Tim Clifton scored with 1:56 remaining in regulation to lead Quinnipiac past Cornell, 1-0, at High Point Solutions Arena on Saturday night.
“Right at the very end there it was just a bang-bang play in front of the net,” said Cornell coach Mike Schafer. “There was a lot of traffic, and unfortunately we don’t do a very good job at picking up sticks and they were able to bang it home.”
Michael Garteig made 18 saves for his second consecutive shutout. With the win, Garteig improved to 5-2-0 on the season.
“[Garteig] felt comfortable this weekend,” said Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold. “He had good battle mode. I think we did a good job in front of him too, but he definitely made some saves, especially in the second period. We had some breakdowns and he made some big saves for us.”
Garteig credited his team’s defensive play.
“That’s the best team defense we’ve played in the two years I’ve played,” said Garteig. “Guys were doing the right things, the little things to bail me out if I was to let up a rebound. That’s not just our defense, but it was our forwards too.”
Mitch Gillam stopped 39 shots in the loss, falling to 0-2-1 on the season.
“We thought the scoring chances would be way down for both teams,” said Schafer. “There were long periods of time where both teams were playing not with caution, but good hockey and advancing pucks. I thought both teams did a good job blocking shots and getting sticks on offensive opportunities.”
Quinnipiac’s penalty kill was perfect, killing off three Cornell power plays. In the first period, Cornell had an extended five-on-three for over a minute and a half. The Bobcats also killed off a five-minute major following Matthew Peca’s ejection for hitting from behind.
“That’s the key of the game,” said Pecknold. “It was a long five-on-three, so there is one key and then we killed off the five-minute major. I thought the penalty killers really battled and Garteig was good on that.”
With a short bench, Pecknold rotated his three other centers through his forward lines for the remainder of the game.
“Sometimes with a little adversity, you will see players rise up and have big games,” said Pecknold. “Tim Clifton got a lot more ice tonight. He’s been good anyway, but he played a lot more. The three centers were all really good from the point that Peca was out.”
Without one of their captains for more than half the game, Tim Clifton thought the team stepped up as well.
“With Matthew down, a lot of people had to step up and I think the entire team did, not just myself,” said Clifton. “We were running three centers for half the game, but I think St. Denis and Schutt were also a big part of that.”
Clifton’s goal capped off a dominant period for the Bobcats, outshooting the Big Red 19-1 in the final 20 minutes. Following an offensive zone faceoff, Quinnipiac gained control low in the zone. Tanner MacMaster absorbed a hit from a Cornell defender to get the puck in the slot area. Soren Jonzzon then backhanded a shot on goal. Clifton then picked up the loose puck and slammed it passed Gillam for his second goal of the season.
“It was frustrating to give up the goal that late, but it’s the nature of the beast of hockey,” said Schafer. “It was going to bounce one way or the other, as both teams like I said has some good opportunities.”
