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After a weekend of wins — a 3–2 defeat of Union and a 5–2 triumph over Rensselaer — the Yale men’s hockey team looked to continue their winning streak on Tuesday but were unable to overcome No. 4 Quinnipiac, who has had 16 shutouts this season, losing 4–0. 

The Bulldogs (7–18–1, 6–13–1–1 ECAC) fell to Quinnipiac (27–4–3, 16–3–1) in their second matchup of the season, where they struggled to tally a point at the Frank Perrotti Jr Arena in Hamden, CT. 

“Last weekend was a big energy booster going into the last few regular season games and then carrying into playoffs,” forward Ian Carpentier ’24 said. “If we keep sticking to the small details in our game, we will keep seeing great results [despite our recent loss].”

In their most recent two games, the Bulldogs capitalized on their eight power plays to secure four goals in their conference sweep. 

On Tuesday, 10:59 into the first period, forward Oliver Chau scored the first goal of the game with an assist by forward Skyler Brind’Amour. Just over eight minutes into the second period, forward Desi Burgart fired another on goaltender Nate Reid ’24, securing the second Bobcat tally of the night. 

Eight minutes into the third frame, Yale was on the power play for a tripping penalty called on forward Oliver Chau. Despite not being able to convert on the man-advantage, a slew of seven shots in two minutes showed that the prowess of the Elis’ special teams couldn’t overcome Bobcat goalkeeper Yanic Perets. 

Assisted by defenseman TJ Friedmann, Guus van Nes slotted Quinnipiac’s third goal of the night just over 10 minutes into the third period. For the team’s final tally, van Nes and Burgart helped forward Joey Cipollone score with just under seven minutes left in the game. 

Over the course of the game, the Bobcats had a 23–21 edge in shots on goal and Reid made 19 saves for the Elis. 

“I thought we played really well for 50 minutes,” head coach Keith Allain ’80 said. “The difference in the game was that they scored on the power play and we were unable to.”

On Friday at 7:00 p.m., the Yale men’s ice hockey team will face No. 17 Clarkson (18–8–5, 13–3–3–1) at Cheel Center in Potsdam, NY. 

With games dating back to 1929-30, the Golden Knights hold a 79–39–7 lead over Yale. In the teams’ most recent meeting on Feb. 5, Clarkson overcame Yale’s early lead to win 3–2 at Ingall Rink. 

Since the matchup, Clarkson has tallied wins against Princeton, Quinnipiac and Colgate, but lost 6–2 to Cornell. The Feb. 19 loss to Cornell ended the team’s 11-game unbeaten streak. 

During that game, Cornell took an early 3–0 lead, which Clarkson met with 2 goals, yet the Golden Knights ultimately fell behind and the Big Red was able to score twice on an empty net at the end of the third frame. Golden Knights Goalkeeper Ethan Haider made 19 saves over the course of the game. 

“We need a strong finish here,” Golden Knights head coach Casey Jones said to Clarkson Athletics after their game against Quinnipiac on Feb. 12. “I think it’s four games left and we’ve been on a little bit of a roll here, but we want to keep it going.”

Clarkson is only one point behind the Bobcats, who rank first in the ECAC and will likely clinch second place in the conference. 

On Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in Appleton Arena in Canton, NY, the Bulldogs will take on St. Lawrence (8–16–6, 6–10–4). 

Since their first meeting in the 1951-52 season, St. Lawrence has held a 61–38–12 advantage over the Elis. In their most recent meeting, the Saints clinched a 2–1 win in overtime on Feb. 4.

“I liked our start tonight, but we needed to get to the hard areas more in the first two periods,” Saints head coach Brent Brekke said to St. Lawrence Athletics following the Feb. 4 game. “That team plays hard and transitions well. So, that was a good road win for us tonight.”

Over the past month, St. Lawrence has tied Brown in overtime, secured a win in overtime against Cornell and has lost to Quinnipiac, Princeton and Colgate. In the Colgate game on Feb. 19 where St. Lawrence ultimately fell 4–2, forward Ty Naaykens scored early in the contest and forward Max Dorrington scored in the final minute. Goalkeeper Emil Zetterquist finished the game with 31 saves. 

Despite their past struggles this season in facing Clarkson and St. Lawrence, the Bulldogs are optimistic about their upcoming conference play and the completion of their regular season.