Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey all over Vermont in 4-0 win
Photo Courtesy: Liz Flynn
October 27, 2019
Highlights
By: Bryan Schwartz
Postgame reaction
By: Tom Krosnowski
The Rebound
By: Tom Krosnowski and Steven Pappas
Three reasons the Bobcats won
By: Patrick Flatley
Nick Jermain
Nick Jermain was as advertised tonight for the Bobcats. From the second the puck dropped, Jermain was doing all the little things you would expect from a captain. The game was relatively even early on as the Bobcats came out a little flat due to the 2pm start time. That all changed early in the first when Jermain dropped to a knee and blocked a point shot after being trapped in the defensive zone for an extended period of time. The bench exploded in stick taps and the Bobcats were a different team from that point on. If that wasn’t enough, Jermain opened the scoring with a beautiful move that has become patented by number 18. Jermain is one of the best at selling the forehand shot by opening up his blade, getting the goalie to bite and taking the puck across his body to the backhand where he put it over the goalie’s shoulder. Jermain continues to lead by example with another quality game for the Bobcats this afternoon.
Karlis Cuskte
Quinnipiac needs a steady, rock-solid body on the backend and Karlis Cukste is that guy. He has been playing well all season and today was much of the same. Now with an “A” on his sweater in his senior season, the confidence and poise that Cukste plays with is undeniable. His gap control was excellent even when outnumbered on the rush. Vermont forwards coming into the zone were met right away with the outstretched stick of Cuskte, either eliminating space by driving them to the wall or knocking the puck away at the blue line. With the high number of offensive minded defensemen on this Bobcats squad, Cuskte and his defensive play will need to continue to be lock-down and consistent all year to help balance the young defensive core.
PK
Quinnipiac’s penalty kill was dominate again in today’s contest against Vermont. Quinnipiac took a total of four penalties, but the timeliness of the kills was the difference maker for the Bobcats. Early in the third period, Logan Britt was called for a slash and just 33 seconds into the kill, Skyler Brind’Amour was charged with a trip giving the Catamounts a 1:27 long 5-on-3 advantage. Looking to change the course of the game, Vermont called their timeout. Jermain, Cukste and Metsa were the three killers for the Bobcats to start the lengthy kill and it was executed perfectly. A textbook kill. Staying in a synchronized triangle, the three killers effectively and efficiently killed off the penalties which took any and all momentum from Vermont. Countless shot blocks by the Bobcat penalty kill units along with staying within the system and making sure the puck gets out of the zone were all promising signs for head coach Rand Pecknold’s team as the season rolls along.
