In a physical, high-intensity matchup, No. 18 Quinnipiac upset No. 8 Cornell 3-1 in New York Friday night.
Despite capturing its third straight ECAC victory, Quinnipiac’s play was plagued with inconsistencies, uncoordinated play and what some would call “sloppy hockey.”
Quinnipiac opened up scoring with just one second left on the power play in the first period. And while the goal was generated from great movement in front of the net by the Bobcats, the goal from graduate student defenseman Aaron Bohlinger was a simple spin-around throw based on pure luck.
Slow down and take your time
While the Bobcats were able to capitalize on the final second of the power play, the rest of it was rushed and sloppy.
The Bobcats overlooked their man advantages by rushing into plays instead of settling down and setting up quality chances against the Big Red.
Quinnipiac’s two power plays followed a similar pattern of random passes that became turnovers, allowing Cornell to dump the puck down the other end of the ice. From there, the Bobcat’s power plays resulted in a chasing game, unable to maximize opportunities on the extra man advantage.
Build on success
Following the opening goal, Quinnipiac’s momentum built up and slowly fell apart. The Bobcats stooped to Cornell’s level and energy, allowing the Big Red to take advantage.
On the defensive end, the Bobcats allowed three Big Red players to enter the house, screening freshman goaltender Dylan Silverstein and controlling play in front of the net. Quinnipiac’s inability to clear the front of the net allowed Cornell to tie up the game late in the first period, with a deflection from sophomore forward Jonathan Castagna.
Be smart
In a ranked matchup between two ECAC giants, penalties were a threat, especially in high-risk areas of the game. While both teams kept their penalty minutes limited to just four per team, Friday night’s results were determined by the quality of penalties taken.
After a scoreless middle period, Quinnipiac was able to gain the lead just eight minutes into the third. This lead should have been a key aspect of Quinnipiac’s victory, as the five minutes after a goal is often the most crucial.
The goal by freshman forward Chris Pelosi was the connecting play the Bobcats were looking for, utilizing the dump-and-chase method to open up space below the blue line and feed the puck up front.
In a perfect world, these five minutes would give Quinnipiac the momentum it had been searching all game to secure its victory.
However, just 45 seconds later, Quinnipiac gave Cornell the man advantage on a boarding penalty. In hindsight, Cornell would not capitalize on the man advantage, but the principle of the penalty holds that taking bad penalties kills a team’s momentum.
That being said, the Big Red were unable to use that to send home a tying goal, ringing a shot off the crossbar with just seconds left and fanning on a one-timer.
Despite the inconsistencies from both sides, Quinnipiac and Cornell have a week to repair before meeting again at The Frozen Apple on Nov. 30 at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.
In the meantime, Quinnipiac stays in upstate New York to face off against Colgate Saturday at 7 p.m.
