Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold challenged David Marshall earlier last week to play better. Of course, with Yale on the schedule for the men’s hockey team Friday, the sophomore forward probably didn’t need that challenge.

Marshall has had no trouble scoring against Yale over the course of the brief rivalry between the two teams and that trend continued Friday as he scored twice to help Quinnipiac win, 6-4, before a sellout crowd of 3,286 at the TD Banknorth Sports Center.

In four career games against the Bulldogs, Marshall has scored six goals and had the game-winner in both wins this season.

“He’s a Yale killer,” Pecknold said. “He’s been great every game.”

Marshall was on the ice when Yale scored a shorthanded goal 10:53 into the third period to cut Quinnipiac’s lead to 4-3. He blamed himself for the goal and quickly redeemed himself when he answered 1:34 later with the eventual game-winner on the power play.

“I felt it was on my shoulders to get it back,” Marshall said. “To come back the next shift and score was a big thing. It was my fault that we gave up that goal, so I felt that I needed to get it back.”

Quinnipiac took advantage of Yale’s lack of discipline, converting on four of 12 power plays and finishing with 25 shots on the man advantage.

“Our power play has been a little flat lately. We’ve tried to change a couple things and certainly I was happy with that tonight,” Pecknold said.

The Bobcats were able to tie the game at 1-1 on their 20th shot of the game 8:52 into the second period when Matt Sorteberg, standing midway across the Yale blue line, scored on a slap shot that clanked off the left post and in.

Greg Holt made it 2-1 with 6:26 left in the period when his shot from the point beat a screened Alec Richards (35 saves).

The Bobcats opened the third period with a pair of goals to take a 4-2 lead. After Marshall scored on the man advantage at 7:09, Ben Nelson banged in a quick rebound at the right post three minutes later on a 5-on-3 advantage.

“That’s a big-time goal,” Pecknold said. “No goalie is going to make that save.”

Bud Fisher allowed four goals on 16 shots. Yale beat the buzzer at the end of the third while on a two-man advantage for its fourth goal.

BROWN 6, QU 3

Playing its fourth game in seven days, Quinnipiac allowed three quick goals early in the third period Saturday night as it lost, 6-3, to Brown in Providence, R.I.

With the loss, Quinnipiac (13-9-5, 9-4-4 ECACHL) fell back into third place in the ECACHL.