Quinnipiac Outlasts American International

Box score

HAMDEN, CT -- David Marshall's (Buffalo, Minn.) power play goal with less than 10 minutes to play broke a 2-2 tie as Quinnipiac defeated American International, 3-2, in a non-conference match-up at the TD Banknorth Sports Center in Hamden, Conn. The Bobcats improve to 2-2-0 on the season while the Yellow Jackets drop to 0-2-0.

Bryan Leitch (Coquitlam, B.C.) put Quinnipiac on the board first with his third goal of the season at the 12:05 mark in the first period. Leitch was assisted on the play by Marshall and Ben Nelson (Spokane, Wash.), who picked up his team-leading third assist on the play.

AIC would tie the game just 45 seconds later when Chris Bolognino (Carol Stream, Ill.) took a pass from T.J. Smith (St. Anthony, NF) and fed Steve McLeod (Atikolan, Ont.) for McLeod's first goal of the season. Bologino and Smith also picked up their first assists on the year.

Nelson would score his second goal of the season at the 11:26 mark of the second period when he was set-up by Dan Henningson (Edmonton, Alb.) and Matt Sorteborg (Anoka, Minn.). Quinnipiac would hold on to the 2-1 lead to close out the second frame. The goal came on Quinnipiac's power play. For the game, Quinnipiac was 2-for-3 on the power play after entering the game with one goal in their previous 18 powerplays over the Bobcats first three games.

It took American International all of 17 seconds to tie the game again. Chris Campanale (Chester Springs, Pa.) found Jereme Tendler (Viceroy, Sask.) who blasted a shot from just past the right face-off circle. Tendler's shot was deflected by Mark Pavli (Sarnia, Ont.) past Quinnipiac goalkeeper Peter Vetri (Windham, N.H.) to knot the game at 2-2.

From there, AIC goalkeeper Tom Fenton (Sarnia, Ont.) stopped the first 11 shots he saw in the third period. It was Marshall, on a power play, at the 9:49 mark that finally found the back of the goal. Fenton had 15 saves through the first two periods and had stopped 11 straight before Marshall's goal, his second of the season. Fenton would finish the day with 27 saves in net.

On the play, Dan Travis (Wilton, N.H.) found Brandon Wong (Victoria, B.C.) to the right flank of the AIC goal. Wong fired a pinpoint pass across the crease to Marshall, who was waiting with an almost completely open net.

"The third goal we scored tonight was a great play, on the power play, but in terms of five on five hockey, we're just not doing the little things well," said Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold.

The assist was Wong's second on the year while Travis picked up his first of the season.

The Bobcats return to action on Friday, Oct. 2 when they travel to Hamilton, N.Y. to take on Colgate at 7 p.m. in Quinnipiac ECAC Hockey opener. Quinnipiac will then head to Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday to take on Cornell, also at 7 p.m.