After becoming the first team in ECAC Hockey to record back-to-back shutouts this season, a third was not in the cards for the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team on Saturday, as it fell 4-1 to Clarkson.
The loss drops Quinnipiac to 15-13-2 overall and 9-9-0 in ECAC Hockey play, leaving the team in seventh place in the conference.
After shutting out Princeton (5-0) and Colgate (2-0) in the previous two games, the Bobcats were starting to regain their form from the beginning of the season.
The game on Saturday started with the Bobcats ahead a little more than halfway through the first period. On the power play, defenseman Zach Davies controlled the puck along the boards and sent a pass across-ice to Zach Hansen at the point. Hansen then spotted sophomore forward Scott Zurevinski in the slot, who handled the pass and connected with the back of the net going top-shelf. The goal was Zurevinski’s 12th of the season and first since Jan. 16. Davies recorded his eighth assist of the year, while Hansen’s assist was his 12th.
Clarkson evened the score with a little more than six minutes left in the first. Sophomore forward Corey Tamblyn scored off a Bobcat turnover in the neutral zone. Tamblyn took a shot on net after beating two Quinnipiac defenders and beat Bobcat goaltender Dan Clarke five-hole for the equalizer.
The Golden Knights’ goal was the first given up by Clarke since the first period of the 2-0 loss to Cornell on Feb. 5. The streak lasted 151minutes, 19 seconds and was the second longest in Quinnipiac’s Division I history. Jamie Holden’s streak of 171:16 minutes lasted over four games during the 2003-04 season.
Tamblyn had a hand on the second Clarkson goal as he passed off to Scott Freeman, whose one-timer beat Clarke for a 2-1 Golden Knight lead.
The Bobcats had a great opportunity to even the game in the second period. What was initially thought to be a goal for Jean-Marc Beaudoin was waved off because the officials determined the goal was kicked in by the forward.
Seconds later, Clarkson was called for a hooking penalty and a Tamblyn hook shortly after gave Quinnipiac a five-on-three advantage. During the power play, a fury of shots were sent toward Golden Knight goalie Paul Karpowich, but none were converted into goals as Clarkson killed the penalty and another chance for Quinnipiac to even the score.
With fewer than five minutes to play in the second, Clarkson increased its lead to two with another goal. The initial shot was saved by Clarke, but the puck was redirected into the net off the goalie’s right pad.
The Golden Knights added an empty-netter late in the third to give them the 4-1 victory.
Quinnipiac returns to the ice this weekend as they travel to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday and Union on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
