No. 5 Quinnipiac bounced back after Friday night’s loss, earning a 4-3 win in overtime against the Brown University Bears Saturday night.
Quinnipiac grabbed control early, skating with more pace and putting Brown under pressure throughout the first period. The Bobcats owned the opening frame with an 11 to four advantage in shots on goal, and 23 total attempts, keeping the Bears in their zone for most of the stretch.
A breakthrough finally came from freshman forward Matthew Lansing, who finished a clean look created by freshman forward Antonin Verreault and sophomore defenseman Elliott Groenewold. The group capitalized on extended possession, turning a strong cycle into a one-goal lead.
Junior goaltender Matej Marinov saw limited work, turning aside the four shots that reached him, while the Bobcats controlled most of the play in front of their own net.
Brown finally pushed back in the middle frame as the tempo shifted several times. Quinnipiac nearly doubled its lead early when Verreault snapped a low shot that Brown senior goaltender Tyler Shea swallowed.
The Bears would earn their first power play after an interference call on senior defenseman William Gilson, cashing it in. Sophomore forward Michael Salandra, who had transferred from Quinnipiac to Brown in the offseason, finished a seam on the right side for his first collegiate goal, after quick puck movement between sophomore forward Brian Nicholas and junior defenseman Ethan Mistry to tie the game.
Quinnipiac responded quickly. Sophomore forward Aaron Schwartz spun off the right wall and sent a puck toward the slot that redirected to sophomore forward Chris Pelosi, who slipped it in for his sixth goal of the season.
The Bobcats extended the lead later in the frame when junior forward Mason Marcellus collected a puck that ricocheted off the defensive-zone wall, accelerated up ice and beat Shea on the right post to make it 3-1.
Shea held steady with a pair of strong saves late in the period, including one on a Verreault rebound chance. Brown closed the frame with a holding penalty on freshman defenseman Matthew Desiderio, but Quinnipiac’s power play was unable to convert. The Bobcats finished the second with a 16 to six shot advantage, and 27 total attempts to Brown’s 10.
Brown opened the third with its best push of the night. Sophomore forward Charlie Gollob pulled the Bears within one score on a clean finish from the corner, set up by senior forward Ryan St. Louis and sophomore forward Ivan Zadvernyuk. Minutes later, senior forward Zackary Tonelli tied the game by shooting the puck from across the ice that rebounded off traffic to Marinov.
The Bears sustained pressure through the middle of the frame, forcing Quinnipiac into several defensive shifts and a penalty kill after a boarding call on Verreault. Marinov steadied the Bobcats with multiple stops through layered traffic, turning away 10 shots in the period, allowing the Bobcats to hold firm late and push the game into overtime.
Quinnipiac regained control in the extra frame and drew a power play after Brown was called for too many players on the ice. The Bobcats moved the puck well with a four-on-three man advantage, generating multiple looks before freshman forward Ethan Wyttenbach glided the puck to senior forward Jeremy Wilmer, who moved the puck up before rifling it into a seam on the left side of the net, which got passed Shea to lock in the 4-3 victory.
The Bobcats finished the game with a 43-22 advantage for shots on goal, Marinov recorded 19 saves and Quinnipiac secured its first ECAC win of the season.
The Bobcats, now 6-3-2, return to M&T Bank Arena on Nov. 15 to face Boston University. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m.
