Sixty-five minutes after the drop of the puck, the Yale vs. Quinnipiac rivalry found itself deadlocked in a 2–2 tie. Though both teams put up 31 shots and had seemingly endless scoring opportunities, the Bulldogs and Bobcats were unable to claim a “W”, each taking home a point for their efforts.
With the tie in hand, No. 18 Quinnipiac (16–8–2, 11–2–1 ECAC) leads the ECAC with 23 points. No. 16 Yale (12–6–3, 7–5–2) stands in fourth with 16 points.
Though eventually ending in a tie, the game proved as exciting as any victory. The atmosphere was loud and competitive, as the “Bulldog” and “Bobcat” chants grew increasingly heated as time ran down in the third. Fans were able to get a glimpse of one of the most intense college hockey rivalries in one of the most storied college rinks — if they could get a ticket. Ingalls Rink was filled to capacity with 3,500 in attendance.
“Everyone gets excited to play Quinnipiac at home,” forward Carson Cooper ’16 said. “Saturday night at Ingalls, and everybody’s fired up.”
Though down 1–0 after the first 20 minutes, the Elis controlled most of the first, in total out-shooting Quinnipiac 12–6. The sole goal of the period came 10:01 in as winger Sam Anas drove the puck behind the net and then back out front. The puck bounced past both Yale and Quinnipiac sticks and eventually found the back of the net after bouncing off of Alex Lyon ’17’s pad.
“I kind of lost [the puck] and drifted to the corner,” Anas said. “I just figured I would throw it towards the net… I’ll take it.“
Both teams also had power play opportunities, though limited, as Cooper was called for boarding only 32 seconds after an interference call on Anas. And though the period saw much back-and-forth play, attributed to both team’s relative success at finding breakout seams, the puck spent the majority of the 20 minutes in the Quinnipiac defensive zone.
Though shots marginally favored QU in the second — 11 for Yale to Quinnipiac’s 14 — the Bulldogs were able to put away the lone goal, tying the game at one. The score came midway through the period off of passes from forwards Frankie DiChiara ’17 and Cody Learned ’16 to Cooper, who buried the puck far side past Quinnipiac goaltender Michael Garteig.
Just as in the first, both teams racked up a single penalty, Yale for interference and QU for tripping. Though both Yale and Quinnipiac saw their share of opportunities, both Lyon and Garteig stood on their head in the frame. Through 43 shots at the end of the second, only two had found twine.
The opening score in the third came 5:33 in the period — only five seconds after a Yale hooking penalty on John Hayden ’17 had expired — as Anas was able to sneak a point shot past a screened Lyon. However, the 2–1 lead didn’t last long. Three minutes later at the 8:50 mark, defenseman Ryan Obuchowski ’16 fired a blue-line blast that rattled off the crossbar before crossing the line. Forwards Ryan Hitchcock ’18 and Mike Doherty ’17 assisted on the play, and just like that, Yale had erased another single goal deficit.
Neither Yale nor Quinnipiac could capitalize on power play opportunities in the final three minutes of the period, and with 60 minutes in the books, Yale and Quinnipiac were headed to overtime.
In overtime, however, neither squad was able to solve Lyon and Garteig. Both goalies put up equally impressive showings, each gathering 29 saves on the night. Lyon even took home first star honors. Anas and Obuchowski were awarded with second and third, respectively.
“It’s business as usual [for Lyon],” head coach Keith Allain ’80 said. “He’s a quality goaltender, and he gives us quality performances on a day in, day out basis.”
Both sides were relatively disappointed with the 2–2 outcome, a sentiment that Quinnipiac and Yale coaches expressed in the post game press conference.
Yale’s next home contest is against Harvard at 7 p.m. this Friday.