No. 8 Quinnipiac came into this game with a six-game win streak that saw them struggle to finish off games against the College of Holy Cross and Stonehill College.
The Bobcats opened the scoring about five minutes into the first period. Freshman forward Antonin Verreault carried the puck through the neutral zone and into the attacking end before sliding a pass to senior forward captain Victor Czerneckianair.
His shot to the right side of the net deflected off junior goaltender Bruno Bruveris and then off the skate of sophomore defenseman Gustavs Ozolins for a Quinnipiac goal, getting them on the scoreboard first.
Rensselaer never found much of a rhythm at even strength or the power play, and Quinnipiac took advantage. After an early Bobcats penalty kill on a hooking call against Czerneckianair, freshman forward Ben Riche started another Bobcats play from below the goal line.
Riche hit freshman forward and ECAC Rookie of the Month Ethan Wyttenbach in the right circle, and Wyttenbach found freshman forward Matthew Lansing on the weak side for a shot from just outside the left faceoff circle that went in off the leg of Engineers sophomore forward Rainers Rullers. The goal gave the Bobcats a two goal lead and extended Wyttenbach’s point streak to nine games, the longest active in the nation.
Quinnipiac continued to tilt the ice in the second period. Off a clean offensive zone draw, freshman defenseman Nate Tivey worked the puck at the blue line and set up freshman forward Markus Vidicek, who ripped a shot through the arm of Bruveris for a 3-0 lead.
A few minutes later a holding penalty on Rensselaer graduate student defenseman Trevor Russell led to more damage on the power play. Vidicek got the puck near the crease and after a strange bounce off the net, junior defenseman Gunnar VanDamme tried to swat the puck away with his hand as it floated toward the goal line.
The play stood for Vidicek’s second of the night and pushed the Montreal, Quebec native to eight goals in his last six games, with assists from Wyttenbach and sophomore forward Chris Pelosi.
Sophomore forward Aaron Schwartz took the third Quinnipiac penalty of the night on a tripping call, but the Engineers again failed to generate sustained pressure. The Bobcats speed through the neutral zone repeatedly cleared the defensive and burned valuable time.
Late in the frame, Pelosi collected the puck to the right of the net and fed Wyttenbach in the slot for a high powered wrist shot through a gap above the pad of Bruveris, giving Quinnipiac a five-goal cushion.
Rensselaer showed more urgency in the third period and finally broke through. Junior goalie Matej Marinov lost his stick while making a save on freshman forward Jackson Kyrkostas and the rebound kicked into the low slot. Sophomore defenseman Kazimier Sobieski jumped on the loose puck and fired it past Marinov to cut the deficit to four. From there both teams traded chances, but Quinnipiac closed out an impressive ECAC road win.
Quinnipiac finished with a 27-17 edge in shots on goal. Marinov stopped 16 of 17 total shots, and the Bobcats skated off with their seventh straight victory.
The Bobcats, now 12-3-2, continue their weekend on the road to face the Union College Garnet Chargers on Dec. 6 in Schenectady, N.Y. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m.
