HAMDEN, Conn. — No. 10-ranked Cornell and No. 7-ranked Quinnipiac entered Friday night's clash between top 10 opponents bolstering two of the nation's top scoring defenses. Despite the averages entering the night, offense on both sides was on full display before 2,884 at M&T Bank Arena as the Bobcats defeated the Big Red, 8-4.
Jayden Lee had a four-point night, notching a goal and three assists for the host Bobcats (8-3-1, 4-0-1 ECAC Hockey), who remain atop the ECAC Hockey standings early on in the season. Collin Graf (two goals, one assist) and Cristophe Tellier (one goal, two assists) also had three-point nights for Quinnipiac.
Sophomore forward
Dalton Bancroft scored two goals and had one assist in the losing effort for the Big Red (4-2-1, 2-2-1 ECAC Hockey). Senior forward
Gabriel Seger also chipped in a goal and an assist.
Quinnipiac starting goaltender Vinny Duplessis stopped 21 shots in the victory for the Bobcats, while his counterpart
Ian Shane made six saves before being pulled 10:20 into the contest after allowing three goals.
Remington Keopple manned the crease for the remaining 49:40 while making a career-high 22 saves in his season debut.
Seger had the first grade-A scoring chance of the night five minutes into the contest when he split a pair of Quinnipiac defenders to create a 1-on-1 between him and Duplessis, but the Quinnipiac goaltender was able to poke the puck off of his stick.
Following the breakaway, momentum quickly shifted toward the Bobcats, who scored three times in four minutes, leaping to a three-goal lead.
Matthew McGroarty registered his first collegiate goal by capitalizing on a rebound of an Iivari Räsänen shot. Tellier scored the Bobcats' next goal, pouncing on another loose rebound and scoring on a wrap-around. Graf added a power-play goal 45 seconds later to give Quinnipiac a three-goal cushion.
Seger snapped Quinnipiac's string of goals with one of his own. Bancroft initiated the goal by intercepting a Quinnipiac pass attempt behind the Bobcats' goal, leading to a pass on the doorstep of the crease and Seger was able to backhand his shot into the net.
Quillan restored Quinnipiac's three-goal lead when Cooper Moore sent a 140-foot stretch pass from behind the Bobcats' net to Quillan at the blue line, enabling the sophomore forward to beat Keopple to his low glove side.
Just 28 seconds after Quillan's marker, Castagna trimmed the Big Red deficit to two as he capitalized on a Big Red takeaway on the edge of the neutral zone. Junior forward
Jack O'Leary chipped the puck up to his classmate
Kyle Penney before he quickly passed to Castagna, ushering Cornell to its second tally.
Cornell further trimmed Quinnipiac's lead to 4-3 past the midway point of the contest when freshman defenseman
Ben Robertson's shot from the point in the waning seconds of a power play went wide. On the ricochet off the boards, Seger chipped the puck from behind the net toward the goal crease, leading Bancroft to backhand the loose puck into the top corner.
Quinnipiac increased its lead to 5-3 with 28 seconds left in the second period when Lee used a backhand-forehand deke, drawing Keopple to sprawl out in his crease, and Lee lifted his shot into the upper portion of the net.
Early in the third period, Bancroft scored his second goal after swiping the puck away from a Quinnipiac defender in its defensive zone and scoring another goal on a backhand shot.
The Bobcats held Cornell off the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest while it tacked on a trio of insurance markers to prevent another Cornell comeback.
GAME NOTES
• Cornell and Quinnipiac met for the 50th time on Friday night. The Bobcats trimmed the Big Red's lead in the series to 26-20-4.
• Friday's 12
goals were the most scored between Cornell and Quinnipiac in their 50 meetings. The previous record for combined goals between the programs was 10, which was accomplished twice in the quarterfinals of the 2013 and 2016 ECAC Hockey Championships.
Most Combined Goals
Cornell - Quinnipiac Series History
Nov. 17, 2022 — 12 goals (#7 Quinnipiac 8, #10 Cornell 4)
March 16, 2013 — 10 goals (#1 Quinnipiac 10, Cornell 0)
March 9, 2018 — 10 goals (#2 Cornell 9, Quinnipiac 1)
• The 12 combined goals were the most in a Cornell game since the Big Red posted an 8-4 victory over AIC at Lynah Rink last season on Dec. 29, 2022. No Cornell road game had featured at least 12 goals scored since RPI defeated the Big Red, 7-5, on Feb. 26, 1999.
• With his second-period assist, Robertson has opened his collegiate career with points in each of his first seven games, becoming just the second Big Red freshman player since 1975-76 — when first-year players were first eligible to play — to have at least a seven-game point streak to begin his collegiate career. Only current NHLer Morgan Barron, who registered points in his first seven collegiate games in 2017-18, is the other player to accomplish the feat.
Longest Season-Opening Point Streak by Cornell Freshman
Since 1975-76, First Year Freshmen Eligible to Play
Morgan Barron (2017-18) — 7 games (3-4—7)
Ben Robertson (2023-24) — 7 games (0-8—8)
• Robertson's seven-game assist streak makes him the sixth player in the
Mike Schafer '86 era (since the 1995-96 season) to have an assist in at least seven consecutive games, joining the likes of Ryan Vesce, Mark McRae, Charlie Cook, Morgan Barron, and Stephen Bâby.
Longest Assist Streaks
Mike Schafer Era (Since 1995-96)
Ryan Vesce (2000-01) — 7 games (11 assists)
Mark McRae (2002-03) — 7 games (9 assists)
Charlie Cook (2003-04) — 7 games (9 assists)
Morgan Barron (2018-19) — 7 games (9 assists)
Stephen Bâby (2000-01) — 7 games (8 assists)
Ben Robertson (2023-24) — 7 games (8 assists)
• Robertson's assist also makes him the fourth Cornell defenseman since 1990-91 — and the third under Schafer — to have an assist streak of at least seven games, joining Tim Vanini (1990-91), Mark McRae (2002-03), and Charlie Cook (2003-04).
Longest Assist Streaks by a Cornell Defenseman
Since 1990-91
Tim Vanini (1990-91) — 7 games (11 assists)
Mark McRae (2002-03) — 7 games (9 assists)
Charlie Cook (2003-04) — 7 games (9 assists)
Ben Robertson (2023-24) — 7 games (8 assists)
UP NEXT
No. 10-ranked Cornell will continue its road trip on Saturday when it heads to the Garden State to battle Princeton in an ECAC Hockey and Ivy League contest. Puck drop between the Big Red and Tigers is scheduled for 7 p.m. Game action can be viewed live on ESPN+, SNY, and NBC Sports Philadelphia, as well as over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, whcuradio.com).
