HAMDEN, Conn. — Twice it looked like night was over for the Maine Black Bears on the road against the Quinnipiac Bobcats– without a lead until the final five minutes of the game. Instead, Maine snatched a 7-4 nonconference victory.
When Quinnipiac (6-9-2, 3-5-1 ECAC) roared for three goals in the first, including the game’s opener five minutes in, the struggling Bobcats offense looked like it returned to form. Instead the lights would fall dim until a Karlis Cukste goal early in the third.
“It continues to be frustrating because we can’t seem to do anything right,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. “For 13 minutes we were awesome, dominant.”
After those initial 13 minutes, the Black Bears (7-7-1, 4-4-1 HEA) took control of the game, ending the first with a goal from Mitchell Fossier who potted a stretch pass he received behind the Bobcat defensemen.
Maine continued the pressure into the second period with a pair of power-play goals. Tim Doherty’s deflection marked the second goal for the Black Bears. Patrick Holway tied the game with an open shot from the nearside face-off that cleared the gap between Andrew Shortridge’s blocker and the post.
“We certainly had a real good period in the second, much much better than the first, then it was anyone’s hockey game,” Maine coach Red Gendron said.
Maine’s special teams bridged the shot disparity. The Black Bears’ penalty kill was 5-for-5, including a four-minute stretch when Keith Muehlbauer was sent off for two separate minors. Quinnipiac, racked with frustration, failed to convert.
“At 3-0 we were great, and then after that we struggled mentally and emotionally,” Pecknold said.
Quinnipiac fired 54 shots on goal and 100 shot attempts against unflinching goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Despite giving up four goals, Swayman kept a return viable for the Black Bears.
“It was a character win on the part of our players,” Gendron said. “We lost a defenseman early in the game. We had pretty good discipline overall.”
For Pecknold, the problems persist for a team that hovers at .500. A chance for an out-of-conference win at home could have been a better ending to the first half of the season.
“We gotta be mentally tougher than that, realizing we had a 3-1 lead,” Pecknold said. “Chaos, turnovers and bad penalties. We played frustrated. We have to deal with adversity better.”
ECAC roundup
No. 3 Clarkson 2, St. Lawrence 1
The Clarkson Golden Knights scored three unanswered goals to stymie the upset bid by North Country rival St. Lawrence. Nico Sturm’s goal and two assists were all the offense Clarkson needed to continue riding high at home this season.
UConn 4, No. 16 Colgate 2
In another ECAC-Hockey East battle, host UConn took down Colgate at home. UConn’s power play goal late in the game brought it home for the Huskies, who held the Raiders 0-for-6 on the power play.
Princeton 4, Arizona State 0
David Hallisey’s power-play goal made him the first Tiger to score in six straight games since Dan Bartlett in 2009.
The resulting 2-0 road lead over the Sun Devils was more than enough for Princeton goalie Ryan Ferland (20 saves), who recorded his second career shutout.
