Giffin and Hallas Propel Saints Over Bobcats

Box Score

CANTON, NY -- The St. Lawrence University men's hockey team turned to their veterans to make an impact on Friday night against Quinnipiac in Appleton Arena, and the upperclassmen did not disappoint. Senior Charlie Giffin tallied a goal and an assist, graduate student Pat Muir picked up his first career point and fellow grad student John Hallas made 30 saves, lifting the Saints to a thorough 4-1 victory over the Bobcats.

The Saints improved to 11-18-4 (6-13-2) and snapped a four-game losing streak, while Quinnipiac lost their fifth straight and dropped to 17-12-4 (9-8-4).

Sophomore Travis Vermeulen wasted little time in putting the Scarlet and Brown ahead, as the Centerville, MN native scored his 6 th goal of the season only 4:40 into the first period on his team's second shot on goal. Vermeulen ducked a defender and carried the puck into the slot in front of Quinnipiac goaltender Bud Fisher. Though Fisher was able to get a piece of Vermeulen's bid, he merely slowed it down as it crossed the goal line and put St. Lawrence ahead 1-0.

Though Quinnipiac gave up the goal, the visitors played a very solid first period, out-shooting St. Lawrence 13-8. Hallas was the difference maker, however, as he stopped each shot that came his way including back-to-back saves on David Marshall from point blank range to keep his team ahead after one period.

Junior co-captain Jared Ross made the score 2-0 only 1:08 into the second period only six seconds after his team's power play time expired. Muir started the play by finding Giffin, who sent a pass to Ross at the blue line. The Stony Island, NS native blasted a slap shot over Fisher's glove to pad the Saints' lead.

A 10-minute misconduct penalty on Quinnipiac's leading scorer Brandon Wong would bottle up the Bobcats' offense midway through the second. With the visiting team taking consecutive undisciplined penalties, the Saints cashed in on a 5-on-3 advantage at 10:23 to build their cushion to 3-0. Junior Matt Generous took a pass from fellow classmate Casey Parenteau and sent a low shot towards the goal. However, Giffin was able to get a stick on the puck and re-direct it through Fisher's legs for his 7th goal of the season.

St. Lawrence, which out-shot their opponents 14-10 in the period, capped the stanza with a picturesque goal off the stick of sophomore Sean Flanagan. The Canton, NY native received a pass from Derek Keller and rifled a fantastic shot from just outside the left circle that eluded Fisher's glove and crept under the cross bar for his 6th of the season. The goal put the Saints ahead comfortably, 4-0, heading to the third frame.

The final period was a very evenly played 20 minutes, with Quinnipiac holding the upper hand in shots on goal,

8-7. Eric Lampe would end Hallas' shutout bid at 10:06 of the period when he took a pass from Mike Atkinson on the left side of the goal and squeezed the puck between the goaltender and the near post for his 11th of the season, cutting the lead to 4-1.

The Saints' defensive unit, led by Generous and junior Zach Miskovic, clamped down, though, and kept the Bobcats from creeping any closer. Hallas wrapped up the win in what will likely be his final game at Appleton Arena, improving to 5-5-1 on the season in a 30-save performance, while Fisher drops to 10-9-3 after making 25 saves.

St. Lawrence will look to earn their first weekend sweep since January 13 when they welcome Princeton University to Canton, NY tomorrow, Saturday, March 1st. The game will be the final regular season home game for the Saints' Class of 2008, with the puck dropping on the Scarlet and Brown and Tigers at 5:30pm.