Men’s hockey crushes Sacred Heart, 6-1

Men’s hockey crushes Sacred Heart, 6-1

By Michael Desjardins, QBSN Staff Writer

Junior center Jeremy Langlois (Tempe, Ariz.) had two goals and junior defenseman Loren Barron (Glendora, Calif.) recorded a goal and two assists, as the Quinnipiac Bobcats men’s hockey team crushed the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Friday, 6-1.

The first period went back and forth as the two teams traded blows. However, halfway into the period, the Bobcats went on a tear, as they shot 10 times in the final seven minutes.

The Bobcats almost got their first goal with 4:43 left in the period. Senior captain Scott Zurevinski (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) took a shot that bounced off the right post, but did not cross the goal line. It was originally recorded as a goal, but was quickly reversed.

However, despite the reversal, the Bobcats did not let up on offense. With one minute and 32 seconds left, Barron scored (Glendora, California), with assistance by junior Ben Arnt (Oakdale, Minnesota) and senior Yuri Bouharevich (Montreal, Quebec). It was Barron’s fifth goal of the season.

“As a defenseman, we’re not really a highlight position,” said Barron. “The defense gets overlooked, but that’s just the way it is. We’re there to support our offense, to support our goalies. I feel when we’re playing good, the team is usually playing good as well. So, if we’re doing our job, they’re doing their job, and we should be getting wins.”

Courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

The Bobcats would score again before the end of the period. Langlois chipped in the puck after a shot from junior defenseman Zach Davies (Smithers, British Columbia) rebounded off Sacred Heart goalie Steven Legatto. Freshman forward Matthew Peca (Petawawa, Ontario) was also credited with an assist. The goal was Langlois’ team-leading 13^th of the season.

Sacred Heart got its goal only in the second period. Freshman Will Rayner recorded the goal, with assistance from Anthony Yelovich (Little Falls, New Jersey).

A minute later, Langlois answered back with his second goal of the night and14^th of the season to put the Bobcats up 3-1, thanks to another assist from Peca.

Late in the second period, the Bobcats were down three players thanks to some penalties. However, despite this, senior goalie Dan Clarke (Belleville, Ontario), who played in his first game since Cornell on Nov. 19, and the Bobcats’ defense, prevented the Pioneers from scoring another goal.

“Our issue tonight was taking bad penalties; I think we left them in the game for a little while,” says Head Coach Rand Pecknold. “Lucky, our three-on-five kill is good. We need to clean that up, though.”

In the third period, Sacred Heart tried to increase the tempo, but Quinnipiac defense continue to prevent it from scoring.

Midway through the period, a brawl between Zurevisnki and the Pioneers’ Ryan Stainmir broke out to the point where Zurevinski was knocked down and had his helmet off.

Despite this, Zurevinski continued to play and 50 seconds later, recorded a goal of his own, with help from sophomore defenseman Zach Tolkinen (Lino Lakes, Minnesota). Zurevinski also led the game in shots with seven.

A few minutes later, Bouharevich recorded a goal with the assistance coming from senior forward Spencer Heichman (Yorba Linda, Calif.) to put the Bobcats up 5-1.

The Bobcats sealed the deal with three minutes and four seconds left in regulation. Sophomore Cory Hibbeler (St. Charles, Missouri) recorded the goal with another assist from Barron.

In total, Quinnipiac outshot Sacred Heart 40-23. Clarke had 22 saves.

With their third win over the last four games, the Bobcats are now 10-6-3 overall, while Sacred Heart falls to 1-15-1.

The Bobcats’ next game is at home against ECAC-conference opponent Princeton on Sunday, Dec. 9 at noon.