In a Tuesday night matchup, No. 6 Quinnipiac handed one to Holy Cross, in a dominating 4-1 win.
Going into the game, both teams were going head to head with familiar faces.
For Quinnipiac, it would face off against former Bobcats’ sophomore forward Noah Eyre, who suited up in five games last season and senior forward Timothy Heinke, who was on the 2023 National Championship team.
While Holy Cross would not face off against any former Crusaders on the ice, behind the Bobcats’ bench, assistant coach Castan Sommer was a familiar face for them, serving as assistant coach for three seasons and associate coach last season. Sommer was also a former Crusader forward from 2012-16.
From the opening puck drop, the score truly does not serve as a reflection of the dominance shown by the Bobcats throughout their matchup against the Crusaders, outshooting them with 43 shots on goal to 27.
In the opening 15 minutes, Quinnipiac held Holy Cross to only seven shots on goal, while putting 18 shots on Crusaders senior netminder Louden Hogg.
The Crusaders simply could not stop the Bobcats in the opening minutes of the game, with sophomore forward Tyler Borgula skating right down center ice through Crusader defenders, getting quick, early shots and pressure on Hogg.
And Quinnipiac’s dominance did not end on 5-on-5 play, translating over to the power play and penalty kill units.
The Crusaders would take the first fault of the game with a hooking call on sophomore defenseman Owain Johnston. And the Bobcats would waste no time responding.
Quinnipiac struck first on the night, with a low, hard shot from freshman defenseman Nate Tivey at Hogg, finding the tape of freshman forward Markus Vidicek to tip it into Holy Cross’s net.
While Quinnipiac would follow, committing two penalties of its own in the period, Bobcats’ special teams stayed dominant, barely even giving the Crusaders time and space to get the puck deep in its zone.
As a matter of fact, Quinnipiac’s penalty kill would stay perfect all night, not letting Holy Cross get one past them on four man advantage opportunities.
Closing out the first period, Quinnipiac’s newcomers were not done yet, with freshman forward Matthew Lansing getting a quick shot past Hogg, with an assist from senior forward Anthony Cipollone and freshman forward Ethan Wyttenbach.
With his assist in tonight’s game, Wyttenbach continues his streak of earning a point in every game played for the Bobcats so far. Meanwhile, he’s only a freshman.
Going into the second frame, the Crusaders would try to get the upper hand on the Bobcats, with a goal from senior forward Jack Seymour, bringing the game within one.
Yet, the Bobcats were determined not to let this one slip into the favor of the Crusaders, gaining momentum once again.
This momentum from Quinnipiac would intensify with a goal from yet another freshman, this time forward Graham Sward, extending the Bobcats’ lead back to two.
From this point on, the Bobcats were on lockdown mode. Despite some silly penalties, Quinnipiac remained strong, winning 36 faceoffs and blocking 19 shots.
The Bobcats were throwing bodies in front tonight, with sophomore defenseman Elliot Groenewold, freshmen Nate Tivey and Brady Shultz blocking multiple Crusader shots.
Senior forward Jeremy Wilmer would solidify the game for Quinnipiac, with a snipe from the lower circle over the shoulder of Hogg, with a pass from junior forward Andon Cerbone and Sward.
In net, junior goaltender Matej Marinov had another strong showing for Quinnipiac, making 26 saves for a .963 save percentage. Despite the quick turn around from its weekend series against Maine, Marinov proved he has what it takes to be in net for the Bobcats when they need him the most.
With the win, Quinnipiac extends its record to 4-1-1 on the season. The Bobcats will faceoff against Merrimack on Oct. 24 in North Andover, Mass. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
