Twenty game unbeaten streak. Quinnipiac put another game in the win column Friday night in a 4-1 victory against Cornell at Lynah Rink. The win gives Quinnipiac their 12th 20-win season in just their 15 years in the NCAA Division I ranks. The Bobcats push their NCAA leading unbeaten streak to 20-games, giving Quinnipiac its first regular-season sweep of Cornell in program history.
Since Quinnipiac joined the NCAA Division I level for the 1998-99 season, the Bobcats are just the third team, joining Minnesota (22 games, 2006-07) and North Dakota (20 games, 2008-08) to post undefeated streaks of 20 or more games.
“I’m thrilled win the win against Cornell. Playing at Cornell is one of the hardest places in the country to play and they’re a very good hockey team,” Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold said. “We didn’t have our best game, but it was a good road win. “
Matthew Peca led Quinnipiac (20-3-4, 17-0-3 ECAC) with a goal and an assist. Peca has a team leading seven-game point streak, giving the second year Bobcat nine goals and nine assists for 18 points. Peca now has 10 points on four goals and six assists during the point streak and 13 points, on five goals and eight assists, in his last 10 games.
Senior Clay Harvey, and juniors Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Connor Jones each added a goal while Mike Dalhuisen, Jeremy Langlois and Dan Federico all recorded assists.
The Bobcats scored just 1:13 into the game, when Peca corralled the puck out of the corner to the left of Cornell goaltender Andy Iles. Peca skated up the near boards and fed Dalhuisen. Dalhuisen sent a slap shot through traffic. Harvey screened in front of the goal and got his stick on the puck and deflected the shot between the pads of Iles for a 1-0 lead.
With Quinnipiac on the power play just four minutes into the second period, Samuels-Thomas gave the Bobcats a 2-0 lead, scoring his eighth goal of the season. Samuels-Thomas took a pass from St. Denis and skated along the boards into the face off circle to the left of Iles. Samuels-Thomas wristed a shot to the opposite post past Isles to give Quinnipiac a two-goal lead.
Peca added his ninth goal of the season just over three minutes into the third at 3:04. Peca skated on a two-on-one breakaway deep and fed Langlois but his shot went wide. After numerous chances, Federico flipped the puck to Langlois but Isles denied the initial shot before Peca was waiting in the slot where he was able to collect the puck and wrist a shot in for a three-goal lead.
Cornell (8-9-2, 4-9-2 ECAC) scored its lone goal of the game when Greg Miller put one past Eric Hartzell with three minutes to play. Jones added an empty net tally with just over a minute to play in regulation.
Hobey Baker award nominee, Hartzell stopped 24-of-25 shots in net, while Iles made 24 saves on 27 shots.
“I thought Hartzell was the best player on the ice and it might of been the best game he’s played all year,” Pecknold said. “He was excellent.”
Quinnipiac hits the ice again tomorrow night in Hamilton, N.Y. against Colgate. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.
