By Mark Spillane, QBSN Staff Writer
The Brown University Bears defeated the Quinnipiac Bobcats 4-1 Friday night at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden, Conn. in the first game of a best-of-three-series in the First Round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs.
Play was physical early, that was shown when senior forward Spencer Heichman (Yorba Linda, Calif.) went to the box for elbowing, but the nation’s second best penalty killing unit went to work and kept the game scoreless after eight minutes passed.
After some back and forth play, Quinnipiac got its first power play opportunity when Chris Zaires committed a slashing penalty with 7:42 to play in the first. The Bobcats cashed in when sophomore Connor Jones (Montrose, British Columbia) sent a spinning backhand pass across the crease to junior Zack Currie (Victoria, British Columbia) who shot it top shelf over Mike Clemente’s right shoulder.
The goal was the Bobcats’ sixth power play goal in the last three games, and freshman Matthew Peca (Petawawa, Ontario) was given credit for the secondary assist, giving him a helper on a school record seven consecutive Quinnipiac goals.
“We’re just sticking to our game, the power play is playing well and we’re keeping simple and mixing it up at the same time,” Peca said of his great vision of late.
Unfortunately for the Bobcats, Peca’s line has been the only one to score lately, and that bad luck continued a few minutes later when Quinnipiac nearly made it 2-0. Heichman rang a slap shot off the post to Clemente’s right side. The rebound kicked out to Brown, and was cleared away to safety.
The Brown Bears finally netted their first goal with two minutes remaining in the first. With Hartzell screened and unable to see, freshman Kyle Quick received a pass from Zaires, and let a shot fly from just inside the blue line that found the top right corner of the net to knot the score at one.
Quinnipiac then opened the second frame back on its heels and allowed a flurry of shots just over two minutes in, but Hartzell made several impressive pad saves. Just seconds later, Brown went back on the man advantage after junior Zach Tolkinen (Lino Lakes, Minn.) was penalized for hooking. The Bears maintained two minutes of solid pressure, but the Quinnipiac penalty kill came through again.
The Bears came right back and took a 2-1 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the middle period. Ryan Jacobson scored on a two-on-one rush after receiving the pass from Brown’s captain and leading scorer, Jack Maclellan. Matt Lorito was credited with the second assist.
Coach Rand Pecknold was adamant after the game that his team was outworked in the game.
“I am literally shocked,” Pecknold said, continuing by saying his “guys were not ready to play tonight.”
The third and final frame opened the same way the second ended, with intense play and the Bears winning the physical battles. With 13:10 remaining, Maclellan was called for hitting from behind, and sophomore Reese Rolheiser (Edmonton, Alberta) nearly knotted the game at two, but a centering pass went just out of his reach. Despite the good cycling and quality opportunity, the Bobcats failed to convert yet again.
The teams continued to trade quality chances, with none coming to fruition before a boarding penalty was called against Quinnipiac freshman, Bryce Van Brabant (Morinville, Alberta), with 7:15 to play. Halfway through the initial penalty kill, Currie joined Van Brabant in the box for hooking. The second penalty gave the Bears nearly a full minute of a five-on-three advantage, but the Bobcats came through again by killing off both penalties and nearly producing a breakaway for Van Brabant as he exited the penalty box.
The crucial kill appeared to give Quinnipiac a jolt of energy, but Zaires sapped all vitality from the building when he scored his second goal of the night off a rebound from Hartzell. The call was initially reviewed but eventually upheld to give the Bears a 3-1 lead, with Quick and Bobby Farnham getting the assists.
The lack of energy was a problem for Quinnipiac all night.
I think maybe we were a little tired, not that we weren’t competing, but that we were a little tired,” Peca said.
In a desperate attempt to tie the game, the Bobcats pulled Hartzell with two minutes and 27 seconds remaining. Brown then won the faceoff in its own zone, and Jacobson sent the puck down ice where Farnham was able to corral the puck and notch his second goal of the game with the open net to seal the victory for Brown.
Quinnipiac will need a better all around team effort on Saturday if they want to force a game three.
“Tonight four forwards played well, and eight stunk,” Pecknold said.
The Brown victory makes game two on Saturday night a must win for the Bobcats and a possible series clincher for the Bears. The Bobcats will need to find some energy to overcome their lack of hustle and fatigue quickly because the puck will drop at 7 p.m.
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