Overtime Goal Lifts Quinnipiac

Box Score

HAMDEN, CT -- David Marshall's (Buffalo, Minn.) game-winning goal 11:58 into overtime ended a wild, 7-6, ECAC Hockey First-Round affair Friday night at the TD Banknorth Sports Center. With the win, the Bobcats take the first of the best-of-three series. The seven goals are the most scored by a Quinnipiac team in the Bobcats' three-year history in league tournament play.

After Brown struck first with a Sean Muncy goal at the 18:03 mark of the first period, the Bobcats ambushed the Bears with five consecutive goals, all coming less than five minutes into the second period. The five goals in 4:12 are the fastest five goals scored in Quinnipiac Division I history. Quinnipiac would add a sixth in the period, accounting for the most goals scored in a period by the Bobcats since Nov. 6, 2006, when Quinnipiac scored six times in an 8-2 win against Union.

Brandon Wong (Victoria, British Columbia) evened the score just 41 seconds into the second period off an assist from Dan Henningson (Edmonton, Alberta). The Bobcats took the lead just 17 seconds later, when Ben Nelson (Spokane, Wash.) scored off assists from Bryan Leitch (Coquitlam, British Columbia) and Jamie Bates (Toronto, Ontario). Nelson added another from Leitch and Marshall just over a minute later to put the Bobcats up, 3-1.

50 seconds later, Bates passed the puck from out in front of the net to Leitch on the right side, between the right face-off circle and the goal line. Leitch went top shelf on Brown goalie Dan Rosen's stick side. Just over two minutes later, Leitch scored again off a Bates assist, this time on the power play. Zach Hansen (White Bear Lake, Minn.) also earned a helper on the goal.

Rosen was pulled following the fifth Bobcat goal and Mark Sibbald, for the most part, stopped the bleeding. The Bears scored twice to cut the deficit to 5-3 by the 17:49 mark. Jeff Prough shot the puck from the left side, between the face-off dot and the blue line. Bobcat goalie Bud Fisher (Peterborough, Ontario) was unable to control the rebound and Ryan Garbutt was waiting on the doorstep with the rebound score at the 10:34 mark.

The Bears scored again at the 17:49 mark on a Chris Poli slapshot from the point. Aaron Volpatti and Prough took assists.

Bates answered less than a minute later with a highlight-reel goal at 18:48. Controlling the puck from the left side around the back of the net while being ridden by Paul Baier, Bates faked the backhand, wraparound, instead spinning back to the right and slipping a wrist shot past Sibbald, glove side into the top right corner.

But the Bears owned the third period, scoring three times in the final seven minutes to send the game to overtime. Sean McMonagle had one shot blocked before recapturing the puck and sending a wrist shot past Fisher's glove side at the 12:59 mark. Paul Baier and David Robertson earned assists on the play.

Ryan Garbutt cut the Bobcat advantage to one at the 15:14 mark, controlling a second rebound and putting the third Brown attempt past a sprawled out Fisher into the left side. Chris Poli and Devin Timberlake were credited with assists.

The equalizer came with just 5.4 seconds left, as the Bears pulled Sibbald in favor of an extra skater. Robertson sent the puck to the right post, where Matt Vokes redirected it along the goal line and Prough put the puck in from the left post.

Marshall's game-winner came off an assist from Eric Lampe (Madison, Wis.). Lampe dumped the puck on net and Marshall collected the rebound, wrapped a shot off both posts before trickling just over the goal line on the right side.

Fisher (11-10-3) made 24 saves in the win for the Bobcats while Sibbald (0-7-0) made 19 stops to take the tough-luck loss.

The two teams continue action in the best-of-three series tomorrow night. The puck drops at 7 p.m. at the TD Banknorth Sports Center. A win tomorrow night would give Quinnipiac three first round sweeps in their first three seasons in ECAC Hockey.