s leading defenseman hesitated as Travis St. Denis dropped to block the shot and rifled it past Michael Garteig to tie it.
Brian Ferlin gave Cornell a 2-1 lead when he picked up a loose puck on a Sam Anas turnover. Ferlin walked in alone on Garteig and fired it over his left shoulder for his team-leading 11th goal of the season.
“The turnover that led to that is unacceptable,” said Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold. “You can’t win playoff games or tournament games when you turn the puck over like that.”
Quinnipiac had its opportunities on the power play, but Cornell’s penalty kill came up with three kills to secure the victory. The biggest kill came late in the third when Quinnipiac had some quality looks on Iles.
The momentum shifted in Cornell’s favor after Ryan blocked a Devon Toews’ slap shot from the point with his helmet to keep the puck from getting to Iles. Quinnipiac had Iles out of position, but couldn’t bury the puck in the net.
“When you play Quinnipiac, they work extremely hard,” Schafer said. “You have to win puck battles. You have to be above them and if you don’t do that, they’re going to burn you.”
“Quinnipiac is a great team,” Iles said. “They’ve had our number lately. We have great games every time we play them. Every game at this point is a playoff game. That’s the mindset we have at this point and are approaching each game with.”
With the 40 saves, Iles moves closer to Ben Scriven’s program record for all-time saves. The senior sits 33 shots shy of the Cornell record, cementing his legacy as one of the best in Big Red history.
“He may not have the best statistics in the league, but I wouldn’t trade him for anybody,” Schafer said.
