Quinnipiac Drops Overtime Decision to Colgate

Boxscore

HAMDEN, Conn. – The Quinnipiac University men’s ice hockey team lost to Colgate, 5-4 in overtime, in the second game of their ECAC Hockey Tournament First-Round series. With the win, Colgate evens the series at 1-1 and forces a third and deciding game on Sunday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at the TD Banknorth Sports Center in Hamden, Conn.

Tickets for the game go on sale at 12 Noon on Sunday, March 8. Those wishing to purchase tickets can visit the TD Banknorth Sports Center ticket office or call 203-582-3905.

Colgate’s Austin Smith had a hat trick, including the tying and game-winning goals to propel Colgate to the series-tying win. Smith scored with 19 seconds remaining in the third period and then again just fifty-four seconds into overtime. Smith also had one assist in the game.

It was Smith who put Colgate on the board first at the 13:22 mark of the first period. Francois Brisebois put a shot on goal that was stopped by Bobcats’ goalie Bud Fisher (Peterborough, Ont.). Ethan Cox collected the rebound and put a shot on goal that appeared to be tied up by Fisher. Austin Smith was able to poke the puck lose before it was whistled dead and collected it in the crease where his shot from close range found the back of the net to give Colgate a 1-0 lead.

Quinnipiac evened the score with a power-play goal with just under three minutes to play in the first period. Senior assistant captain Andy Meyer (St. Louis, Mo.) held the puck above the right face-off circle, just below the blue line in front of the Colgate bench. He sent the puck around the boards where it was collected by Brandon Wong (Victoria, B.C.) on the opposite side of the ice. Wong and Greg Holt (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) passed the puck back-and-forth to each other before Holt’s shot from the point beat Colgate’s Charles Long to the lower left corner. Holt’s goal was his third of the year, while Wong converts on his 12th assist and Meyer gets his 10th of the season.

Quinnipiac took a 2-1 lead less than three minutes into the second period on Bryan Leitch’s (Coquitlam, B.C) 12th goal of the season. Quinnipiac was once again on the power play when David Marshall (Buffalo, MInn.) passed the puck around the boards to Zach Hansen (White Bear Lake, Minn.) who handled the puck at the point just below the blue line on the opposite end of the ice from the Bobcats’ bench. Hansen spied Leitch move behind the Colgate defense where he set-up at the opposite post of the Colgate goal. Hansen’s goal through the Raiders’ defense found Leitch’s stick and the senior wing buried the shot to give Quinnipiac the one-goal lead.

Colgate answered at the 8:28 mark when Brian Day and David McIntyre took off on a breakaway. Corbin McPherson started the play, carrying the puck out of the Colgate zone and finding Day. Day brought the puck up the ice into Quinnipiac’s defensive zone where he found McIntyre streaking down the left side of the ice. McIntyre’s shot went to the far post and banged home to tie the game, 2-2.

With 7:47 remaining in the game, Scott Zurevinski (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) put home the go-ahead goal to help Quinnipiac to a 3-2 lead. Mike Atkinson (Sparta, N.J.) put a shot on goal that was collected by Zurevinski just outside of the crease. Zurevinski flipped a back-handed shot on net that snuck between Long’s legs to give the Bobcats the lead. Zurevinski’s goal was his 10th of the season while Atkinson was credited with his ninth helper.

At the 5:31 mark, Eric Lampe (Madison, Wisc.) scored a shorthanded goal to give Quinnipiac a two-goal lead. Meyer started the play, collected the puck on the penalty kill and getting it out to the red line for Atkinson. Atkinson dropped a pass off to Lampe, who was streaking down the right side. Lampe skated on net and flipped a shot over the left shoulder of Long to make the score 4-2.

Down two goals, Colgate scored twice in the final three minutes of regulation to force overtime. The overtime game was Colgate’s NCAA-record 18th of the season. The Raiders drew within a goal at the 2:21 mark on a goal by Nick St. Pierre off an assist by Smith. Smith put a shot on goal that was blocked by Fisher before it trickled out in front of the net. St. Pierre was waiting to knock the puck in to move within a goal at 4-3. The goal was St. Pierre’s 13th of the season while Smith converts on his 14th assist of the season. The game tying goal came when Smith collected the rebound off a blocked shot by Brian Day.

In overtime, Cox dropped a pass to the right face-off circle where Brisebois was waiting. His back-handed shot bounced over Fisher in net and landed in front of the goal. Smith slid across the ice and knocked the puck into the open net for the game-winner.

The two teams will meet again in the third and deciding game on Sunday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at the TD Banknorth Sports Center in Hamden, Conn.