Three Stars: Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey wins Cleary Cup on Senior Night

Ethan Logue
February 27, 2022

Wrap by Ryan Coope

Story by Ethan Logue

The No. 5 Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team bounced back with a 4-0 win over the Colgate Raiders on Saturday night following a 1-0 loss to the Cornell Big Red on Friday.

After a slow start, senior Michael Lombardi was able to redirect a Jayden Lee point shot into the back of the net to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Then, just 18 seconds into the second period, Zach Metsa shot an absolute rocket over the shoulder of Mitch Benson, doubling the Quinnipiac lead.

(Photo: Quinnipiac Athletics)

After some gorgeous passing from Lombardi on a Quinnipiac power play, Joey Cipollone scored to extend the Bobcats’ lead. Oliver Chau ended the scoring on the night with a seeing-eye shot that somehow made it through two Quinnipiac and two Colgate players to cap off the scoring at 4-0.

Graduate student goaltender Dylan St. Cyr was impressive in net stopping all 19 shots sent his way as well as earning his fifth shutout of the year. It extended Quinnipiac’s NCAA Division I record for most shutouts by a team in a single year.

With the win, the Bobcats clinched their second straight Cleary Cup title for the best regular-season record in the conference. However, that wasn’t the only storyline from the night as 13 Bobcat seniors were honored following the game.

Here are the top three players that shined the brightest on their senior night:

3. Dylan St. Cyr

The graduate student picked up win number 10 on his season with Quinnipiac’s win tonight, and even though he wasn’t called on too much and didn’t have to make too many saves he was very solid in the blue paint for the Bobcats stopping all 19 shots sent his way.

It’s no secret that first-year goaltender Yaniv Perets has emerged as the team’s clear cut No. 1 goalie as the team heads into tournament time, but be sure to not discredit St. Cyr’s performance this year. The Notre Dame transfer has still posted an impressive stat line on the season, going 10-1-1 with 1.21 goals-against average and .933 save percentage on the year.

Though he may not be the number one option in the net for the Bobcats, he has proved throughout the entire year that he is a very reliable option that can surely come up big for Quinnipiac if they do end up calling on him.

2. Oliver Chau

It can be argued that Chau has been the team’s best transfer this year. The former UMass Minuteman has put up 13 goals and added on 19 assists for 32 points in his lone year with Quinnipiac and has proved that he can work with anyone on his line.

Chau added to his impressive season with a goal and an assist on Saturday. He perfectly set up a Metsa one-timer then added a beautiful goal by somehow putting the puck in the only open portion of the goal.

Another key aspect that Chau adds to this Bobcats roster is his championship experience. Chau played a huge part in UMass’ title run last year by being the No. 2 point-getter on that team. If Chau continues to stay hot, the Bobcats will become a lot more dangerous when the playoffs roll around.

1. Michael Lombardi

The Barrington, Rhode Island, product was easily the most dominant and noticeable player on the ice for the Bobcats. The senior started his night off with an excellent deflection on a Lee point shot, then one-upped himself on an unreal cross-crease pass to Cipollone, who was able to put it home on the power play.

Lombardi has been very impressive this season, sporting career highs in both goals and points. The senior has also played on many different line combinations and, similar to Chau, has proven that he can play with anyone on the roster.

Lombardi plays a key role on the Bobcats’ second power-play unit and is very important 5-on-5 as he backchecks, forechecks, blocks shots, and has great vision. The senior is a key piece to the Bobcats top-six forwards and will definitely need to continue this strong play as March approaches.