Photo Courtesy, Quinnipiac Athletics
“We didn’t come here to tie” Yale head coach Keith Allain said.
The Yale Bulldogs would score the game-tying goal in the second period but neither team would light the lamp again after that, not even in overtime.
This is the fifth time Quinnipiac (20-8-3, 15-2-2 ECAC) has tied Yale (15-7-4, 10-6-3 ECAC) in the two team’s histories. This marks the second time the two teams have tied this season.
This match up was the 13th annual Hero’s Hat game between Quinnipiac and Yale. The atmosphere for the much-anticipated puck drop was electric. The Quinnipiac student section was full of energy and bumper sticks.
In both of their games last weekend against St. Lawrence and Clarkson the Bobcats showed real weakness in the first period. However Quinnipiac came out uncharacteristically strong in the first this time around. Senior captain Dan Federico was the first to find the back of the net for the Bobcats four minutes into the first period, scoring just the second goal of his career.
Yale evened the score when Frank DiChiara put one past Michael Garteig. But the Bobcats came back two minutes later when Tanner MacMaster scored on an assist from fellow freshman Andrew Taverner. Both teams looked excited but nervous in the first.
Things really started to fall apart for both Quinnipiac and Yale when the second period started. Yale’s Rob O’Gara was able to get a shot off ten minutes in to even things out.
The teams were evenly matched, ending the game with an even 25 shots each on goal. Garteig and Alex Lyon both had strong games in goal. Each team scrambled to put points on the board to no avail.
Neither team could capitalize on the power play. Yale had two chances while Quinnipiac had four. Quinnipiac especially struggled with it’s passing during these opportunities.
Overtime brought more chances and more disappointments. Both teams had some good looks but couldn’t come out on top.
“I thought we showed our immaturity tonight, I thought we showed our youth” head coach Rand Pecknold said after the game. The Bobcats could not play as a single team to get the job done. Yale’s strong defensive unit proved to be too big of a challenge.
When asked what his team could have done to beat Quinnipiac, Allain simply said that they needed to score one more goal. Both coaches were clearly displeased with their team’s performances.
Quinnipiac faces off next against Brown (8-17-1, 5-13-1 ECAC) for senior night on Feb. 21. If the Bobcats put up a win or tie against the Bears they will clinch the ECAC regular season championship.
